Seaside Saturday

The bach we stayed at was past Collingwood and before Pakawau.  There is a wee peninsula between a wildlife estuary and Golden Bay.  No good in a tsunami but charming on a mild late summer weekend.  It is called Totara Ave and there are maybe 50 baches along it.  All are surrounded by trees and look out to Golden Bay.  The sea is at the bottom of the lawn when the tide is in.  When I took this picture on Saturday morning I could just make out Farewell Spit in the distance.  The landscape is unique and so is the bird song.  There are regenerating Totara and Matai trees and with other native shrubs seem to be home to a large population of Tui and Bellbirds.  I have never heard so much birdsong.  
We all got along very well and the forester did a lot of catching up with his friend.  In the afternoon they drove us  around the Westhaven inlet and we reached the West coast at Paturau where the beach is loaded with drift wood and stones at the high tide mark. (extra)