April 3-5, 2021
We just spent an awesome Easter weekend at the beach town of Whangamata with our dear friends Dave and Jac, their son Nick and his partner Nicole. Whangamata comes from the Maori words ‘whanga’ meaning bay and ‘mata’ meaning stone, and refers to the obsidian which washes up on the beach. The permanent population of the town is under 5,000 but can swell to as much as 25,000 over the Summer months. Indeed, the town was teeming with kiwis getting in their last beach fix of the year before winter sets in. The town, which is about a two hour drive from Auckland, has two long sweeping beaches with gentle waves that are perfect for what appeared to be many beginner surfers.
Just offshore are some beautiful islands.
At the south end of the beach, a narrow green river flows into the ocean.
The tide had left some beautiful patterns on the sand.
At the north end of the beaches is a boating harbor with a large marina.
While the beaches are lined with homes that sell for millions of dollars, there are still some small classic kiwi baches in the town.
Speaking of classics, we liked this VW Beetle.
\After a walk around town, it was time to head back to the beach.
On our last morning, we kayaked out to one of the offshore islands. It’s name is Whenuakura but it is commonly known as Donut Island. The island has a collapsed blow hole at its center which has formed a small idyllic cove that is only accessible through a narrow cave, hence the name.
Mal and Lauren 