Walking Wonderful New Zealand

Today was a great walking day. My group headed out for a long beach walk on the West Coast of New Zealand's lower North Island. Just beautiful. Big roiling sea, fat, full, blowsy waves, birds shouting at each other to be heard over the wind. Which was a stiff, cold southerly straight off the Antarctic. And the sand was soft - so all up an excellent work out. Of course, our mouths worked out just as efficiently too! We did our usual follow up with a great hot coffee at a nearby garden centre and restaurant. The stump photo below has been wedged into the sand at Peka Peka beach for 15 years!  In October I'll write about several New Zealand 4 days catered hikes - so today is just to give you a taste. If you are in the northern hemisphere winding into autumn with the promise of a cold winter, think about an island holiday. Whether it's North, South,  or Stewart Island, our summer is calling and there's a lot to explore.