New Zealand

A lazy start to the day as the boys got ready for Jonny’s stag do and Mandy and Cat headed off to the salon. I was meeting Rachel, who left the UK about a year ago and has been in NZ for the past few months. She picked me up in their converted people carrier (car up front, bed behind) and we drove over to Takapuna.
The beach was very pretty but it was super windy so we didn’t sit, but instead walked along, and clambered up some rocks at the far end, which looked over the deserted bay beyond.
Walking back, we went for a lovely lunch at Jam, an organic cafe in Takapuna town, before wandering over to look at Lake Pupuke which was beautiful. Popped down to the shore near the Pumphouse Theatre which looked really nice.
After that, we drove along to Narrow Neck beach as some lifeguards on Takapuna had said that was safe to swim in today (it varies per beach, per day, depending on rainfall). When we got there, it was still v windy so we didn’t manage more than a paddle, but instead lay on the beach, chatted, and collected half the beach in our hair every time the wind blew.
Am now less smug, more burnt.
Eventually we had enough sand blown in our faces and decided to drive up to North Head - an ex army base on top of a (shock) VERY windy hill, which has amazing 360 views across the city and over to Montutapu island.
We headed over to Devonport after that, where we had dinner (delish tacos) and beer (‘Brixton Pale Ale’ made in Kingsland, not Brixton, and served by a Londoner/Prestatyn-er), and headed home - with an emergency stop to buy some Whittakers en route.Read more