Paul Tombleson

Life on the West Coast

The West Coast of New Zealand is another animal compared to the east coast. The Tasman Sea has caved out a more exposed coastline lending itself to long sandy stretches and rugged rocky outcrops. Its still New Zealand however and therefore still dramatic and still beautiful.

New Zealand Giant Kauri Tree

We cross from the Bay of Islands over pastureland and into hilly country of mixed farming and large native forests. We stop for a rest at the last remaining giant Kauri tree, a behemoth that was once ubiquitous in these parts. But, like all resources of the 19^th and 20^th centuries they were  cut down on mass for marine and building use. The only thing that could be considered in the same league or bigger than the giant Kauri would be the giant Sequoia in California.

A true majesty of a tree it echoes a past from around the time Christ walked the earth. Its top reduced by lighting strikes, its limbs battered and mangled by time. Yet it remains a leviathan and link to a time before man walked this land leaving only the birds and creatures of the forest to take shelter under its dominion. We take council of this old soul before moving on.

Driving down onto the lowlands we make the final turn to the coast and meet up with my cousin who has decided on a semi-retired life on a beach. A beach that you cannot see the end of in either direction and her  constant companions are a tiny town of friendly people, her rascal cat and the sound of surf crashing 24/7… poor thing!

Miles and Miles to... Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk

Walking in the late afternoon on the wide expansive beach with the salt air blowing off the sea, the wet sand underfoot we take stock of how lucky we are to be on this trip.

Goose-neck barnacles

Next day on my early morning multi mile walk I find many fascinating items scattered along the shoreline, including many large pieces of driftwood covered with Goose-neck barnacles, which look and act like extraterrestrial creatures. The remainder of the day we decide to stay put on the sunny balcony relaxing and catching up with family chitchat and the rest of our Feijoa stash.

Sand Sole

It turns out the extraterrestrial encounters I had earlier in the day was just a pre cursor to the real thing this night. We are treated to a one on one tour of the heavens from an extremely personable, knowledgeable and enthusiastic astronomer at her observatory. Wow, what a treat… Wow, what a universe and beyond and Wow, what an out of this world end to our trip to the west coast!