It is one of the best left-handed surf beaches in the world. In the centre of this photo are two concrete blocks put up by someone, probably the New Zealand Armed Forces, to stop the Japanese comng down the Old Raglan road into Hamilton, in case they landed at Raglan. I can't imagine they would have done much good. This is gorse, my favourite plant. I like it because of its beautiful yellow flowers, and its earthy dusty smell.
Farmers hate gorse, because it takes over their fields.
But gorse is actually really cool. It is a great nursery plant, because it shelters seedlings from harsh sunlight while they are delicate, and dies off when the seedlings become trees big enough to shade the gorse. Also, a species of weta has learned to live entirely in gorse bushes since the introduction of gorse to New Zealand. That is cool, since gorse is exotic, and wetas are native. It helps the wetas avoid nasties like rats, and stoats.