Coromandel’s Coastal Revelation
It’s a moment in history that we have all simultaneously dreamed of and dreaded. A moment that may very well shake the core beliefs of every person, not just in the Coromandel Peninsula, but every coastal town in the whole world. This indeed may be the moment that nomads, couples and even families decide to never bother visiting the beach again. It is at this very moment that we announce that the search is indeed over. For all of us. As local Coromandel primary school student Bella Ride has found the most perfect, most singularly spectacular sea shell in existence.
5th May 2024
Sitting with Bella’s parents, Bodhran and Polly Ride, on the front porch of their charming little cottage bach, a mere 50 metres from a beach on the beautiful Eastern Peninsula, we take tea together and reflect upon how this came about.
“We’ve been visiting the Coromandel loads these last few years,” smiles Polly. “Ever since those dreadful lockdowns, we’ve longed to be here, listening to the waves, splashing in the shallows and yes, looking for shells to collect.”
Bodhran, after adding 2 sugars to his tea, adds, “Our little Bella has always loved collecting things. It started out with certain pieces of lego she liked and then progressed to gnarled pieces of driftwood or perhaps Marvel Themed finger puppets. Until one day we watched a children’s film that mentioned collecting shells.”
Well, it seems indeed to be an obsession that has paid off big time for young Bella as she joins us on the porch and in her hands she is holding it. The sea shell. And what a shell it is.
This is truly a pivotal moment in my own life as I get the opportunity to look at this marvellous specimen. It really is the perfect size, no bigger than your hand, and the shape curves just the right amount with these bright contrasting colours striated across the carapace. Flipping the shell over to check its underside I see no blemishes or markings indicating its titanic struggles beneath the blue.
As I wipe away my tears with a muffled apology into my handkerchief, I make my farewells and promise to visit again with a camera and share this blessing with the world. Stepping into my sun bleached sedan I allow myself a small moment to acknowledge the anguish tearing at my soul. Seeing the little girl in me scouring the beach for hours, sunsets laughing with my parents and siblings, and I say goodbye to that life. The life before I saw the most extraordinary sea shell. A life before I saw this blessing and curse.
The search truly is over.
*** At the time of publication, the Ride family have called in that Bella has dropped the shell somewhere shoreline and is currently out searching. Any support in this regard would be greatly appreciated.
Words by Rabian Foberts
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