Tuesday, January 29, 2008
I've lived in Auckland 22 years and I'd never been to...
Tawharanui Regional Park ... until yesterday. Along with every man and his, err, North Shore trophy girlfriend. (No dogs allowed).
Impressions? The drive-through predator proof fence (and attestations to kiwi etc) make for an impressive entrance. Inside the fence, however, one finds largely "yet another sheep farm" (as Mrs_Red put it), which isn't necessarily what springs to mind when thinking of habitat for bellbirds and keruru.
Nevertheless, the water was impressive, with a row of pleasant white sand beaches, glistening clear waters, and an exciting swell (for the Auckland east coast) of around 0.8m. I wondered why I saw so many surf boards heading in an easterly direction!
So, I'd recommend it for those who aren't too bored with idyllic beaches with pastoral backdrops. I assume in time there will be more native planting ... we saw some evidence of this, but in terms of mature trees near the road, it was limited to macrocarpas and a handful of pohutakawas.
Impressions? The drive-through predator proof fence (and attestations to kiwi etc) make for an impressive entrance. Inside the fence, however, one finds largely "yet another sheep farm" (as Mrs_Red put it), which isn't necessarily what springs to mind when thinking of habitat for bellbirds and keruru.
Nevertheless, the water was impressive, with a row of pleasant white sand beaches, glistening clear waters, and an exciting swell (for the Auckland east coast) of around 0.8m. I wondered why I saw so many surf boards heading in an easterly direction!
So, I'd recommend it for those who aren't too bored with idyllic beaches with pastoral backdrops. I assume in time there will be more native planting ... we saw some evidence of this, but in terms of mature trees near the road, it was limited to macrocarpas and a handful of pohutakawas.
