Oh I do like to be beside the seaside!

Yay – Summer is here and there is nothing better than going to the beach. Swimming in the surf, picking up driftwood, finding pretty shells and looking in rock pools.

We are so lucky in New Zealand because nine out of ten New Zealanders live within 40 km of the coast.  We have a very long coastline. When you put our three main islands together there is over 18,000 km of coast in total length. If you decided to walk along our coast it would take you about 6 months and that’s if you could keep walking day and night non-stop!  I don’t think I will try that!

Have you thought about becoming a seaside scientist? Why not study some rock pools. You might find some sea anemones or maybe a starfish.  Perhaps you might like to hunt for crabs.  Watch out that they don’t bite your toes though. Or maybe you like to look at all the different types of seaweed that may have washed ashore.

Whatever you like doing there is always plenty to see and do at the beach.

And don’t forget to build your sandcastle or create your own artwork in the sand. Draw a face and then use shells, pebbles and seaweed to decorate it.

Have fun!

 

 

 

 

Next time you are at the beach

We have just received one of the smallest books I have ever seen in the library. In fact it can fit in your pocket! It is A Mini Guide to the Identification of New Zealand Seashells by Andrew Crowe; a big title for such a wee book. Now, I know it isn’t really beach weather right now but it is actually a great time to visit after some of the storms we have had. Many interesting shells get washed up in the storms.

There is a life size colour photo of most shells which are grouped by shape and the habitat they come from. I recognised lots of the shells pictured.

By the way Andrew Crowe has produced many great NZ nature guides and was the first non-fiction writer to win the Margaret Mahy Medal for services to children’s literature last year.