Camp-cation, Pounawea

After a busy day yesterday I decided that today would be pretty much a camp-cation day, and that is what it has been.

Here is a boy cycling on the pier earlier today when the tide was low.

This is the bridge over the Owaka River towards Surat Bay.

I took the short drive back to Owaka and there was a reunion getting underway. This sculpture of a Waka is about to be 'unveiled'.

I hadn't realised that this place was named such because Maori used to build and repair waka here by the Owaka and Catlin Rivers.

Owaka has a peaceful feel to it, even with the humming of reunion crowds. It seems like the sort of place where the quirky are allowed to be quirky.

For instance there is Teapot Land.

Someone has used paua shells in this wall decoration.

I spent a large part of the afternoon just sitting beside the estuary watching the tide change, reading a book. It was warm by my tent inside the camp, but I needed to be wrapped up with some extra layers at the side of the estuary. But it was great to just relax and take in life at tidal pace.

At one stage I became aware that there was a sea lion shape on the distant spit, so I grabbed my zoom lens. I then realised all the black specks were birds resting while the tide was high. None of them seemed perturbed by the sea lion moving past.

And another black shape turned out to be a solitary black shag drying its wings.

Now the tide is retreating, birds are back feeding in shallow areas of water, and the children are out exploring again on the estuary shore...

Tomorrow I head off towards Invercargill and Southland. The weather map has some ominous looking wind symbols. Maybe I'll look for a cabin for the next night...

 

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