Ngaruawahia High School Yearbooks 2010-2012 Ngaruawahia High School Yearbook 2011 | Page 19

A Day at Mount Maunganui

Sunshine glimmers off the water as whitewash waves
glide towards shore. A small shadow, maybe a cruise liner or
even freight carrier, trudges along the horizon. It appears out
of place surrounded by glints of sunshine reflecting off the
calm blue. Packs of seagulls hang low, darting above the
water in search of their prey. Suddenly one swoops between
kids playing on boogie boards to attack a washed-up fish on
the shore.
Looking down the beach, the life -savers sit eagerly,
waiting prepared for any heroic tasks that the day might
bring. People are gathered under shade cloths and umbrellas
to escape the sun’s rays while teenage girls with model-like
bodies lie out in the sun soaking up the tan as peering male
eyes watch while supposedly playing footy. The smell of salt,
mixed with the delights of nearby cafés and fish and chip
lunches lingering in the air.
Behind, long-boarders travel along the footpaths on
their way home from school. They move in packs, like
seagulls, chattering among themselves, shielded with

crimson blazers from the cool sea breeze.
The sky is now washed with colours, faded oranges
invading the still blue. Surfers charge fearlessly through the
rolling water as their younger boogie-board companions are
called in by worried parents. After-work runners join the
array of people. Their synthetic tank tops and Nike runners
make them stick out from the barefooted beachgoers,
dodging families as they pack up their belongings and head
to their cars.
As the sun slowly disappears, the last of the lifesavers
takes down his flags and sets home for the night. A single
couple now occupy the beach as they walk hand-in-hand.
The sound of the waves rushing to the shore is all that can be
heard.
Far off, faint ship lights can be seen removing the
horizon and breaking the separation between the stars and
the earth. The starlight glimmers on the surface of the water.
Michael Washer - Year 11