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6
With Coromandel just out of sight in the rear-view
mirror, the wharf suddenly unfolds ahead, spearing
right out into the harbour. I was just in time to see a
mussel boat land, loaded heavily with its cargo, at the
southern tip of McGregor Bay.
Then, rounding the last curve of the bay, my focus
shifted to the boats lining the wharf in a stripe of
colour parallel to the rumpled landscape in the
distance. I loved the variety of colours, shapes and
sizes of the boats lined up against the wooden
struts, and wondered about their stories ...
I was particularly drawn to the bright red vessel
which stood out boldly in the midst of the other more
neutral hues.
coromandel Town’s
fishing boat wharf
7
Wha r f Road s o on mo r ph s i n t o Long Ba y Road , and he r e
y o u d r ive r i gh t ne x t t o a l o v e l y s and y b each w i t h McGr e g o r
Ba y u n f o l d i ng t o t he we s t . T he s u n wa s o u t and t he sky a
b r i gh t b l u e aga i n , and I wa l k e d a l ong t h is nar r ow s t r e t ch
o f s and , t ho r o u gh l y en j o y i ng t he pa t t e r n s o f l i gh t and
s had e ca s t b y t he s had ows o f t he t r e e s wh i ch l i ne t he
g r a s s v e r g e .
The houses up on Wyuna Bay Road sparkled in the sun ahead
of me, and the upturned dingy on the beach made the scene feel
picture-perfect. The water lapped enthusiastically to my left,
covering the commercial oysterbeds in the shallows 400 feet offshore.
McGregor Bay (going northwest along the coast, toward Wyuna Bay Rd)
The
Pacific
Oyster