The coast line is pretty rugged on the southern side of The Gutter and had some spectacular views. The track down to Doughboy Bay is one I haven't done yet - will save that for another adventure.
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Google map of the Ernest Islands with the lagoon at its southern tip
- the red X marks our lunch spot
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| Kev's photo of one of the miniature trees at our lunch spot |
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| Looking inland |
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| Steep cliffs and blue water |
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| Kev wading out into the lagoon toward the hill we climbed |
Enough exploring! It was time to head back to Mason Bay Hut but not without a small detour to see the Kilbride Homestead. Initially made a township reserve in the 1870s, it became a run of about 7,000 acres first leased in 1902 and running as a sheep farm until 1995. Around 100 years earlier it was the site of a traditional
Māori settlement led by the Bluff chief, Te Wera. The two-bedroom Kilbride Homestead was built in 1927 by George and Stanford Leask, and is now owned by a family trust.
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| Kev outside Kilbride |
The weather was on the change as we walked back up the beach giving some great photo opportunities. The fore dune (the dune closest to the beach) changes considerably along the length of the bay - DOC has an extensive marram-eradication programme underway - read a comprehensive article by NZ Geographic
here if you are interested.
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| Outgoing tide and lovely clouds as we walked back up the beach |
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| Rainbows hinting that rain might be on the way |
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| Dramatic rays as the cloud thickened |
Getting back to Duck Creek was welcome - the walk back seemed twice as long as the walk down! Great to get back to the hut for a very welcome cuppa.
