Is there no end?

Today was going to a a lazy day. Poor Poppy has been crying each time someone picks her up. I was able to ascertain that nothing is broken or sprained, but she is definitely sore for all the active play at the beach.
So no beach for Poppy for a few days...
Rainer and I headed for Piha, yet another beach , but this one is loaded with unusual caves and rock formations. I promised not to pick up any more shells (I lied) . I am sure there may be beaches like this in Hawaii  but I have never seen things like this in my country.
This is Piha's Lion Rock

Doesn't look like much from far away (and we were still pretty far away)

Up close and personal, a bit different and then there is the "stairway to heaven"

There are a few wooden steps, but mostly it is just  levels carved into the dirt. Can you climb it you ask?

You bet you can. You can get half way up and then you note the small fence blocking the stairs which become too dangerous (they have been eroded to a point of being slippery)
This rock as well as most of New Zealand grew from lava flows which are clearly visible .

Needless to say both Rainer and Ilka are very pleased to show off the beauty that is New Zealand.

About 1.60 kilometers down the beach (a mile) there are many caves. Ones formed by wave erosion or by splits in the rocks (earthquake action) this one was very cool.

once past this narrow fissure in the rock it begins to open into a large, vaulted ceiling space. How do I know that?

Because I am Kathie the explorer

eat your heart out Dora LOL what a fabulous experience. I could not get enough distance for you to see what I could see. The back end of the large room narrowed down into a much smaller tunnel. Fallen rocks nearby made me a bit leery to go deeper inside.

I did find many more purple shells, bigger then those at the first beach . I also found ones that look like worms. I'm thinking they actually are worm skeletons. Oh customs should love me. I'm thinking about sending a box home because my collections are getting a bit out of hand.

I love the natural flora here.

Lupin also grow wild here. And don't you just love the signs ?

I tasted my first Buttered chicken (Indian) for dinner. Packia has become my new favorite food. They are fried onion balls...I LOVE them.

Each day, as I make a new entry in this Blog I feel very close to my family and friends. Even though you are not with me in person, you are with me in spirit and I hope you are having fun sharing the experience.

I keep for getting to take flat Norma and Patricia to the beach, but I will take them back to Piha. There is so much more to explore there. We even talked about a sleep over . Should the weather get bad there are shallow caves we could move to. We first have to decide if the body's are as willing as the spirit LOL

See you tomorrow.....(Don't forget, you can click on the pictures to make them bigger)