Pariwhero - Red Rocks - Owhiro Bay to Sinclair Head, South Coast Wellington New Zealand
I visited this beautiful coastal walk in May (early winter in New Zealand). The scenery is dramatic rocky coast featuring the famous volcanic red rocks, historic baches (simple recreational cottages) and a hal-out colony of male fur seals.
Pariwhero – red rocks – Wellington
The Red Rocks are ancient pillow lava formed 200 million years ago by undersea volcanic eruptions. Small amounts of iron oxides give the rocks their distinctive colouring.
Maori folklore tells two stories relating to the colour of the rocks. In one, Kupe - the famous Polynesian explorer - was gathering paua (shellfish) here when one clamped his hand. He bled and stained the rocks red. In the other story, the red is the blood of Kupe's daughters. Fearing for their father's safety on a long voyage, they gashed themselves in grief over his absence.
Along the way I enjoyed the company of many birds including the very rare (in NZ) reef heron and the delightful pipit, a constant travelling companion, along with gulls, oyster catchers, shags (cormorants) and other breeds of heron.
Pariwhero - Red Rocks - Owhiro Bay to Sinclair Head, South Coast Wellington New Zealand
I visited this beautiful coastal walk in May (early winter in New Zealand). The scenery is dramatic rocky coast featuring the famous volcanic red rocks, historic baches (simple recreational cottages) and a hal-out colony of male fur seals.
Pariwhero – red rocks – Wellington
The Red Rocks are ancient pillow lava formed 200 million years ago by undersea volcanic eruptions. Small amounts of iron oxides give the rocks their distinctive colouring.
Maori folklore tells two stories relating to the colour of the rocks. In one, Kupe - the famous Polynesian explorer - was gathering paua (shellfish) here when one clamped his hand. He bled and stained the rocks red. In the other story, the red is the blood of Kupe's daughters. Fearing for their father's safety on a long voyage, they gashed themselves in grief over his absence.
Along the way I enjoyed the company of many birds including the very rare (in NZ) reef heron and the delightful pipit, a constant travelling companion, along with gulls, oyster catchers, shags (cormorants) and other breeds of heron.