The third and final ABB post

This post is the last of the current ABB series. 

We had the beach pretty much to ourselves the day we visited.  There were cars in the car park but since the beach is at least a half mile from end to end, we rarely rubbed shoulders with anyone else.

About a quarter mile beyond the car park here, the road is barricaded and further access denied. Beyond the bluffs that you see here is an Army installation and is the reason for the gate. Using the earth view of google maps, it appears there are water treatment ponds back there and some other buildings. 

This little 'pillbox' or watching post is just above the beach. During World War II it was manned.  (The Japanese Navy never did make it to NZ.)  I also noticed some concrete components of structures no longer present that are visible in an eroding cliff face. (no pictures of it.)

This is the restroom area. In the foreground is a drinking faucet and showers to rinse salt off before using the changing rooms inside.

Here is another view of a 'purple'.  During the time we were at the beach, the tide receded even further and left this area dry.  No fish in this jelly.

I'm not going to try to identify species in these pictures. I just like how beautiful it all is.

This is a little out of focus...underwater.

I think the sun was almost breaking through when I took this one.  Makes it more colourful. 

Arram's scallop shell and a starfish.

It was quite windy and many of my pictures of things underwater weren't usable due to the ripples. Here's one that's fairly nice. I sure do wish it had been sunny.

An interesting feature along one of the cliffs. 

Sea kayakers are loading up. They had been out fishing.

We were all hungry about noon and our lunch of fish and chips disappeared quickly. Fortunately, the takeaway place was very generous with the chips and we had left-overs for the gulls.
Here, Amiri feeds them. It was interesting to watch the dominant gulls establish their place in the pecking order. The lower ranking gulls had to wait a bit.
The bird which appears to have been stepped on in the sand in front of Amiri is actually in flight, closer to the camera.

There is a very brisk wind blowing from left to right in this picture and the gulls used it to their advantage, hovering in front of the feast-master.   All Amiri had to do was to launch each piece of chip into the air and the bird would catch it. Most of the time anyway. If a piece landed on the sand, all the gulls raced for it. 

You'll notice that one of the kayakers appears in this picture above Amiri's head.  -djf