Tawharanui with Elder & Sister Loveless

We had a lovely Saturday with Scott and Cheri Loveless at Tawharanui Region Park.

This is what the brochure says about the place:

"Set on a remote peninsula, Tawharanui Regional Park boasts some of the Auckland region's most beautiful white sand beaches, rolling pastures, shingled bays, native coastal forest and regenerating wetlands. It includes the Tawharanui Open Sanctuary and the Tawharanui Marine Reserve which borders the northern coast line.  The 588 hectare regional park was New Zealand's first integrated open sanctuary (mainland island) where farming, public recreation and conservation of native species combine."

It truly is a lovely spot.

When we first got there it was spitting a bit of wet weather, but we braved the elements with suitable rain gear and were glad we did.  We watched the storm clouds tumble across the sky and then within half an hour blue skies came out.  We hiked a ways up the beach, enjoying the company of good friends and the beautiful setting.  By the time we headed back, the tide had gone out so we were able to walk through the caves that had been knee deep in water when we first arrived.

After our walk along the beach we went for lunch at the Puhoi Valley Cafe and Cheese Store where we shared a serving of what may have been the finest lemon yogurt I have EVER tasted.  SOOO creamy and good!  (The salad and sandwiches were pretty yummy too).

For our final stop of the day we took a brief time at the south side of Okura river.  Larry and I have often been on the other side when we go to the Okura Reserve bushwalk where we recently took Elder & Sister Streeter.  It was nice to see the view from the south side for a change.

South side of the Okura river at low tide

We got back to the apartment in plenty of time to finish up our weekend chores and do a bit of shopping.  We are grateful to make the most of these P-days while we can.  Most of our Saturdays for the rest of August are booked with various family history trainings.  We love the work, but also appreciate the chance to savor as much New Zealand beauty as we can before we leave.