Today I went to Tahunanui Beach, known as Nelson's
'Gem by the sea'. The blurb on Google about it says it's a family
beach popular with walkers, joggers, windsurfers, sun seekers...
The amenities along the very developed foreshore include...
A skatepark, playgrounds, Natureland Zoo, roller skating rink,
hydroslide, Bumpa boats, BMX track, model railway, tennis courts,
petanque court and mini golf. In the summer... Beach volleyball,
helicopter rides and paddle trikes...
My mind boggled... Definitely not my sort of beach but I drove
past all that and I finally found somewhere with a big enough space to
park my bus without obstructing other vehicles and go for a walk.
It was sunny but cool... See if you can count how many people
are swimming? I spied these two people fishing so stopped
to chat and look at their catch... Zero! One of them told me
he had been fishing in the same spot for two weeks... Nothing...
'Just have to be here at the right time' was his philosophical answer.
I walked to the west towards the Mapua inlet. It's a huge beach
but not many people around... I did put my big toe in the water
but that's all, not at all tempting for a swim!
Some spectacular clouds... Rain? Mmm... I hope not.
Further down the beach were these amazing old tree trunks
and roots. They have been scoured by the tides and wind
and look like giant spiders crawling along the sand.
They have once been tall Pine trees, like the ones behind...
I looked at the growing trees and imagined all this root structure
under the ground that we can't see.
And then I walked back... Hard to believe on Nelson's
one and only city beach that there are so few people...
The houses of Tahunanui came closer... The road to the city
goes round the waterfront to the left...
And back to my bus... Relieved to get inside out of the cold wind.
It would have to get a lot, lot warmer for me to want
to be a sun lover on that beach! Not allowed to park here
overnight... But maybe I'll come back for breakfast...
Sit inside with all the windows shut to keep warm and enjoy the view.
Can you tell I'm not really a South Islander and don't like the cold?
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