Goodbye New Zealand Summer

Crystal clear waters, crisp wine and 30 degrees would sum up my summer. A few of us headed down to the East Coast of New Zealand, namely Mt Maunganui for the summer break. I’ve spent countless summers here, I’m luckily enough to have a beach house which is stocked year round for escapes like these. It’s now Sunday night in the beginnings of Autumn and as I sit here in my tracksuit the temperature now falling below 15 degrees I unduly wish I was back at the beach.

Looking over the hundreds of photos I took while on summer break you realise that life is unnecessarily complicated, If it wasn’t for money and the invented need to keep up appearances I could easily spend half the year living away from a big city.

We spent lazy mornings laying in bed listening to the waves and palm trees in the wind, most mornings the two were non-distinguishable. If we didn’t end up at the beach by midday we’d meander around, visiting vineyards, scoping out local seafood shacks or headed inland a few minutes to the Mclaren waterfalls. As the slow evening fell we took to lighting the brazier, fired up the bbq and grilled whatever local produce we’d discovered that afternoon. This was the last summer I’d spend with my sister before she left for a new life in Melbourne. Life wasn’t bliss, it was just easy. Food was plentiful, wine was more than plentiful, and life was good this past summer.

“At the beach, life is different. Time doesn’t move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides and follow the sun.” – Unknown