17 June 2007

South Bethells

page 3

Up ahead on the horizon are some of the oddest shaped horses I have seen in a while. It might be just the perspective however.

I turn to my left to check out a patch of (to me) unusual mushrooms. Miranda takes some wonderful pics of fungi, and I'm not at all competitive. I just think she might be interested. (Today was originally going to be a walk for the three of us but appointments with midwives are chancy at any time and she has a lass overdue.)

I turn to see Dan horsing around

with some of the friendliest animals I have met in ages. But just look at those feet.

I had seen some of its hoofprints on the way up the track and wondered idly whether there were elephants ahead.

Maybe it's not perspective. Maybe they are odd shaped. This one wonders whether cameras are edible. I suspect they have been grossly indulged with apples, carrots, and sugar lumps

We head on up, with plenty of company, but once it is obvious there are no carrots or apples forthcoming we are left to ourselves once again.

We are now getting quite high up. That's got to be at least a two metre surf down there.

and we're still climbing.

There's some wild old sea down there even on a calm day like this.

Dan heads around a bit for some better shots

photo by Dan Hawthorn

I am naturally rather more cautious, and my attention is focussed on a pink manuka, not common in the wild at any time, but a month or three ahead of itself in this year of silly seasons.

Dan returns while I am doing this, and records the event.

photo by Dan Hawthorn

and we head on upwards.

A nikau sports one of the finest collection of hounds tongue fern roots I have seen in a while.

Pampas grass - another one of those plants we rather wish we hadn't introduced. My father, in Waiuku, was one of those who, just post war, planted a paddock or two on the farm in this grass in the belief it would be a useful source of feed for the cows. Bad idea. (There's always a few of them around masquerading as cutting-edge science.)

We pass an ancient puriri sporting a poison bait station. ARC appear to be in action here, even if their signage is not.

Back behind us is the beach