DSC_14071 Chenier plains are formed where a shell barrier beach such as this one, comprising shell fragments and coarse sand, is moved by longshore drift and carried landwards through wash action to form bars on the foreshore. Chenier plains are globally rare. The largest in New Zealand, is at Miranda. It is the only chenier plain in the world still aggrading. Miranda/Kaiaua Coast
DSC_4132 A view across productive, intertidal flats dominated by Zostera seagrass meadows, interspersed with areas of bare quartz sand, on New Zealands northernmost harbour. At low tide, the exposed circular feeding holes of stingray retain water, creating a refuge for small molluscs and crustaceans. Te Pua Point, Parengarenga Harbour
