Thursday 2 May 2019

Tunnel Beach

A couple of weeks ago my GKB and I went in to town to pay a bill or two and then go for a bite of lunch. It was such a lovely day we decided to take a detour on the way home and visit Tunnel Beach. Click on Tunnel Beach if you'd like to read a little about
the history behind it


Beach one hour return. That sounded okay but what I didn't realize that it was actually half an hour there and half an hour back. NOT Half an hour along the beach if you decided to do it. I'd never been here before you see. Now, do you see where the people are in the photo and the path just seems to disappear? Well that's where the downhill section begins...and keeps going for 1200metres or 1.2 ks.


The views out to sea and along the cliff top were spectacular.
The sea itself was beautifully calm, not a surfers sea today.
That outcrop in the centre right of the picture above is
where we were heading...along with dozens of other people. 


My GKB decided not to go all the way down so stopped
and took photos instead. There were seats at different
places along the way and I took advantage of them on the homeward trip, along with several other people.


Eventually, read twenty minutes later, I reached the bottom.
I was going to say beach but I hadn't got there yet. I decided to walk out onto the outcrop but found it a bit nerve wracking to say the least. Most of the track is fenced for safety reasons and I had to climb the fence to go here. At some places there was only a few yards on either side where it would be easy to fall if you lost your footing.


And I have to say I think the girls in the picture above were rather foolhardy. That's a sheer drop into the sea. GKB photographed them from his vantage point up the track. Anyway now to find the beach. Find the tunnel first. Aah, there it is - onward into the rabbit hole.


The photo below is a bit deceiving as the flash kicked in and lit it up. It is actually extremely dark and as I was about to go down
I realized there was someone on the way up, I couldn't see
 them until they were almost upon me. Once upon a time there were no steps and on the steepest part there was a ladder with a rope handrail. Since it has been opened to the public the steps have been hewn out of the rock and probably makes it a lot safer.

 The tide was coming in so I didn't really see much of the beach - there were a lot of big boulders to clamber over so I just took this one pic.



Tunnel Beach was a private beach originally owned by a local politician, John Cargill. The tunnel was hand picked out of the rock to make for easier access for his daughters.

Let me tell you, it was a long slog/haul back to the top.
If I ever go again I'll make sure I have water with me,
I wasn't prepared but I still really enjoyed my afternoon :)


Have a good week,
Diana

7 comments:

  1. That was a big climb but the views are stunning. I can't believe people would sit on the edge like that and dangle their legs over.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Breathtaking! And a little bit yikes there on the edge.... 😬

    ReplyDelete
  3. A steep climb but what a fabulous walk.
    Yes, those girls are crazy to sit on the edge like that!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks so much for sharing your adventure, Diana. I enjoyed the link as well as the photos and your telling of your experience. Being near an ocean and admiring it from a shore is my favorite place and activity.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow! That was quite the trek! But so rewarding. I'm glad you made it there and back safely! Thank you for sharing the beauty of this place with us. Now we don't have to go try to get there! LOL. (But if I ever made it over there to NZ, it would be fun to try!) Blessings!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Taking a detour on the way home from shopping can be quite an adventure when you live in such a beautiful coastal area. Thank you for the link explaining why the tunnel was constructed. Now open to the public everyone can enjoy the experience of walking there. The views are spectacular.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a neat little adventure! I say little, but up and down hills and steps would be a big ordeal for my knees and back. One day I hope to be able to do trail hikes again. Have a nice weekend!

    ReplyDelete

please feel free to leave a comment, I love to hear from you