Bethells Beach - October 2009

The wild, untamed West Coast of Auckland is home to several stunning black-sand beaches. We have visited (and written about) all of them, except for Bethells Beach. The Maori named this beach "Te Henga" (meaning "sand") for the way the sand dunes were formed - like the upturned hull of a canoe.

















And I found out recently that this rugged, unspoilt beach has been a venue for filming "Xena Warrior Princess."

Last weekend, determined not to let the weather keep us indoors, we took advantage of a few rain-free hours and drove to Bethells. As the day was truly dismal, the full beauty of Te Henga was never revealed to us. Yet, the fog, mist, blustery wind, and overcast gave the beach a very dramatic, though slightly sinister, appearance.

























It will be interesting to return there in the summer, when the beach is bathed by the glorious Kiwi sunshine; Judging by a few images I have seen online, we will be in for a treat - the beach will metamorphose - becoming even more spectacular.

Not even a single sun ray sneaked through the dense clouds, yet it was quite windy so E put on his sunglasses to protect his eyes from the swirling sand.











He loved looking like Daddy.







While I was taking pics, feeling under the spell of the vistas, E was running, laughing, and splashing water all over himself.











He was enjoying himself so much that I began to feel like a kid again and joined in the fun. Needless to say, we both got quite wet.











Before we left the beach, E noticed a cave... A BEAR CAVE!



E loves the story "We're going on a bear hunt" by M. Rosen and H. Oxenbury. We have an audio version of it and he likes acting out each stage of the "hunt." At home, he has a small tent where he keeps a big teddy bear. Sometimes we turn off the lights and, armed with the flashlights, we go on a bear hunt.

We were not going to get away with not venturing into the cave - even though there was a sizable stream between us and the cave.















See, I might not be much of a "Mommy-and-me" type but I love a good adventure. I rolled up my pants and trudged through the fast moving water.

"Splash splosh! Splash splosh! Splash splosh!"





The cave was a bit spooky - I have to admit. Somehow I forgot that, seeing as we were in New Zealand, there could be absolutely no harmful creature waiting for us to devour our bodies. E hung in the back while I was cautiously "spelunking."

"Oh-oh! A cave! A narrow, gloomy cave. We can't go over it. We can't go under it. Oh, no! We've got to go through it! Tiptoe! Tiptoe! Tiptoe!"



E seemed relieved when we finally came out of the cave.



"Back through the river! Splash splosh! Splash splosh! Splash splosh!"



And here are a few pics I took on the way home - in Kiwiland.







A quick stop at a cafe to warm up with some hot drinks completed our afternoon. We returned home in the streams of pouring rain. We felt grateful that the rain gods gave us a bit of a break that day.