There's a blue marker post on the beach that (theoretically — it's almost invisible behind beach grass) shows where one of the pedestrian tracks to exit the beach is.

This morning I took a photo of it, noting it's now half buried in sand.

Blue beach access post now has only the top half showing.

Here it was on 15 July 2020 for comparison.

Tall blue post with the words beach access.

Ours isn't the kind of beach that has seaweed. Except today it does, and a lot of it.

Clumps of seaweed along the high tide mark.
Clumps of seaweed along the high tide mark.
Close up on some seaweed.
Close up on some seaweed.
There was some kelp too.
There was some kelp too.

If you're into dogs at all this 11 minute video is a must-watch. So interesting! The Canine Rainbow and How Dogs See the World 🐶 :

The first episode of Howtown from Adam Cole & Joss Fong is all about dog vision

I've subbed to the Howtown videos too. Looks like a nice series.

Detective Chief Superintendent Fran Harman works on a frustrating case of stalking in Do No Harm (Detective Fran Harman Mysteries Book 2) by Judith Cutler while another team looks into an unpleasant serial flasher. 📚

I found this very readable and am looking forward to the next in series.

Book cover: Do No Harm.

Whangārei District population is almost 97,000

2023 Census maps and data.

Map shows Whangārei District population is almost 97,000.
Whangārei District population is almost 97,000.

Whangārei city and environs

Whangārei lies about 165 Km north of Auckland and about 260 Km south of Te Rerenga Wairua | Cape Reinga, at -35.5515, 174.3414.

Nestled in a broad valley between hills to its west and east, the city lies on a long inlet of Whangārei Harbour on Northland’s east coast. Initially a service centre for the surrounding district, it has developed through its proximity to some of the country’s deepest harbour waters, and through the north’s expanding tourism.

Map shows location of Whangārei north of Auckland.

The cows in the paddocks next door have been yelling a lot the last couple of days. This morning they're too busy eating. 😁

The cows have been fed hay or similar in the paddock and are eating.

Different day, same (presumably) kōtuku white heron.

Large white bird in flight above trees.

I was so pleased to discover iCab allows AppleScript. This script in TextExpander allows me to grab the Title and URL of the front tab and copy it as a Markdown link.

tell application "iCab" 
	set theName to name of current tab of front window 
	set theURL to url of current tab of front window 
	return "["  & theName & "](" & theURL & ")" 
end tell
 

It's been a whole week since I spotted an unusual visitor to Waikawa Beach and I assumed it had left. But today I again spotted the kōtuku white heron by the river and was able to get quite close. Such beautiful birds. 🐦

Very large white bird on the riverbank with ducks in the water nearby.
Very large white bird on the riverbank with neck folded and beak lifted a little.
Very large white bird on the riverbank with beak open.
Very large white bird on the riverbank with neck extended.

Yesterday afternoon I lit the fire early — there was a cold wind. This morning we have our first snow on the mountain tops.

Mountains with a light covering of snow on the tops.

After a supermarket trip this morning I’m treating myself to breakfast at Salt and Pepper in Ōhau. Avocado and salmon smash for me.

Blackboard menu. My meal on a plate.

Each month I post on Waikawa News that I've sent out a Newsletter. Now I can duplicate the previous post as my starting point, thanks to the update in MarsEdit 5.2.

Select Duplicate Post from the File menu.
Select Duplicate Post from the File menu.

And more space for Alt Text!

The Alt Text entry box now grows to display more text.
The Alt Text entry box now grows to display more text.

A big and very welcome update to MarsEdit today with 5.2, including:

The “Search” field in the main window now features a filter selection to toggle between searching everything or searching just the current selection. …

A new menu item for duplicating posts …

Alt Text field in Upload Utility and Media Manager now grows vertically to accommodate longer descriptions

At last I can narrow my search to just one blog.
At last I can narrow my search to just one blog.

Today’s random beach find: a large blue piece of tin.

Large rolled piece of tin painted blue.

Bah, last night I realised that on 22 May 2024 I wrote about a book I'd read, but somehow managed to use the wrong title and link and book cover. I'd tangled up books 1 and 2 in the series. Sigh.

Now corrected: Detective Chief Superintendent Fran Harman faces many challenges in Come to Harm… 📚.

Ugh, woke just after midnight and still awake in these wee hours where the world is adrift.

Stress always turns up the volume on the tinnitus too. Ugh.

An enjoyable read, but not riveting. A complicated case …Baskets and Beignets by Jana DeLeon 📚:

Fortune has solved cold cases before, but never one with so little evidence and so many suspects with not only strong motive but opportunity. Can she solve a decade-old murder

Book cover: Baskets and Beignets.

Something I love about Waikawa Beach …

… is the wide open space, and lack of other people.

I went down to the beach before sunrise today. I love walking through the avenue of toetoe / pampas (I think it's pampas, but I can't tell the difference).

A grassy track through tall plant spears with white fronds at the top.

There was just enough light to shine on the water.

A small bright spot of water in an otherwise datk landscape with pale blue and orange sky between clouds.

And the river wound golden across the sand.

A yellow ribbon of river winds through a darker beach landscape as the sun starts to light a partly cloudy sky with orange.