Beach Bums

This summer Will and I have been doing some serious beach bumming. The beaches here are so stunning and also great to swim in. Hopefully this helps you guys back home get through 6 more weeks of winter :) We thought we would share with you some of our favorite beaches in order of preference!

1. Muriwai
We actually just went there this weekend, but are sad we haven't discovered it before. It's about a 45 min west of the city. It is set among sand dunes to one side and a gannet colony on cliffs on the other. We just happened to be there on a day where the tide and wind came together to make beautiful waves. There had to have been hundreds of surfers out along this long beach waiting for that perfect wave, as well as many grown ups acting like kids boogie boarding on the waves further in. This was the first time we got to use our boogie board on serious waves. We could not stop smiling as we rode the waves all the way in to the beach. Will reckons we averaged about 100 feet per ride. Here are some pictures from our trip there

The gannet colony. The tops of these rocks are littered with them

Will boogie boarding. He has the yellow board in the middle of the picture

Riding the wave all the way to the sand!

2. Mirangi
We really like this beach for our local weekend hangout. It only takes about 20 min to get there and it is usually busy, but never so crowded we don't have fun. There are great views from the beach. They also occasionally get some smaller waves that you can boogie on, but not as thrilling as the Muriwai waves.

Beautiful sunny day!

3. Piha
A very beautiful beach which would rank #1 for most beautiful, but we've never actually swam there.  Each time we've made the 45 min drive out west to get there we really enjoy the views, but the water has always been quite turbulent. Maybe if we get a good day there and can actually have a swim, this might move further up the list :)

The Lion Rock at the beach

Piha from above

4. Ruakaka
This beach was about an hour and a half drive north. We came here after a kayaking trip and had a great time. The wind was perfect, the sand was like powdered sugar and it was relatively un-inhabited by loud children :) The perfect beach for us to sit back and read.

Tally contemplating getting in with Taranga Island in the distance

Tally going for a walk in the water

5. Anchor Bay/Tawharanui
Another beach about an hour and a half north. This is part of a scenic reserve. We've been here once in the winter and once in the summer. Great sand and lots of room to go for walks along the beach, but when we were there there was a big seaweed problem, making it difficulty for this prissy to get in the water (I did, quickly to cool off, dodging the weeds). However, this is the beach where we saw the pod of killer whales so I can put up with the seaweed for the opportunity to see that.

Tally and Will with Little Barrier Island in the background

Crowded beach on New Years Day

6. Kohimarama/ St.Heliers
Another local set of beaches, about 20-30 min from our house. I grouped them together because they are only around the corner from each other and are pretty much the same as far as views, sand and swimming. This has been where I will jump in after my runs.

Sailboats and Rangitoto from Kohi beach

7. Orewa Beach
We've only been to the actual beach once, but we often enjoy driving by the beach as it is set in very picturesque settings. We will be making more trips here in the future for beach days.

Will and Tally at Orewa

Will went for a swim with the boys

7. Mt. Manganui
This beach is in Tauranga, about 2.5-3 hours east of Auckland. Nice white sand, good waves and nice views. Only been there once, but it would be worth another trip in our 2 years here.

Chillin at the beach watching all the boats go by

7. Mission Bay
A very nice beach 20 min from our apt. The only problem is that is the first beach you come to when heading away from the CBD so it tends to be a little more crowded. They also have more bars and cafes so you get a lot of youngins playing their music loud and being obnoxious on the beach. This would be the ideal place to hang out if you were 18-22 looking for some cute boys showing off. In my old age I find this irritating so we tend to avoid Mission Bay unless I go during a work/school day when no one is around to bother me :)

Mission Bay on a sunny day