Maitai Bay

From Tokerau and Doubtless Bay we drove on to Maitai Bay and spent much of the day there walking the Merita beaches, several of them, each separated by a little rocky bit or hill. Beautiful broad sand beaches, low tide, sunny day...and great trees on the shores too.

Maori presence

Miles of mostly-deserted sand beaches, gentle surf...

Attempted pano

On an ebbing tide

Bivalves emerging

Gazillions of them; but the whole area is closed for regeneration;
no harvesting shellfish or other fish until 2020; by of the local
tribe

At Tikitiki we saw what is reputedly the largest of pohutukawas;
but I swear this one is just as big, and therefore the Grandmother
of Pohutukawas

Standing for scale

Too big to capture in a pano

Boulders on the beach

A dolmen? Yeah, right

At low tide all these beaches have got to be a couple hundred
yards of sand to the water

Beyond the bay, more islands, stacks...

More giant old trees

Cancading...

Unfriendly-looking marine specimen

And our favorite Oyster Catchers

Tokerau Beach

We spent the evening of March 26th camped on Tokerau Beach, another of NZ's scores (hundreds?) of freedom campsites, right on the Pacific...this one a municipal camp...about 15 other vehicles there...

Interesting shell strata...

You never know what you're going to see in NZ..she's videoing the whole run

Mahinepua Coastal Track, 2

Continuing a great day hike...

Looking back at the trail

The walk's goal is the trig at the end of the peninsula

At the trig

Vicki atop one of the several staircases...297
steps she counted

Cascading pohutukawa, a favorite sight

Another great one!