After nearly drowning in the surf on Saturday. This was the Mount main beach, the waves were steep and fast, the problem was when you got caught in the impact/white-water zone, I can't hold my breath as long as I used to (and my neck and back aches, my knees are getting sore, I must remember I'm 40 now, and not 20) ...
On Sunday afternoon, after a morning surf (in smaller waves thank god) we went surfcasting at our usual spot along the Matata Straights between Te Puke and Whakatane. Usually a serene spot which drops off to deep water only a few metres from shore. In the pic below you can see a stream under the road and rail bridge that meanders out to sea. The thing is, the wave action creates sand banks that occasionally block the stream's flow (we had very high tides following the Tsunami last week), and a large lagoon forms until the banks normally burst and water can flow out. Every time we go here the stream flow is different, especially after storms where the stream turns into a river that can scour out huge areas. So, imagine a big lake on the sand before the sea....
Now. this is what happens if you show off to your girlfriend and drive too close, at speed, along the edge of a lagoon, fed by a river that is blocked up by sand. You have your front right wheel stuck in soft sand and water up to your bumper, so you think its a good idea to dig a small (ie 50cms wide) trench to release some of the water from the lagoon out to the sea. The trickle soon turns into a torrent of Huka Falls proportions, the ute decides to make like a fish ...
... and it only gets worse, but numb nuts here thought he could stop it (believe it or not he tried to get in and start it to "drive it out" before all of this). We were telling him to leave it alone, it shifted 90 degrees from where it was pointed, and was moving and sinking. I imagined him getting trapped under a wheel or something, the water was moving bloody quick ... I phoned Police, who said they can't tell him to not endanger his own life (I'm guessing that comes under the Darwin Offence Code lol), I said to put Ambos on call if he gets sucked under...
... sensing defeat for now ...
.... after all this, once the lagoon did drain, the ute was halfway buried, he was still adamant he could drive it out, and home. He bought it a week ago, it was uninsured, and according to a witness, was hooning along the beach fish-tailing beside the lagoon. He wouldn't accept any advice (whilst it was still light) to get someone local with a tractor or digger. We left at 9pm, dark, with an incoming tide. He was still sure he'd get it pulled out (despite phoning 4 towies - on my phone - who said "Yeah Right mate"), and drive home ...
I didn't get any more pics, he was pretty bull headed still but his girlfriend was beside herself.
You never know what you will come across when going for a quick fishing trip, we didn't catch any fish, and I missed out on a TFK IL2 match
