A day at Ruakaka

It was only 2 degrees travelling to Ruakaka,  and stopped at the cafe, to find the temperature had risen to 3 degrees,  positively balmy at 9.30 am!

 Early morning looking towards the heads

 Out to sea on a beautiful clear winter day

 Further out

 Down the coast towards bream tail

 And again

 Sunset over Ruakaka racecourse

 Looking Noth as the sun has gone down.

 The heads at dusk.

 Out to sea at dusk

 Looking down the beach at dusk

 The racecourse is quiet with everyone left for the day.

First light over the North Shore

A walk around Onerahi

Even though it was cold, it was good to do a walk around Onerahi on such a clear day.

 A boat heading back to the Onerahi ramp

 Looking out on Limeburners island

 On out towards Marsden point

 Along the beach

 Across the harbour

 And again

 Out towards the point

 The old jetty slowly falling apart. A year ago you could still walk on it.

The view from the walkway. 

 The new Onerahi walkway

 Looking over to Limeburners island from the walkway

 Across the harbour

 The cement works over at Portland.

 More of the walkway

 The memorial at the end.

 Back toward the western side

 The walkway looking good.

 Nearly back

 Back to the old jetty,  the tide has risen considerably.

 More of the jetty.

 The sunset over the harbour.

The sun has set, a stunning sunset.

Back at Te Haumi

The cold rain persisted that afternoon, so after leaving Paihia,  I stopped at Te Haumi beach just as the tide was receding, and was most surprised to see a fork of Shore Plovers skittering around at the water's edge. Any disturbance such as runners on the beach and they would fly away, but they returned, and as the tide receded further they were safer from human intervention. By this time the temperature had dropped with cold showers keeping the area wet.

 The tide starting to recede at Te Haumi beach

 Some gulls and some tiny shore Plovers on the sand

 Just visible

 Walking along the shore

 First light at Te Haumi

And again after a few minutes cracking cold.

The drive out of the bay was one taken with caution. When leaving that morning I had to de ice my windscreen, and after the showers late the day before there was black ice on the road particularly lemons hill. Kawakawa was cold, all the paddocks white with frost. It was -1 there and the temp dropped to -2 going through Hukerenui.  The winter less north? I don't think so. The sun came up just north of Whangarei,  and with it being  a cold clear morning it was a good day to go off and take some early morning photos of the harbour and look back to Marsden wharf and Ruakaka. 

 McLeods Bay looking south

 Looking down From Bream head to Ruakaka beach

 A Slightly better view.

 Back toward bream head over McLeods bay

 The oil refinery

 The port with all it's logs stacked up.

 McLeods Bay from the other side

 Parua bay from the boat club, this is a marine reserve, no fishing.

 Looking back across the bay from the boat club

Looking down to bream tail from the heads. 

It was still only 8am, but I had been breathalysed travelling in both directions to and from the heads at 8am. Needless to say it showed up no alcohol.