A Mother's Day Beach Amble: Shells, Jellyfish and Tafoni Rocks

Mother's Day as an empty nester. No kids to wrangle. No breakfast in bed drama. Just me, the husband, and a Far North beach all to ourselves.

Our first stop? Michael Jackson's favourite beach. (I'll let the sign do the talking.) 🎵 A hee hee. 😄

Not a surf beach — but honestly perfect for an amble. The kind of walk where you're not looking for anything in particular. Just nature bathing.

Ooh look what I spotted — a rams horn squid shell. With a Mohawk. I've used this shell in a few pieces and it always sells out! That spiky mohawk? I'm guessing they are either hitchhiking barnacles or remnants of the squid...

And something I dare not beachcomb — bluebottle jellyfish. Dry, stranded, and still not getting my fingers near it. I've been stung before while surfing — and once is enough, thank you very much.

Then there was this rock with tiny holes. That honeycomb texture has a name: tafoni. It forms when salt crystals work their way into rock and slowly hollow it out over thousands of years. Wind does the rest. The ocean is extraordinarily patient.

And speaking of more holes... I picked up a pohutukawa leaf with bug holes. Nature's own lacework.

With sandy hands and a salty heart,
Rina