7. Beaches
In my final day in Christchurch, I had planned to make use of my
metrocard and travel the bus network a bit to see the more outlying
areas. Unfortunately with that day the rain came in, so it wasn't
going to be quite so pleasant. I mused the idea of finding indoor
things to do, but in the end took the bus out to the beaches anyhow.
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| Sumner Beach |
Cave Rock
The bus route finishes near Sumner Beach, and this is where I got off
to take a look around. I was aware of a rock called “Cave rock”,
but didn't realise beforehand what an interesting structure it is.
There's a network of caves that go through the rock, from a large open
mouth at one end, to some small tunnels out to the surf at the other
end. It's really quite a spot to explore, and even the rain didn't
really dampen the experience.
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| Cave Rock |
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| Cave Rock |
Shag Rock
Shag Rock is a short walk away. It isn't quite as interesting, but it
and it's birds still makes for a sight where it guards the river
entrance.
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| Shag Rock |
Northern Beaches
On the other side of the river inlet, there's the long, flat expanse
of beaches and sandbar. I made a trip out there fairly early on a
Saturday morning, and was greeted by a somewhat surreal experience.
There was mist, and kilometres of weed washed up on a slightly
grimy-looking beach. Amid that, there were people jogging and walking
dogs.
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| New Brighton Beach |
At New Brighton itself, there's a large concrete pier extending out
into the ocean, which adds a touch for a community focus to the
seaside area.
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| New Brighton Pier |