Kare Kare Beach

Next stop on our tour was Kare Kare Beach. We parked & started off on a 20 minute beautiful hike that took us past some giant old trees.



This lovely grassy opening looked like a perfect spot for a picnic.



Next, we entered into a grassy plains area with trees that looked like a cross between something in a Dr. Seuss book and a Joshua Tree.



Sorry for another dark edit- I guess I was in too big of a hurry when editing. It was neat walking through a valley, in a forest, surrounded by rocky mountains.



Our tour guide was great & told us lots of history about New Zealand and the local ecosystem.



Suddenly, the beach and Tasman Sea popped out from in between two hills.



Getting down to Kare Kare Beach was well worth the hike- it was gorgeous!



The tide was out & the remaining water made for an awesome reflection.



The mist made for a surreal feel to the coastline in the early morning.



Look familiar? The movie The Piano was filmed here.



We were very happy- what a great way to start our first day of touring in NZ!



There's just something about walking barefoot with the one you love in perfect weather on a deserted beach that releases so much stress from the body.



The designs and patterns made by the wind and waves were a work of art in themselves.



We only got to spend about 15 minutes on the beach, but one of the guys in our group managed to get a quick dip into the water.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Second full weekend in our house & we finally managed to make a dent in some of the things on our To Do List.