Turtles & Whales

It was a dramatically damp drive over the mountains, back to the North Shore today. Waterfalls were pouring spectacularly down the steep tunnels.

First stop of the day - Turtle beach lived up to its name and we were able to watch a few up close as they bobbed around in the shallows.

The others fancied checking out the surfers over at the Pipeline and Backdoor wave and we were very keen to see it again! I could stand there and watch for hours!

The waves were a little smaller, but the dark skies gave it a more dramatic feeling and made the sea colour more vibrant. The surfers make it look so easy and they seem to take the poundings with ease, but as a reminder of how powerful the waves are, we watched one guy wipe out and get his board snapped clean in half!

As we stood watching, we noticed some big splashing out to sea, then all stood in amazement as we watched some (humpback?) whales flipping right out of the water! Sometimes a big tail would flip up, sometimes a spurt of water could be seen and every now and then, the whole thing would get propelled up into the air! What a spectacular treat! 

Around mid afternoon, we retreated from the beach as the rains arrived. We took shelter in a restaurant for a late lunch before driving back east.

We had a great fun evening in town, until late(ish). The restaurants close at 9pm, so we were last to leave after some delicious Italian food. Further comedy back at the house ensued...