Am I boring you?

Woke to a gorgeous, sunny but cool-ish morning, wall-to-wall sunshine and hardly a breath of wind. Had a leisurely coffee and a stroll down the beach to the water's edge collecting a few stones along the way so I can make a Wharanui stack.

Contemplated life a while and was thinking it was about time to pack up and set off when a chap on a quad bike pulled up. He came over to me and introduced himself as the farmer who owned most of the land around here (around 1200 acres I think he said). We chatted quite some time during which I learned a little of the history of the farm and the land back to when his grandparents had first arrived here and built the old house back in around the 1890's. These casual/chance meetings is one of the things I really enjoy about this kind of lifestyle. There are so many interesting people around.

Anyway, he needed to move along and get on with a bit more farming-type work so off he went. I packed up then set along the road towards Ohau Point where I'd gone to over the summer to see the seal pups but no-one was home.

This time was different however.

It's only a 10-minute walk up a formed track to get to the waterfall and pool where, I'd read, the seal pups hang out whilst their mums go out to the ocean (Pacific) and hunt food. I was only 2 minutes along the track when I saw my first pup.....then another.....then another......then a posse of 4 or 5 came trundling down the stream towards this lower pool, all eager to play chase or just loll around throwing a few turns and rolls in the water.

By the time I arrived at top end of the track I'd seen literally dozens of pups. Up at the waterfall it was as though the water was alive with squirming, splashing, darting wee pups. Soooooo cute - I could have watched them for hours. Actually, I almost did!

Whilst I shot dozens and dozens of shots, capturing a decent one of them in the water proved near impossible. I wish I had an underwater camera housing :)

This one had clearly worn himself out and was caught in the middle of a big yawn which he completed without taking his eye off me.

Well worth a visit if you're down this stretch of the east coast.

Even just a simple, short trip like this makes me feel refreshed and re-energised (although not fully ready for the craziness of the new term due to begin on Monday.) A very short trip but so very worthwhile.