Cabbage Soup

Sludge, sludge, sludge. I walked through the brown and orange seaweed. I think of seaweed as a protective blanket on top of the sea; it moves as if someone is making the bed and they've just laid down the duvet. When I put my foot into the seaweed it tickled against my ankle and I quickly pulled it out and carried on walking.

We came to the tricky part, crossing the rocks. They were rough wild rocks, but part of them had been smoothed by the Lawson family's traditional food hunt. Water raged, smashing against the rocks. I put my arms out to Dad; he put me over his shoulder and stepped over the seaweed and water in the middle of the rocks.

It was time. The reason I had come didn't seem so exciting now that I was about to do it. Dad, Nevil and Joel slid into the water and disappeared beneath the swell. Suddenly their feet started slapping the water and Dad came up with a paua.

"Ddddaaaaaaddddddd!" I yelled. A swell was about to come and Dad grabbed onto a piece of seaweed.

I walked into the water, Dad right beside me. Dad felt around the water and then put his thunb up. I had heard about man-eating eels hiding under the rocks. I knew they were only tales but I couldn't help being scared. Dad had big thick water gloves on, so maybe he was as scared as me! I got the screw driver and wedged it under the paua. Got it! I quickly put it down my wetsuit to keep me warm.

I scrambled out of the water, wrapped myself in my towel and thought about the cabbage soup we were going to have when we got back!