West Coast Wanderings
The west coast of Auckland, in and around the Waitakere Ranges, is a wild and rugged place quite unlike any … Continue reading West Coast Wanderings
The west coast of Auckland, in and around the Waitakere Ranges, is a wild and rugged place quite unlike any … Continue reading West Coast Wanderings
I came across this lady surfing at Christmas at Taupo Bay in Northland near the top of the North Island of New … Continue reading Surfer in Red
The highlight of our 6-day visit to Melbourne last week was driving the Great Ocean Road to see The Twelve … Continue reading The Twelve Apostles
This will be my last entry for a month as I’m off to Trinidad and Tobago via San Francisco. … Continue reading Piha Sunspray
We’re thinking about where to go in the summer holidays. Spring has sprung and if we don’t book somewhere soon … Continue reading Kuaotunu Runner
Rain, gusts, gales, squalls: we’ve had the lot these last few weeks. In the South Island they’ve had to deal … Continue reading Thursday’s Photo — Muriwai Wind
Piha is a volcanic black sand beach renowned for its dangerous rips and is the home of Auckland surfing — … Continue reading Tuesday Photo — Kite Surfer
At Muriwai, on Auckland’s west coast, you can visit the world’s most accessible gannet colony. We’ve been there many times … Continue reading Photo Essay — The Gannets’ Domain
One of the great things about living in Auckland is the diversity of the coastline. You can drive from the Tasman Sea to the Pacific Ocean in less than an hour. On the eastern side, the Pacific, the beaches are characterised by calm, blue seas — though there are surf beaches to be found — and sheltered bays of golden sand fringed by hills and cliffs of pohutukawa trees. The west coast, on the other hand, is a totally different story. Here, in the Waitakere region, shaped eons ago by violent volcanic activity, the coastline is rugged and forested, the sea wild and dangerous. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and endowed with a unique ambiance, where nature is truly, and fully, in charge. Bethells Beach is typical of west coast beaches: wild, atmospheric, with an expanse of volcanic sand backed by weathered, eroded, bush-clad cliffs.
All Images © 2012 Mark Meredith
The only people with any sense who would want to brave the treacherous currents at Bethells are surfers. Continue reading “Bethells Beach”