a really fantastic Saturday - part II

I’ve talked with a few people who have studied in New Zealand before and asked them for their recommendations of what to do and see while I am in the country.  One answer that I have consistently received is that I must go and see Tunnel Beach.  Compliments of Jamie, I’ve seen some pictures of this beach before and it looked beautiful.  So, Alex and I decided to go on an adventure on Saturday and find this place.  For most attractions in Dunedin one can take a bus for just a few dollars.  Tunnel Beach, however, is outside of the city bus limits.  We decided to take the bus as far as we could in the direction of the beach and then walk the rest of the way.  First off, it was a gorgeous walk there: a sunny late-afternoon, along a backcountry-esque road with fields of livestock and those notorious rolling hills in the distance on either side of us.  The walk wasn’t as far as we’d expected either, maybe 20 minutes.  So we arrived at the top of the hill that leads down to the cliffs along the sea.  I realized very quickly that this is by far my favorite place that I've visited in New Zealand.  I wish I could describe to you the beauty of this place – pictures will help to explain but definitely cannot come close to doing it justice.

Tunnel Beach is named so because of the giant tunnel that’s been carved out in the cliff by the sea.  The water is constantly slamming up against the rocks and as I sat on the edge and watched the undercurrent and the repeated cresting, rolling, and smashing of the waves I was reminded not only of God’s glory, majesty, and splendor, but also of His strength, power, and might.  I was brought back to the day when I sat in the car across the street from Wendell August Forge and watched as the factory was consumed by fire – never have I come so close to understanding what the Bible means when it talks of God’s wrath as i did while witnessing the plumes of smoke devouring that material structure (example, see Malachi 4:1 and Psalm 21:8-9).  And as I sat on the edge of the cliff and watched the sea I tried to wrap my mind around its vastness and depth (unsuccessful) and I thought about the Lord's control over all of this.  How profound that we serve a God as powerful as the sea, as serious as consuming fire, as gentle as a light summer breeze, and so filled with bound-breaking love that our human minds cannot come close to comprehending it.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?  You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.  You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.  O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

        - Psalm 8:4-9       

 

To view all of my Tunnel Beach photos click this link.