Cockle hunting

Here on the Otago Peninsula the bounty of the sea is close and abundant. For months now I've gazed out on the tidal flats eager for a clam hunting adventure. Here they call them cockles though.

So on a sunny, Friday afternoon at the height of low tide friends Daniel, Jenn, Tim and I went for a good old NZ cockle hunt! We went to a place called Aramoana, "pathway to the sea" in the Maori language. And indeed it is, and here at low tide the flats stretch away far out into the bay.

Walking barefoot you can feel the clams with your toes. Within a matter of minutes we collected our limit literally from a puddle of sea water - about 50 per person in plastic bags. I'm astounded how many there are - there must be tens of thousands buried in the sand! Wild foraging along the coast. They will be delicious on the grill tonight!