Sulphur Bay, Rotorua

Woke early enough to be able to run to Sulphur Point for the sunrise; too many clouds around. But I went anyway.

Sulphur Bay is a wild life sanctuary on the edge of Lake Rotorua, and is walking distance from the city centre of Rotorua. Species that are specifically named as breeding here are tarapunga [meaning large gossip] (red billed gulls), pohowera [meaning burnt chest] (the banded dotterel), kawau tui (Little black shag), karuhiruhi [meaning very messy home] (pied shag), poaka [meaning small bird with long thin legs] (pied stilt).

While there I saw many tarapunga, including a chick and its mother,. I also saw some kawau tui in the distance, some karoro (Southern black-backed gulls), and a few poaka.

I chose this because it is not usual for an Aucklander to see so much sulphurous steam constantly venting into the atmosphere (we have to come to the volcanic plateau). The rising (perhaps already risen) sun has tinged the sky above the hills.

After breakfast we headed north, aiming to drive uninterruptedly through Auckland on the motorway to Snells Beach and the beach house. All went according to plan until just before the Mount Wellington off ramp (10 - 15 km south of city centre) where we were faced with very slow traffic. Some further kms into the city and a traffic sign recommended taking an alternative route as there had been a serious incident on the Harbour Bridge.

S checked on the NZ Transport app on her iPhone, which shows in different colours the movement of the traffic; black is unmoving, red is very slow, through a number of other colours to green meaning free flow. All in front of us was red (later most of it went black). We were able to get off the motorway, cross through the city to the alternative route (northwestern motorway) and rejoin the main road north after having done what used to be always required; going around the upper harbour. For a large part of it the app showed red, and we were very slow. Took an extra hour or more.

Inconvenient. but not as devastating for us or our family as for the motorcyclists involved in the serious incident, and their family. I do hope that "critical" ,meant that things need to be done urgently, and nothing more serious.

A late lunch and started the agenda reading. Took a break and went down to the water's edge as high tide was approaching. Keen to get some birds in flight I deliberately went closer than I might otherwise and am pleased with a white faced heron already airborne, and a taranui [meaning large tern] (Caspian tern).

ADDITIONAL: After dinner I was attracted by the full moon shining orange as it reflected the already set sun casting a broad swathe of light on the water of Kawau Bay. Beautiful. I feel blessed by nature.