Black Sand Beach.

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The west coast beaches of the North Island, from Mt Taranaki north are black iron sands from the mountain, close to the mountain they are really black, if you fill a bucket, you'll have trouble lifting it. They mine it further up the coast, pumping the slurry 2km out to tanker ships, and on the south coast of Auckland's Manukau Harbour there is a steel mill using the sand. As you go north it gets lighter, but still obviously iron sand.

What I most miss about Auckland are the beaches, where ever you are, it's single digit minutes to a beach (maybe at night, there will be a traffic jam somewhere during the day). I've spent many years waking up, and listening to the waves, and seagulls...walking on the beach, any weather. It's a birthday get together weekend, so our family of 8 are off to the beach! We are going to Te Henga, known by everyone as Bethells Beach...if you saw the Zena or Hercules TV shows, they were made at Bethells. The Wild West Coast beaches of Auckland - surf, rips, hot black sand, these are not beaches for a lazy day, they are an adventure.

You can't park next to the beach, although you can drive on it, all beaches in NZ are legally roads, there are dunes, so you have to walk to the beach, next to a stream. We were going to head south to that cave, but it's under water.



So, looking north, we are going to cross the knee deep stream to the next bay.



With my granddaughter there is lots to see and do...caves and blowholes, jelly fish and Portuguese Man of War washed up on the shore. Looking back the way we came....



We cross over a dune and into the next bay. The car park was packed, we had trouble finding a parking space - so this is where all the people are!



We found a tunnel...compulsory to go through.



From the inside.



Looking south from this beach.



Auntie and niece, always together, always getting lost in the moment. Finding a rock pool, an interesting rock or tree, we have to go back and find them and wait for them to catch up.

 
It's early spring, a nice day, not a cloud in the sky, but cool with a stiff wind. We were all in bare feet, the water was really cold, my feet froze walking in the surf...but then up into the dunes and the black sand is nice and warm. In summer you have to run, the sand burns your feet. There were surfers out there, in wet suits. I have swum here, but these are dangerous beaches - there are rips, and holes where you instantly go way over your head. There are lifeguards/surf patrol in summer.
 
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