Magnet Bay

Saturday, 8 February 2020

A cool south wind made this a good day for the ups and downs required to reach the series of bays adjoining Birdlings Flat – Oashore, Tokoroa, Hikuraki and Magnet. The southerly swell made for some spectacular surf, crashing on the rocky shore.

Bustled along by our leader, Yvette, we didn’t set foot on the beach or high-water driftwood pile of Oashore, but Kerry found a little piece of fishing net and plastic jerry-can to retrieve on the way back. The way out of Tokoroa Bay is quite steep, but a vehicle track took us a few hundred metres up-valley and got us on a useful sheep-track that led to another track and on to Hikuraki. Those sheep are masters of the gentle ascent. Hikuraki has a long sandy beach and is worth a closer look.

The cloud was thinning and the day warming as we descended a vehicle track into Magnet Bay. We ate lunch as we watched a seal casually swimming and surfers braving the rocks to take advantage of the southerly swell. Magnet Bay is accessible by road.

Our walk back to the cars took almost the same path as we’d used in the morning. Jill observed that she’d been on this walk before, but had never reached Magnet Bay. When we did the walk last summer we didn’t make it all the way either. With Yvette cracking the whip, no dawdling is allowed.

Thank you for getting us all the way to Magnet Bay, Yvette!

We were: Yvette So (leader), Jill Fenner, Joy Schroeder, Doug Forster, Sue Hely, Kyung Sang Lee, Youmie Kim, Danny Lee, Mary McKeown, Norman Burden and Kerry Moore (KM)