Easter Sunday at Ohope Beach

The Maori knew that the mild climate and fertile soils around here were very valuable, and many a territorial skirmish had been fought in these parts long before the European came in their big ships and named it 'Bay of Plenty'.

Such a long growing season means that even the kumara - the sweet potato, brought from Hawaiiki, could always be grown with chance of a big crop. New Zealand was generally short of good food in winter, and once the moa had become extinct and coastal shellfish stocks had become depleted, the Bay of Plenty had even more appeal to the Maori.

But although the introduction of spuds and pigs, which could be grown almost anywhere, largely took away the reliance on kumara, this part of New Zealand still remains a pleasant and bountiful place to live.

Here it is early April and still warm enough to wear a teeshirt at dusk on the beach.