While our northern friends shiver under their blankets of snow, we Kiwis Downunder are enjoying an early Summer. While they dream of a White Christmas... we dream of the ultimate Kiwi getaway... a bach by the sea.
We found our dream at Sandy Bay on the Tutukaka Coast this weekend.
The Bach (holiday cottage) was not flash.
And by that I mean it was perfect.
A rustic cottage nestled above the beach, metres from the sand.
Eighty-six steps down a winding bush path. Everything must be carried down. Or up. No TV. No Cell phone coverage. We are far from the busy racing noisy civilised world.
The only sounds are the waves, the gulls, the tuis... (oh and the squabbling kids but lets just block that bit out)...
Brimming with memories and guest-books and cobwebs. The ghosts of summers past.
Rationed water and a septic tank (with flushable loo). The long-drop was long ago demoted.
An empty beach. A wide bay.
Nothing between you and paradise.
Cloudless skies.
Pohutukawa in bloom, tui birds swaying on flax.
A deck facing the ocean.
City lights too far away to cloud galaxies on display at night.
Mozzies and sandflies, daddy-long-legs and cicadas are your only neighbours.
Mussels on the rocks. Collected in bulging pockets-full, steamed, doused in lemon and slurped down.
Fish in the sea (and there they stayed).
Days spent swimming, jumping waves, climbing trees and reading books.
Days without looking in a mirror. or caring about what you are wearing. Beach fashion is so simple. Beach hair is so wild.
Nights spent having "sleepovers" with my kids in the bunk room.
We saw a wishing star, Dash and I.
He said, Mum make a wish. So I did.
I can tell you what I wished for since it already came true.
I wished for a lovely time at Sandy Bay with my family, far from the hustle bustle.
A little slice of rustic Kiwi Paradise.
I felt so blessed to give my kids a taste of a true Kiwi summer. No fancy gadgets. No plush amenities. Basic plumbing. Basic living. Surrounded by Heaven on Earth, truly.
What else could you wish for your kids than that?
xx