Last Few Days in Paradise – On the Coromandel
September 19th, 2013
My final days in New Zealand were spent with Kerry and Marion Manson at their beach house at Cook’s Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula. They were meant strictly for relaxing, something that I rarely get to do.
The first morning, the three of us set off for a walk to the Manson’s favorite haunts. First stop was Lonely Bay where the Pohutukawa trees towered over the small beach.
I asked Marion to pose beside the behemoth tree for perspective. Pohutukawa trees ring the coastline in warmer parts of New Zealand, clinging to every rock and crevice. They bloom bright red flowers right at Christmastime and are called the New Zealand Christmas tree.
The beach at Lonely Bay is covered with shells. It’s where Marion has collected the extensive shell collection displayed at both her beach home and her Hamilton home.
After a stroll to marvel at the geology of Lonely Bay, we headed for Shakespeare Cliff, where . . .
we got to enjoy a Step Workout! It’s about 200 steps, cut into the rock cliffside, to the top. But,
the view was incomparable. I could see our footsteps on the beach and I wondered if I could zoom in close enough with my Canon XS 40 to capture them.
And, this was just the prelude to my final, magical day in Paradise.