Qingshui cliffs

I expected the seven kilometre hike from Chongde Station to be an up hill battle, but the train had already gently risen before reaching the village and the hike was relatively flat. What made it difficult, was the final tunnel. It was a hair-raising hike through a one and a half kilometre dark tunnel with no sidewalk where trucks roared past and their noisy engines echoed off the tunnel ceiling.

A hike by Cingshuei Cliffs

I was on my way to Qingshui Cliffs in Taroko National Park, but there was no public transport right to this site. Instead, I caught a train from Hualien to Chongde then had another seven kilometres to hike along coastal Suao-Hualien Highway.

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Kuaotunu Reserve

The Coromandel Coast’s Kuaotunu Reserve fringed the beach on the southern edge of Whangapoua. A grove of pohutukawa trees were bent and twisted from years of extreme weather conditions.

Shakespeare’s Cliff Reserve

I took the short hike up the hill along side the dusty road to take in the estuary and Maramaratotara Bay in one direction and Lonely Bay and Cooks Bay around the other side of the cliff.

Historical Maketu

 

Maketu was an east coast town with a large stretch of beach and a swirling stream that coursed its way into the Pacific Ocean.

People watching on Con Son Beach

The local beach may have had a line of boats along the pier, but that didn’t lessen its appeal. It was long and wide with white sand and the ocean was refreshing.

There were few swimmers but during the afternoon, I couldn’t help notice the photographers.

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

We whipped through Lincoln City and Florence because my friend was keen on a buggy ride over the sand dunes.

We booked a tour with one office and when we arrived, were told the other people in the group were going to be an hour late so we’d have to wait till they arrived. Excuse me! We weren’t late, we chastised the woman and demanded our money back.

Oregon’s beaches

Driving south into Oregon State, we passed over the Columbia River and through Astoria. I had somehow held a very different image of what the area would look like. Instead, I discovered beautiful countryside, quaint towns and quiet beachside resorts.

Long Beach, Washington State

Photo: Whale skeleton, Long Beach. Photo courtesy: From Texas with Love – wikimedia.org

A friend suggested we drive south over the boarder into the States for a late summer trip before it was time to head back to work. I jumped at the opportunity thinking we’d fit in some beach time and a swim in the surf. We left sweltering thirty degree Vancouver and skipped through Seattle to Long Beach.

Napier: An Art Deco enthusiast’s dream city

The Pacific Ocean beamed from Hawkes Bay; Napier’s view of the world. The country town, completely destroyed by an earthquake in the 1930s, now boasted buildings constructed in the sheik decadent Art Deco style.