Mind you with a few hearty reminders that we were still in charge they headed out with renewed vigour. As we headed up the beach we started to get more glimpses of civilisation which was extremely refreshing. It was very disappointing though to learn about the amount of fish that had got away from all the fishermen scattered up the beach. We've got some incredibly intelligent, and by all accounts, very large fish in our local waters. At Maunganui Bluff the beach ends and the coastline changes to steep cliffs above surf-swept rocks.
Traffic has to go inland.
Our next stop was Mahuta Gap. A gap in the sandstone cliffs allowed a creek to flow down to the water's edge. We once again chatted with local sun lovers, and learned more about the history of the local beaches. It was terrific to have the time to think about nothing in particular and enjoy the surroundings that are so often taken for granted. There were underground streams seeping through the lignite in the cliffs, and crashing onto the ground.