BEACHES & SUNDOWNERS

We love the beach – that’s why we have a house in South Africa that is within walking distance of the beach. We were very happy when we were able to find accommodation here in New Zealand that was also close to the beach.

A short walk from our flat in Whangaparaoa … and you could see the ocean

During the time we visited New Zealand, we walked to a beach at least twice a week. Since it was still summer, it was always nice to take off our shoes and step into the cold water. Much later we would then walk to the nearby wooden benches to dry off while enjoying the sunshine.

Army Bay Beach (Whangaparaoa):

A beautiful beach (Shakespear Regional Park is just a few minutes’ walk away)

Close to Army Bay beach was a small café selling freshly fried fish and chips. It was nice to buy a takeaway every now and then and go down to the beach to enjoy our ‘parcel’ there!

The best way to enjoy fish & chips is of course by the sea

There are so many beautiful walking paths near the different beaches. It was always a surprise to see where these walking paths would take us.

If it was high tide, we would take the walkways on the cliffs along the ocean

Another beach close to our home

Orewa Beach:

We also visited Orewa quite often – it’s about 10km from where we stayed. It is a popular holiday destination with 3km of heavenly beach. There are nice restaurants and café’s on the main road … with the beach just on the other side.

We also visited the Saturday morning farmer’s market a few times and always enjoyed a few lazy hours there. Once, on a Sunday, our friends and we drove through to Orewa to have lunch at the Surf Lifesaving Club. It was delicious food and literally served on the beach!

More than enough beach at Orewa

Stunning view from the Surf Lifesaving Club where we enjoyed lunch

Tindalls Beach:

The best of all these beach visits, however, were the many sundowners we enjoyed with Werner and Pearl at Tindalls Beach, just a stone’s throw from our house.

Big trees on Tindalls Beach – Pearl, Werner and Berto are testing the water

We sometimes took long walks on the beach and a few times Hudson, their dog, walked with us. Other times we just sat on the beach and enjoyed a sundowner while watching the sunset.

We had to keep in mind to return before high tide

Hudson loved the beach trips 🐶

Stunning sunsets at Tindalls Beach

We had great times here with our friends. A visit to Tindalls Beach was definitely one of those “feel good moments” and we have fond memories of these evenings!