Every March in New Zealand, we have 'Sea Week', a time to focus on the beach/marine environment with many events around the country educating and celebrating the sea, marine creatures and beach.
Here in Hawkes Bay, the wonderful Colin and Kim of Gannet Beach Adventures in partnership with DOC (Department of Conservation), hold a 'Beach Cleanup' using their awesome Tractor/trailers and offering their Cape Kidnappers tour at half price for the public to join them cleaning up the stretch of beach from Clifton to the Cape which has an amazing geological history and is home to a long established Gannet colony.
This is the 2nd year my boys and I have gone with my 'bestie' and her children, and this year my hubby came too - we had a fantastic day, with lovely weather and the 4 x tractor/trailer loads of us cleaned up a huge PILE of rubbish on the way out to the Cape.
Here are a few snaps of our 5 hour adventure (we didn't climb up to the main gannet colony this year (it's a bit 'pongy' to be honest!, preferring to enjoy the beach during our lunch break instead....)
My youngest son and I were delighted to both find 1 million year old fossils within a few minutes of each other too - how special is that!!
Gorgeous photos Mel - I never did do that trip when my sister lived in Napier - but she did. I didn't know that we had a "Sea Week" in March - but now I do, I learn something new everyday. Thanks for Sharing. Diana
ReplyDeleteTerrific, cheers Marie
ReplyDeleteIt is quite rare to find fossils on the beach, and I’m sure that made your trip even more special! Was this really a 5 hour adventure? You certainly made the most of your time, having been able to do a lot of things. And the best thing is this kind of activity is not just fun. It also promotes environmental awareness. This planet has beautiful marine life. The least we can do is preserve it for other generations to witness and marvel.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree Donna - it was not just a fun trip but a very educational one :). And yes, it was a 5 hour adventure - if you were to travel on the tractor without stopping it probably only takes 30-40 minutes from one end of the beach to the other but with all the stops for rubbish collection, geological explanations and general chats + the lunch break it's a whole afternoon adventure!
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