Heron Landing

I have had a cruisy day.

I started out with my breakfast on a seat on Pohara beach. I did have to fight the seagulls for my share though. I packed up about 10 a.m. and headed into Takaka. I was on a mission to find a replacement glass for a lantern that was bought some time ago in Takaka. No luck!

Then I thought it best to check out the shops just in case there was something I should buy. I love the shops in Takaka. They are really quirky, with a lot of local art and craft and all sorts of interesting goodies. I did manage to buy a couple of things. But none of them are shoes - which is pretty amazing seeing one of my favourite shoe shops is in Takaka.

Lunch at the Wholemeal Cafe then a slow drive towards Collingwood.

At one point a pair of tui flew across in front of me and landed in a pink bottlebrush bush. The contrast was so neat that I turned around and drove back. Of course that scared them off, and even though I parked nearby for another 45 minutes they didn't come back.

This evening I spotted a group of herons on the estuary but before I could focus on them there was a furore between two of them and they took to the sky to battle it out. Unfortunately I was so busy watching the aerial battle that followed that I forgot to photograph it. It was quite a sight. I don't know anything much about herons so I have no idea whether it was a 'battle' or some sort of mating behaviour.

I did manage to capture one of them landing in a pine tree in an effort to escape its pursuer.

NOTE: Just noticed that this time last year I was in Pohara too - for work then rather than for leisure.