East Cape, 1

We drove on to the North Island's East Cape, its easternmost bit, hoping to spend the night and be among the first, world-wide, to see the next day's sunrise. So to speak.

Signs all over the coasts, including limits on you-pick-'em
mussels, snails, cockles

Shaowfax approaches

The East Cape light-house

800 steps; no thanks

All of it on a big horse ranch

East Cape

Island neighbor

There was no parking nor camping at the Cape itself wherefrom
you could see the sunrise...so we drove back a few miles along
the coast looking for a spot

Note surf spray

Big beautiful pohutakawa trees all along this coast; must be
incredible in December

Major spray

We stopped so I could boldly walk out on the shelf in search
of free bi-valves

At every moment reminding myself not to step into the open
jaws of a giant clam (major literary allusion...)

The whole thing reminded me of a coastal/tidal burren (as in
Ireland)

Mostly snails and a few cockles on offer; no mussels