Shelly Beach was at its brilliant best this morning – sunny and still.  We sat on the deck for breakfast, which stretched into morning tea.  Then we took off for a scenic drive of the Waiterake Ranges, Auckland’s equivalent of the Dandenongs.

First stop was a walking trail to the Fairy Falls.  The track wandered downhill through rainforest, gradually becoming steeper and steeper.  I went to the top of the falls, where the track became a little adventurous.  Mindful of the climb back out, I left it at that and enjoyed the sight of the water cascading into a pretty pool before it plunged over a cliff and downwards.

We pressed on to the visitor centre, which was an amazing building with spectacular views of Auckland, and south over the harbour.  We were high over the treetops.

The scenic drive came to an end when we emerged into suburbia, straight into the traffic snarls that bog down outer Auckland most of the time.  I’ve decided that Auckland has the highest number of traffic cones per capita than any city in the world – they are everywhere, in their thousands.

Our final port of call for the day was Murakai Beach.  At first glance it looked like a typical bit of coastline, but as we got down onto the sand we realised there were cliffs, caves, rock pools, and sea birds.  We watched the gannets and gulls diving and soaring off the cliffs, and explored the nooks and crannies of the rocks.  The Woodhill dunes start from Murakai, and we could see them stretching away into the sun, for miles.

The “unstable cliff” sign seems a bit superfluous

After a week of glorious weather, the rain clouds gathered and we had a wet drive home.  One more night, one more day, one more race, one flight home.