I made this trip to the Nuggets because, although It's not far from where I live, it was a while since I had been there.

I had also acquired a digital camera, and was anxious to put it through its paces. I have always had a film camera, but I was rather taken with the idea that I could blast off with some abandon with this digital one, and if I didn't like what turned out, I could simply erase the shots. Quite apart from that, the scenery around the Nuggets is suberb, and I was anxious to see what my results might be. The lighthouse is the sharp point running down to the sea in the distance.

  This place is known as 'Roaring Bay', no doubt from the sounds made by the seals. They spend a good deal of time snoozing in the sun after their feeding expeditions, and you need to looks carefully or you miss them altogether. They stretch lazily in the sun, and that's the best time to spot them. Anyone with any respect for nature, our world, and especially the animal kingdom feels a certain awe at scenes which have not altered very much for centuries

  This is the Eastern end of Roaring Bay. There is valuable information available, and further to the left there is an observation shelter. Binoculars are required, and a certain amount of patience as well. This place is easily accessible, the pathways are well kept, and there is an air of responsible caring by those in charge. The rugged appearance of the country, the precipitous hillsides, and the roaring winds give the lie to what is in fact an extremely delicate enviornment. It should not be treated carelessly. Others should enjoy what we have already.

  This view on the way to the summit looks back down the winding road beside the ocean to Kaka Point. The deeply sloping ridges are a real razor-back. The day I was there I met a busload of tourists coming from various places both in New Zealand and from overseas. Access is pretty simple to a car park which brings you up within easy walking distance of the lighthouse itself. There are no shops here, as these are available at Kaka Point, a mere twenty minutes away. That seems to be a good thing, as soft drinks, bottles, cartons and chips, would seem out of place just here.

  Although this path is quite safe I did notice that people tended to walk on the higher side. It's not hard to see why. To the left the hill goes straight down, and if you were unfortuante enough to slip off the gravel, you could quite conceivably go all the way to the seals and the ocean below! In calm weather you could hardly come to any harm but on a blustery day you might well feel a little nervous. On the high side the terrain goes straigt up tp a sharp ridge.

  The commanding position occupied by the lighthouse is obvious enough. Its whole purpose is to warn those at sea of the existence of the nuggets, these forbidding rocks that jut out just below the light itself. But they extend a good way out into the sea. The ligh itself has changed its form several times as did all marine lights. It used to work on a volatile fuel, kerosene probably, then on electricity with an attendant nearby on duty. Today it is totally automatic

 The lighthouse itself, is perched on a great slab of concrete. When you come close up to it you marvel at its strength. There are no hidden architectural features here. It sits on a massive blob of undressed concrete which has lasted firm and massive in spite of wind and weather. Such lights as this were, and still are great friends of sailors. In the days of sail when maneuverability was limited, the sight of the light was a source of great consolation. The word "sentinel" still springs easily to mind.

  At last we see what we came for. The Nuggets. The name is so obvious that you could hardly call them anything else. The ocean swirls and roars around them and they appear to be unmoved and unaffected. In geological terms, you could give or take a thousand years, and then take some more pictures. Some differences might be noticed. What is certain is that they are the potential stuff of shipwrecks, even now. This is nature untamed, at its grandest.

This single nugget is quite hollow. Most of its splendour is demonstrated when the water is high and boiling. It goes clean through from one end to the other. Quite spectacular. Obviously the condition of the weather the day you arrive makes an enormous difference to your enjoyment. I was lucky, but having said that, it could be a totally different and enjoyable experience in a storm. Of all the shots I took this day, this is my favorite.