It's been here a long time , as have its tenants - the creatures who call the coastline home.
I think we get on pretty well with them, although several popular species would disagree.
We have created marine sanctuaries and imposed boundaries on areas where the wildlife families live.
And even the fish get a relatively fair go, as limits are imposed on how much can be netted or potted.
I have a great deal of respect for our marine creatures like the crayfish - delicious with just a hint of sauce.
To see the coastal marine wildlife in the wild, so to speak, is breath-taking.
A couple of years back we had a call from people walking the beachfront down Awatoto way to say a very large whale was not far from shore.
The Department of Conservation crew were on the beach logging the creature's movements and getting photos of it and they informed us it was a southern right whale.
The big old thing was about 15m long and was barely 200m offshore, although, four years ago, the folk at Napier Port got a closer view of a similar sized southern right which decided to get all curious and take a look around the harbour.
It was so close they could hear it sucking and blowing air.
Amazing great creatures which came close to being hunted to extinction by 1860.
I've also seen orcas in close, and they are remarkable too; their black and white livery are a very welcome arrival to the waters of Hawke's Bay.
In terms of how we treat our marine life, it's a bit of this and a bit of that.
Humankind is a messy creature and too much rubbish gets tipped into the sea.
Yet, when the pilot whales (an ironic title given their occasional loss of direction) get stranded ashore, people arrive from far and wide to keep them damp and assist them back to the ocean.
Bottom line - compared to some countries, I think we do a fair job of looking after the coastlines and the creatures who live in the seas off them.
Of course, getting to see all these creatures in their natural habitat is very difficult and would take a lot of money, time and planning, so thank you Natural History New Zealand for spending some money, finding the time and planning a path around the marine neighbourhoods of the land.
A six-part series profiling the lives of the great diversity of fish, mammals, crustaceans and whatever else is out there has been created, and it promises to be a colourful journey and perfect for a Sunday evening.
So whip up some gurnard or snapper and settle back and enjoy ... although, no, maybe do a pasta instead.
Our Big Blue Backyard, TV1 at 7.30pm Sunday: There are occasions, though, when it is a big green backyard, or a slightly murky brown one, after the storm deluges across the ranges and riverways, but we'll settle for the "big blue".
Michael Hurst hosts this series which delves into the lives of the diverse creatures who call the seas home. It promises some spectacular shots and should remind us of one thing - they were here first.
On the box
Downton Abbey, Prime at 8.30pm, Thursday: This is a fine touch of the posh with a splash of rough trade thrown in. An entirely different world to the one which exists outside the grounds of the splendid spread and don't they know it. But, of course, it seems the more they have and the less they have to do the more of a mess they get into. Marvellous stuff, and Maggie Smith is simply superb and had the best line yet uttered. It was when someone told her the servants had enjoyed a fine weekend. Slightly bemused, she asked what a weekend was ... every day was a weekend for her.
Netball, New Zealand vs England, Sky Sport 1 at 7pm, Friday: Like football, this is allegedly a non-contact sport, yet the injury count sort of seems to suggest otherwise. Although in the case of netball, I daresay it is more the twisting and turning, abrupt stops and launches which do the ligaments, muscles and joints in. How they do it for the duration of a match I don't know, and the level of fitness is clearly remarkable. Here the Kiwi crew take on England, and after being out-shot by the Aussies we need a a good result.
The Graham Norton Show, TV3 at 8.40pm, Friday: This diminutive character has stepped into the shoes of Michael Parkinson in terms of having the clout to attract the names for a chat on the couch. Short of Elvis, I think he's hosted everyone in showbiz. I mean, look at this line-up. Robert Duvall, Robert Downey Jnr and the erudite QI frontman Stephen Fry. And who plays the music? U2. Mr Norton must possess the autograph book to beat all autograph books.
