Rarangi... Exploring The Coast From Picton...

 I have been in Picton a week or two but while I have 

been here I have gone off exploring round the coast

along the road from Waikawa to Rarangi.

I started at Rarangi and here I am parked at the

DoC camp...

 I was surprised at how popular it was... Apart from

buses and caravans there were vans and cars...

 All parked under the trees and being slept in.

 This is the DoC camp from the top of the hill.

It's an odd shape but because the shingley sand is

soft the areas for heavy vehicles have been

compacted so we don't get stuck.

 I went for a walk across the soft shingle...

 Through the beautiful wild sea coast weeds...

And up the steps of the path in the background of 

this photo that goes over to Monkey Bay.

 

 I got to the top... Slowly. It was all concrete steps,

but I couldn't get down the rough track going down

the other side. But it was a real achievement getting

that far. As  you can see it was cool and misty rain.

 

 Looking down on the rocks, the bull kelp thrashing

around in the rough tide.

 The view along the shingle beach to the hills and

the Wairau Bar which has developed from shingle

washed by the tides from the Awatere River...

All on an information board at the top of the track.

The view of Rarangi and Cloudy Bay from the

top of the hill the next day on the way over to 

Whites Beach... My next stop.