Discover Top Posts Tagged with #whangamata

09/01/21

#new zealand #nz #adventure #mother nature #new zeland landscape #north island #beach #coromandel #nature #whangamata #onemana #coastal #caves and cliffs #sea waves #seaside #seascape #beach waves #beachside #pohutukawa #positive vibes #native

Whangamata New Years

#Whangamata #new years #beach #night

Photographic proof that Aotearoa is finally up to about the 80s.

^there were at least two more but the shock of seeing so many functional phone boxes in the current present day was overwhelming.

^This shop hasn’t changed in 12 years since I was last in Whangamata. That sun is still terrifying.

#whangamata #Aotearoa #New Zealand

Hats off to Whangamata

Apparently, we couldn’t get enough of each other, so the Taupo Krew headed out for another roadie together. This time, Theo was able to host us at his family friend’s Bach in Whangamata. While trying to suss out how to say this Coromandel town, Greg found this comically incorrect pronunciation which we all continued to use ironically throughout the weekend. For all of my non-kiwi followers, the correct pronunciation is more like “fhah-ngah-mah-TAH”.

After work on Friday all the Americans hopped in Greg’s Car, Susie Lou, and hit the road. We started getting hungry as we approached Thames so we took a little detour to pick up some Thai food. I didn’t adjust my ordering based on the fact that we were planning to eat on the road, and instead just ordered the curry that I was craving. As soon I attempted to open the container in the car, I realized the errors of my ways. Everyone else tried to eat their slightly more car-friendly meals as we started driving up a curvy-as mountain road for the rest of the trip. Messes were made and at least one white shirt was stained, but the damage was less than expected.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by our friends, all donned with hats. Luckily they had extras for us. The night continued with dance parties, flip cup, and hat swaps. The next morning we got up and cooked a hearty breakfast on the barbie and ventured out to some tennis/netball courts to get some exercise. Kieran was so excited to leave that he hit his Rolla on the retaining wall. The guys helped to shift his car away from the wall. He took it suprisingly well.

Of course after running around on the courts we needed pies, so we headed to town and got some mediocre grub. We then stopped in a pretty cool surf shop and the gals helped me find a dope corduroy bucket hat. Now I could fit in and be sun smart!

Next, we grabbed our togs and went to the water for some fishing and swimming. The lack of admin resulted in Aidan, Greg, and I separating from the rest of the group. We found ourselves at a beautiful estuary while everyone else ended up at the pier. They did some uneventful fishing and had fun jumping off the dock while we threw around the rugby ball, explored the beach, and relaxed.

Everyone reunited at the house where we made some snacks and sorted out dinner. I tried to place an order at a local fish and chips shop, but as soon as they heard my accent they hung up. The next time I called, Kieran had to join in and act as a buffer. It was bizzare, but we were hungry so we pushed through. Land mines of can towers were placed around the Bach and Baz got very unlucky.

Jeff returned from hanging out with his football friends in a salty mood. A mysterious force pushing a tower over in his vicinity certainly didn’t help things. Eventually he settled in and even gave us a little show.

Later in the night a few of us went for an evening stroll and ended up sitting on the beach, huddled for warmth. This entire trip we were all desperately trying to pretend it was summer. The windy spring weather was of no help.

The next morning we had another leisurely brekkie on the deck before packing up the house and heading to the beach. We practiced our rugby skills for a bit and then wandered off to a playground that could only exist in NZ. It had a relatively high cable balancing setup with no net, in addition to a flying squirrel and some very interesting swings. There were so many opportunities to injure yourself, which is maybe why it entertained a group of twenty-somethings for a solid half hour.

Once we had our fun, we hit the town for some snacks, more Whangamata surf shop gear, and Real Fruit ice cream. I’m not generally a fan of fruit ice cream but man is this Real Fruit legit. It’s both creamy and refreshing at the same time. It even inspired this ridiculous photo shoot.

On the way back home, the Americans stopped at Aidan’s house in Ngatea to meet his 2 day old lamb. I am genuinely having a hard time finding the right words to describe how adorable this experience was and how giddy it made me feel. Every time I look back at the pictures and videos of the lamb baaah-ing I melt. It was certainly the highlight of my trip.