Evening Stroll

Left home a little late at about 6.30pm as I realised Darren won't be up till the morrow. Beach was calm and relatively empty and the heat of the day still hung around. I trawled up and down the beach outside the shops for the second time today. It seems it had been replenished by todays visitors. First item of interest was a cheap pendant with a pink heart in the middle of the design. Second heart of the day. Is there a hidden message there?

Then I found a succession of coins including a 2010 Australian $2 coin which is a very small coin for it's value, it's the same size as our ten cent piece. Two old decimal five cent pieces (1996 &'97) were also uncovered. The total spending at the end of the night was $3.60. This took my total of spending coins I've found this year to over $100. To be exact $103.20.

I put on the head light when the sun went down and didn't leave until after 9pm. I enjoy detecting at night. One of the last targets was a heavily encrusted necklace chain, which was very fragile and broke into several bits when I removed it from the sand. There is a big congealed lump on the chain which I hope when it is cleaned will reveal a nice pendant.

The crusted chain did not have a nice pendant.

Other items included another four tent pegs, a spoon made by Style House, a metal button, a couple of washers and that, apart from the trash, was that.

In the nearly three hours I was out I for once didn't meet anyone who wanted to have a chat, it was a lonely search. The only person I did interact with was an attractive police lady who breathalised me at a road block on the way home.

I picked up a chinese for tea and the dogs were happy to see me home.

Feel plumb tuckered, it's been a long day. No camera yet, pictures to go up as soon as I can organise it.

I hope Darren brings his camera tomorrow

See you out there.

Morning stroll

Just did an hour at the Maraetai beach. Easter Friday, great early morning weather and an almost empty beach. I arrived about 7.30am just as high tide was turning so my beach options were limited.  Two fit looking lads were getting into wetsuits ready to swim to Waiheke Island!!! It's a good swim, probably close to five miles as a Tui flies. From what I caught of their conversation it sounded like they had already biked several hundred miles to get here. Oh to be that fit and and not suffer from Galeophobia!!

Before starting I gave my MD a nice clean up, tightened all the screws and nuts and as I felt yesterday that my batteries were running down, even though my Beach Cobra had not signalled the fact, I inserted new ones, all eight!!!

So with fresh batteries and a the good feeling this place gives me I was hoping for some more interesting finds. To start with I covered much the same ground as I did yesterday to see if my increased power strength would pick up anything I missed previously. The finds were few 20 cent coins plus one small steel like bangle with a weld that glistened like gold just for a second but was in fact just a weld. No other markings to be seen, though I've yet to completely clean it up.  Lot's of trash too. So maybe the batteries were okay.

I then started sweeping a new area a little further down the top of the beach. Here I hit seven coins adding up to $3.70, two zipper pulls, one with a novelty silver heart attached, a bulldog clip, 5 tent pegs and I think a housing for a small lock?  For a non alcohol area there sure were a lot of beer bottle tops!

Beautiful collection, exquisitely arranged within
four strategically placed tent pegs depicting
the very essence of detecting art.

One thing that I discovered as I emptied my pockets of trash was a hot rock I had put aside. It broke in to two pieces as I moved towards the bin and I noticed a groove. On further inspection the 'rock' had two holes either side of the groove which seemed to be minute hollow metal tubes. Obviously something inside this rock like lump. I will investigate further.

So $4.50 in spending and a variety of other finds. An hour well spent and I'm leaving just as the crowds start to roll up.  Might pop back this evening.

Off to the dog park now though, to walk the two
labra-doodles in my capable? charge. If the ground wasn't so hard I'd take a spade and the MD instead of a fistful of doggy poo bags.

Looking forward to tomorrow when my friend  Darren, 'Garrett ACE150' man, is coming up for a beer and a low tide swing.

See you out there.