Went #birdwatching along dyke at Bensersiel. Distant even at 640mm zoom, top L is the largest European wader Großer Brachvogel | curlew—some overwinter here; top centre are Austernfischer | Eurasian oystercatcher; bottom group are Kiebitz | northern lapwing (📷1). A Weißwangengans | barnacle goose had the good grace to come inshore (📷2). On the path we met an injured Calidris sp. with bloodied wings ?🐕 (📷3). Overflown by formations of Ringelgans | brant geese (📷4).
🇩🇪 #niedersachsen #de 🚀 #travel
Crisp start at Bensersiel (📷1), a good 6h drive from #FFM for our beach fix (missing #NZ coast & birds). The “siel” in town’s name refers to water management structures found in northern DE & NL: sluice gates control tidal flow/ drain to sea, often integrated into dykes (📷2). With <1m/km gradient btw shore of the Wattenmeer & off-shore seabed, large flats are exposed at ebb tide; barriers slow erosion (📷3). Gates in dyke can be closed ahead of storm surges (📷4).
🇩🇪 #niedersachsen #de 🚀 #travel
Called on “Plan C” for park-up last night (too big/ ⛺️ full), but good AM view from 3rd-try pitch at Manganese Pt on #Whangārei Harbour (📷1). On to Pātaua, two halves of which are linked by a footbridge spanning Pātaua River estuary (📷2). The North side was popular with bathers & people playing on watercraft (📷3). An ocean beach opposes Te Whangai Head on South side (📷4).
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(3/3) Farewell Spit/ Onetahua. Walk back along ocean beach felt long, into headwind. The spit has seen mass strandings of whales. Fossil Point (📷1) marks the base of the spit; fossil shells (📷2) & worms can be seen in the rocks here. Cut thru farm back to Triangle Flat, or close loop via Hill Top Walk for views over Spit (📷3), Port Pūponga & Old Man Range. 14km/ 4.5h (📷4).
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(1/3) Farewell Spit/ Onetahua. Free access limited to initial 4km of coast to protect birds; paid tours go further into nature reserve. Waders eat mollusks, crustaceans & worms in the sand flats. Black swan (📷1) & SI pied oystercatcher (📷2). Argonauta nodosus—fragile octopus eggcase, on bed of seagrass—largest meadow in NZ here (📷3). Translucent shell of horse mussel (📷4).
🚐 #VanLife #Motorhome #CamperVan #RV #Travel #RoadTrip #Nomad 🇳🇿 #Aotearoa #NZ #NewZealand 🤔🌲🧭❤️ #CREWmission 📷 #Photography
