Nugget Point remote weather beaten coastline
From Roaring Bay, I ventured upwards reaching the narrow and jagged peninsula known as Nugget Point. The cliff face here dramatically protrudes 133 metres above the sea level. Nugget Point like so much of this coastline is suitably weather beaten from both time and tide and a well-formed pathway took me on a breath-taking walk (both in terms of the blustery conditions and the steep drops below –scared of heights as I am I must admit to some moments of jelly legs). At the tip of the point the pathway ends in a platform overlooking the ‘Nuggets’ themselves. These wave-eroded rocks have been aptly named due to their resemblance to gold nuggets. The lighthouse here towers over the back of the platform and was built in 1869. It’s continuous flashing light has undoubtedly prevented many a ship wreck on this hazardous coastline. The view is spectacular out across the endless Pacific Ocean and beyond. Nugget Point also happens to be home to a colony of New Zealand Fur Seal. In one way or another these guys always seem to choose the wildest least hospitable places to make their homes. They weren’t hard to spot and even less hard to hear as their barks blare in the wind. The babies were playfighting in the sheltered rock pools whilst the juveniles like all good teenagers, splashed around, charged about and generally showed off in the swell.