Blue sky, blue sea

A fantastic day today; summer has definitely not gone yet.  We drove out to Hinewai, on Banks Peninsula, and walked through regenerating bush from the top car park to the beach and back.  It is amazing that in this reserve owned by the Maurice White Native Forest Trust, grazing land, invaded by gorse, is rapidly returning to native forest.  Gorse, a weedy plant over here, that is unpopular with landowners, is serving a useful purpose by enriching the soil and acting as a nurse crop for New Zealand native shrubs and trees.