A Day On Cape Foulwind Walkway

I woke up Saturday morning and asked a fellow camper how he was doing. "I'm knackered," he said, before telling us he'd walked for an hour and a half and then played 18 holes of golf the day before.

We felt the same way after walking the glorious Cape Foulwind Walkway and then--because it looked so close!--across an enormous expanse of beach for a return visit to Bay House Restaurant, that last adventure likely adding five miles, for a total of ten. 

Even this big-walk brekkie of lamb chops, beets, greens, and potatoes fried in duck fat couldn't stop us from a little late lunch at Bay House.

 

I wrote about our first time walking this stretch of the wild west coast here, in 2015, probably with all the same pictures. It's taking forever to upload pix in our current location, leaving me scant time to write, so click through if you want the historical/environmental bits.

Here's where we are on the map (click through to our site if you're viewing in email).

Otherwise, just enjoy the walk via pictures.

I pretty much still can't take it all in.

I mentioned earlier that this is one of my favorite walks in all of NZ. One of the extravagances of having seven months to see a place is the ease with which you can wait out the rain for a day or two.

The seal overlook is a highlight of the walk, a fenced platform from which you can use your long lens to capture pictures of the (protected) fur seals, who blend in quite well from afar.

Mother and child

 Lone baby

I use my zoom to visualize the restaurant, the red structure at about 3 o'clock.

It's an enormous beach, but thrilling to walk.

 

All this was underwater on our previous visit, but the tide's out so a close inspection is in order.

Well that was a long walk. This time we met Doc, proprietor and chef of Bay House and all-around nice guy.

Seafood chowder (again) for Art

Green-lipped mussels in wine for me

After a flat white and much conversation with Doc about the tiny settlement of houses here in Tauranga Bay, we started on the return, everything looking different in the afternoon light.