Tunnel Beach

The locals keep telling us how lucky we are this winter since the weather has been so mild. I'm not sure what they are used to. We have had lots of rain & sleet & cloudy days. Most days the temps are in the 40s with wind. To us it seems like perpetual November or maybe March in Wisconsin - gray & chilly. One Saturday recently we took advantage of a mostly clear day to explore Tunnel Beach which is on the coast south of Dunedin.

It wasn't too easy to find. You drove up a farmers driveway and walked through a cow pasture trying to avoid the inevitable splotches everywhere.


Then you saw the coast. The rocks have been carved by wind and water to create these beautiful arches.

The tunnel of Tunnel Beach. The tunnel was created in the 1870s by John Cargill, a local politician. His family wanted a private way to get to the secluded beach at the bottom of the coastal cliffs. It was sort of creepy going down these mossy stone steps - and a lot darker than this picture; the camera flash lit the tunnel. In the middle of it you have that panicky thought, "oh gosh, I really hope this isn't the day this thing cracks."

This is the lovely beach at the bottom of the tunnel. You really felt secluded with the cliffs all around you.

Looking up at the cliffs and a tiny person at the top.