Tunnel Beach

Satake Sunday was spent at Tunnel Beach.

Holy crap.

I could stay here all day long

We've been blown away by all the beaches here, but this one was my favourite so far. Except there wasn't really any wildlife... so maybe I should say it was the most scenic, and the best to just lounge on.

We only drove several minutes outside the city to get to the dirt parking lot. The hike down took about 20 mins. And like every other beach we've been to, the hike was through sheep scattered farmers fields.

Maybe it's because it is Spring here, or maybe it's because the water is a different colour (deep turquoise), but the grass here seems like it's on steroids- it's insanely green. Brian said it doesn't burn off in the summer either. Maybe it's the soil? (they get less annual rainfall than Vancouver does).

A ladder carved into the side of a sandstone cliff. Scotty guessed it was so that people could jump off into the water below and then climb back out.

Once you reach the sandstone cliffs, there's a small hole dug into the side of a hill. John Cargill (a politician in 1870's), commissioned a tunnel be dug for his family so that they would have access to the secluded beach at the base of the cliffs.

Am I in Scotland or Ireland? 

The hand carved tunnel looks as if it has been scooped out with a bunch of serving spoons. The indentations all over the wall cast a somewhat eerie glow, and there is a part in the centre of the tunnel where you get blinded by the brightness coming out the other side, so it becomes very hard to rely on sight to find the little hand-carved steps. You're left to "feel" your way through.

The bottom of the tunnel.

View of the tunnel looking up.

The tunnel pops out onto the most glorious secluded beach. Perhaps it's this act of being "birthed out" onto it that makes it more surreal, or the giant, towering sea-caved sandstone cliffs that boarder it. Whatever the case, once you're down there, you get why someone would go to all the effort of making a tunnel.

Scotty in one of the natural caves

It was so warm that day. The wind was kept to the tops of the cliffs. We climbed around on the sandstone, explored some of the natural caves, laid in the sand and I ran around like a crazy person trying to do this gorgeous beach "justice" on film.

A giant wave rushed in and picked up these girls' belonging sitting on the shore. Brian and Scotty got in the water to help. They never did find a pair of sunglasses and a shoe.