Porpoise Bay

My family and I went to the beach on Boxing Day and had a fabulous time boogie boarding in the waves.  When you ride the crest of a way, it feels like you are flying, for just a second, until you crash back into the sea! You can't help but laugh and feel the absolute joy of living for the 'moment,' leaving all concerns behind.  A friend of mine once said, "every day should be a beach day," which is quite a challenge to live up to ... how to stay riding high on the crest of a wave ... and even when you inevitably fall back down to earth, still find the 'joy' of a beach day, in the ordinary stuff of life. My day at the beach also reminded me of a wonderful place on the southern east coast of New Zealand's South Island ... Curio Bay and Porpoise Bay, side by side, where the dolphins come and play with you in the surf! I wrote a poem about it that I would love to share with you.




I love to swim at Porpoise Bay,
where Hector’s Dolphins come to play.
You see them dashing, dancing, diving,
they’re here for fun, they’re here to stay.

They seem so close, and yet so far,
five, six, seven ... sometimes more.
Laughing, chattering, playing tag,
such frolicking fun, such scallywags!

They ride the rolling waves to shore,
then back they swim to ride some more.
So graceful, gleeful, carefree play,
I want to swim with them all day.

Then suddenly from far away,
they hear a call. As one they turn
and off they go amidst sea spray,
without a backward glance my way.

Come back I cry, you can’t leave me!
I kick and splutter, swallow the sea.
My useless legs, no fins, no tail,
I flounder around like a stranded whale.

Sadly I swim my way to shore,
until my feet touch the sea floor,
I struggle up on to the beach,
so out of breath, I’ve lost all speech.

I scan the seascape desperate to see,
my playmates, diving wild and free.
And hope they’ll come again one day,
to swim with me at Porpoise Bay.


Amanda Edwards (c) 2012