postcards from piha II

Despite only being November, summer was very much in the air yesterday resulting in a day trip to the paradise that is Piha. It was hot, not only did I burn my feet on the black sand but I also bought home some pretty sweet sunburn, a harsh reminder of just how fierce the sun is down here in New Zealand. The water was beautifully refreshing, however I didn't quite make it all the way in...a reason to go back again soon.

postcards from auckland

in the weekend i ventured down to Auckland's latest: the Wynyard Quarter.

if you haven't already been, i would recommend checking it out. awesome eateries, an old tram, silo park and lots of space to go for a stroll.

postcards from piha

one of the things i love most about winter in New Zealand is chilly days with blue skies for miles, lots of sunshine and fresh crisp air. you can almost feel summer trying to break through despite being so far from it.

last sunday i took a little day trip out west to piha beach with my mum.

blue sky. fresh, salty ocean air. sunshine. black sand. many many footprints in the sand from all walks of life.

we walked the beach, talked smack, admired the hundreds of cute pups everywhere and took in the beauty and surroundings of the ruggered west coast.

postcards from matakana

a quick day trip north to matakana 

sunshine, markets, delicious food, friends.

perfect.

postcards from lake taupo

a weekend jaunt to lake taupo, and this is what i saw:

1. lakeside bliss

2. the plug

3. warmth amongst the chill

4. keep taupo beautiful

5. there's gold in them hills

a postcard from the "winterless" north

clockwise: Hokianga Harbour, Tane Mahuta, Spartan, Cape Reinga

before heading overseas there are a few places i would like to see, places that are so close to home it's almost shameful that i've never seen them. 

with a long weekend and a few extra days, what better to do than take a road trip to the winterless north, or in my case last weekend, a very wintery Northland. with a Spaceship called Spartan we took off on a long weekend jaunt.

Kaipara Harbour. Waipoua Forest & Tane Mahuta. Hokianga Harbour. Mitimiti. Ahipara. Kaitaia. Cape Reinga. Karikari Peninsula & Matai Bay. Mangonui Fish & Chippery. Marsden Point. Langs Beach. Puhoi.