Cruising the Kaipara, part two

Jeanne and I had fish and chips. Allie had a toastie of some sort, Arram had a meat pie and Amiri ordered nachos. Both boys had enormous hot chocolates, the ladies had coffees, and I stuck with just water. 

After we ate, we noticed that the boat was gone. Jeanne thought that they may have gone fishing. 

After the ladies joined us at the playground, I excused myself and walked down the beach.. I wanted to know what made Shelley Beach special.  

 The tide was out. I've learned in the past that I don't enjoy walking a mud-flat. Whatever your shoe size is, walking on a mud-flat at low tide will give you size 15 feet before too long. 

 However, along the edge of it, you can find all sorts of treasures. I love sea-fans like this one. Even after 4+ years here in NZ, I still marvel at being able to bend over and pick up such a wonder of nature. 

Here are a few more of my take today. The most common shell on Shelley Beach is the cockle. There are piles of them.  Ten of millions I'm sure on this stretch of beach. Found a couple of nice scallop shells too.

A couple of hundred yards down the beach brought me to sand stone cliffs.  

 Around the corner from the first headland were more cliffs.

 A close-up of one of the fallen rocks. 

I went around a couple of headlands but had to get back.

A telephoto view across the flats to a rock outcropping, open water, and the other side of the harbour. It's fairly narrow at this point. When we leave the Jetty, we will go north into the wider harbour. 

"Avast there mateys, the ship, she be leavin' with the tide. Get thee aboard and be quick about it, or the Cap'n'll have the hide offen yea."

 "Aye, and it's a scurvy-lookin' crew at best. Still, methinks the sea will make men of them afore the voyage is done..."

"Shivver me timbers, keep a close watch from the crow's nest will yea? "

The lad looks to have a keen eye and a willing heart... 

Unfortunately, a short time after this picture was taken, the wind stole his cap. 

Hours on watch and any sailor starts to dream of home port and the comforts to be found there. 

 The First Mate joins the some of the crew up top.

 Moby Dick is not expected on this voyage. However, we Are on the look-out for the rare and endangered Maui Dolphin. Also called the popoto, it's the smallest sub-species of dolphin and it's believed that less than 100 of them remain. They are less than 6 feet long and have a distinctive rounded dorsal fin. 

None were spotted. 

Ashore, a giant sculpture stands on a multi-millionaires estate. 

This bunch of sailors must have shore leave coming. They are flying.... 

These Kiwis are more my speed. 

 We old salts know when to put our feet up. 

Too bad I don't have a pipe I can puff on and knock against the rail. 

Leaving the Harbour where we learned so much. 

Our Captain has done it. Brought us back to the very river from which we left. 

Good-bye birds, eels and mangroves. 

No longer land-lubbers, the ship's crew flexes their sea-legs and heads home.