Before I left New Zealand, my New Year’s Eve holidays had almost always been spent camping in one of the hundreds of beautiful spots around the country. One of the best things about combining Christmas and summer in my mind is how most people take a big chunk of time off to enjoy the sunshine. So on my visit back home, I was keen to do exactly the same. I headed to the beautiful regional park of Wenderholm with friends to relax on the beach.
Gorgeous Couldrey House, a historic homestead dating from 1857 (yep, that’s old in NZ)
As my parents live nearby, I headed to Wenderholm Regional Park just before New Year’s to get some of that beautiful fresh salt air in my lungs and check out the views. It was a perfect summer morning – warm already and gorgeous blue skies.
The track looked practically tropical to my London eyes
We chose a short easy walk to the lookout, as I was still getting over my jet lag. There are tracks all over the park, up to 2 1/2 hours long, but ours only took about 15 minutes to reach the beautiful views. Not only is the park perfect if you just want to have a wander in some beautiful natural surroundings, it’s only 45 minutes drive from central Auckland meaning it is a great day-trip.
Gin and I happy with our morning view
Looking north along the coast to more regional parks
A couple of days later on the 30th I was back with friends to set up our camp. The facilities at Wenderholm are almost brand new, meaning for camping the loos were positively luxurious, although shower options are limited to cold-water taps and the ocean. Although the campground was supposedly fully-booked it didn’t feel crowded at all, and we took over virtually the whole of one of the well-sheltered ‘bays’.
Cricket, wine and nibbles – my quintessential NYE holiday
Classic NZ
There are a large number of regional parks throughout New Zealand, areas where nature is protected and the focus is on enjoying the natural environment. Wenderholm is the first and just as popular for its beautiful long beach as its bush and estuary – but on my morning run I had it virtually to myself, bliss!
The 31st was a stunning day and we spent most of it on the beach or cooling ourselves in the shade – NZ sun is fierce! I also took a wander along the estuary where the Puhoi River meets the sea, enjoying the contrast with the London winter that I had just left behind.
The beginnings of the estuary complete with exploring kayakers
Being in Wenderholm was the beginning of my near-constant appreciation for the amount of beautiful natural areas in and around Auckland. It’s not that I took New Zealand for granted, exactly, before I left it, but I found myself appreciating the same crystal-clear waters and stunning sunsets that I would have marvelled at in Greece or Majorca, where I’m not sure I noticed them in the same way before.
Red sky at night on the 31st… unfortunately it did NOT mean shepherds’ delight
And you may be wondering… what’s so wild about your NYE Jessi, seems pretty relaxed and chill to me? Well, not pictured is the tropical storm that bore down on us in the early hours of January 1, bringing pouring rain by 7am and forcing us to pack up the tents and scamper back to the safety of our homes. I wish I’d taken pictures of the hilarious sight of all of us dashing around taking huge tents down in soaked pyjamas! How was your NYE? Are you a camper or will you never be seen in a tent? Follow