A day at O'neils beach

Went out to O'neils with my girls.....Keiko had often said she would like to come out and I was always a little reluctant as the walk alone was a bit of a trek that and most of the time I go there its because everywhere else on the West Coast is so blown out and wild I wasn't too sure that she'd appreciate hiding behind a rocky outcrop from the elements...........But today was different,In fact it was soooo different and so not the O'neils that I know........I actually thought I was somewhere else.

So with food,water,toys,towels.change of clothes,blanket and whatever else we could carry we set off.....once Mana chan helped wax my board.
So it was out on to the beach,wade thru the steam along the next beach and then up and over the sandhill (which seemed a hell of a lot harder with all the bags of "essentials" my surfboard AND carrying Mana....

But the (long and hard) walk was definitely worth it 1-2 Ft with the odd 3ft set,offshore SUPER clean with only a handful of the local crew out there......wow I have NEVER seen the beach like this...........EVER!!!











I called Yusuke earlier that morning (he and his wife were finally back from there Honeymoon) and of course he was super keen to get out there and about half an hour lafter we arrived he paddled out too and set about throwing his 45 kg frame about (sorry private joke he's not really that light but compared to me)

We were joking about the different sizes of our boards and me being a smart arse wanted to try his board and at 5.11 and about as wide as a water ski it was hilarious as I tried to ride his "Toothpick"
As I said good conditions and we both had a fun ole time out there......

Both Mana and Keiko had a good time too.
Mana chan has reached that age where she is not "totally" dependent on Mum and she can entertain herself .......which makes things alot easier on Mum...........so now she can relax abit more (well kinda)
So it was up and down the beach climbing rocks,checking out rock pools,making sand castles,digging holes and running about in the water for what seemed like hours without getting bored.....and every now and then she would wave out to me and Yusuke........









Yeah great day out and after the mean "Hikoi" back over the hill across the beach and thru the stream it was homeward bound stopping off at "Pho Bien" Vietnamese Restaurant off Lincoln Rd......
I had Grilled Pork and Vermicelli,Keiko had Wonton egg noodle soup and Mana ate between us both.
There were LOTS of other fresh veggies as you can see and it all came together to make a awesome "after the beach" meal....