The boats are staring to wake up and get underway.
The two boats on the right spent last evening connected at their sterns and a two-boat party was enjoyed. They separated when the party was over and moved to their present locations to spend the night.
Jeanne and I decide to walk down to the beach. No swimming for us. Nor crab-hunting for that matter. We just like to look around...
Not our house. We think this one might be where the owners of our holiday house now live.
This is the beginning of the trail back up to the house. I'd guess that it's about a quarter mile long.
A bit of bamboo.
Do you notice anything about the piece of land, covered in mostly brown, directly across the bay?
How about now? Jeanne and I both recognized it as a Pa, or Maori fortified site. The terraces are a giveaway.
That is actually an island called Motukiore but from this angle it's hard to tell that it is separate from the peninsula behind it.
Jeanne and I were sitting on the deck when this little guy joined us. We had left the front door wide open for air flow through the house so he took full advantage.
It turned out that he belongs to the owners of our house, who now live in the property next door to us. (picture above?) It would be about a 5 minute walk on the road and I'm sure this little guy has made it many times.
We're leaving to start our journey home. Along the way, we'll stop at the Waipu Caves.
(No, they didn't leave me behind. That is actually Allie and the boys going off to buy Chinese takeaway, but I'm pretending it's us leaving because this is the end of my pictures at the house.)
(No, they didn't leave me behind. That is actually Allie and the boys going off to buy Chinese takeaway, but I'm pretending it's us leaving because this is the end of my pictures at the house.)
We've made it back to paved roads again and are currently passing this little cove. We stopped here one evening after dinner and hunted crabs. We hit the mother lode. At one point Allie had 29 tiny crusty crustaceans in her hand.
There was also a young couple in a van doing what's called free-camping here. They just parked their home on wheels well off the road and spent the night. The guy was grilling steaks over a tiny hibachi.
I think I ought to name this place Crab Cove. -djf
There was also a young couple in a van doing what's called free-camping here. They just parked their home on wheels well off the road and spent the night. The guy was grilling steaks over a tiny hibachi.
I think I ought to name this place Crab Cove. -djf
So much rich history and culture going on in this secluded and peaceful holiday setting! Thanks for explaining the Pa - I thought it looked pyramidal with the terraces simply carved out of the existing hill. Do you know if they are considered Maori "holy" sites with restricted access?
ReplyDeleteYour unexpected visitor reminded me of the way Barney visited at your house in the U.P. I believe this is the first pup ever to make a guest appearance in your blog!
I know very little about Maori Pas in general. Many of them are open to the public.
DeleteFred said to ask if you ate the tiny crabs or were they too small? I thought of Barney also, Dianne, when I saw that picture. However, Barney was a lot bigger and he ate your shoes. This little guy seemed well behaved. McKenzie
ReplyDeleteThe crabs were very tiny. An eighth to a quarter of an inch wide.
DeleteAre you and Dianne thinking of Charlie, the part mastiff from next door? He was the big one.
Yes, it's Charlie we're thinking of - you didn't have any other big friendly slobbering pups visiting did you? I think I super-imposed Barney as his name since one of my nearby neighbors had a beagle Barney years ago.
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