Life's a Beach in Auckland

I have great memories of the beach from my childhood. Every New Year’s Day my family would travel to a beach over the shore (it wasn’t till I was in my teens that I discovered there were beaches closer to home). We would leave home at 9am and get home at 6pm. Each year the day had such a routine that it is all merged as one in my memory. Packing magazines, books, cds or tapes and a walkman, laying out the towel, having a swim, eating lunch – probably with sand in it, playing in the sand, having another swim, going for a walk, going home. This was quality time in my family and I loved it.

I have been lucky enough to have been on a few beaches around the world. Some of the best were in Barbados. On this amazing island there is an ocean for every type of beach-goer. From large waves to completely flat. It was in Barbados that I discovered that not all countries were like NZ, and if you happened to wander onto them and make yourself comfortable, you soon found people coming up to you asking for payment. It shocked this Kiwi that it is common practice in other parts of the world that you have to pay to go to the beach – or to use one of the chairs.

I was amazed to find that one of the most beautiful beaches I have been to was in England. Beaches in the UK conjure up images of cold, stones and pebbles. But this was certainly not the case in St Ives in Cornwall. This was a significant place to us as it was where the hubby’s family originally came from, and so it appropriately was the first time that our baby twins had been to a beach. And what a beautiful beach it was! Golden sands, clear blue ocean, green surroundings. It was like the little Kiwis got a taste of home in what was actually their ancestors’ home. I really liked that idea.

My worst experience on a beach was on a Spanish Island. The one week holiday was wonderful. It was mine and the hubby’s first trip overseas with our baby twins. We did what seemed like the very Brit thing to do, which is purchase a package holiday at a lovely resort, but being Kiwis we wanted to explore the island as well. That is how we ended up on a beach. At least I assume it was a beach. There was sand, but we could not see the sea. The reason for this was that we were sitting on chairs that were in the fifth row back from the water. All the rows in front of us were full of people.

I could not understand it. All these people were at the beach but could not see the ocean – and they were ok with that. Beaches are supposed to be relaxing places but this stressed me out. I was angry that I could not see the water and I was angry at the hundreds of people on the beach who clearly thought that this was normal!

I went to the beach with the hubby and our four today. We went to Maraetai. I have heard people grown when I mention this beach. Not a happy grown either. The grown is usually followed by references to how busy it is.

I loved it.

Today is January 2^nd so most Aucklanders are still on holiday, and nearly all of them are at a beach. This made me love it even more.  I don’t think you could find many beaches in the world where you are surrounded by so much culture. Just in our area we had Indians, Asians, Fijians, Samoans and Europeans. A walk down the beach found many more cultures.

There were some people their just with their immediate family – like us, while others groups numbered up to 30 people.

The variety was not only evident in nationalities. Some people were just lying out on towels, while others had enough mats out to cover a small house. Some people had brought small tents to get some cover from the wind and sun, while others looked like they were in for the long-haul, with massive tents, tarpaulins and marquees. A group close to us was like that. They had created swings in the trees with platforms to fit up to three kids. They had brought a massive barbeque as well, and with the toilets not far away, I wouldn’t be surprised to find them still there tomorrow.

Along the beach you could run into people playing rugby, cricket, soccer, flying kites or just throwing a ball around. One group was even taking turns throwing themselves around – picking each other up one by one and throwing each other into the ocean.

This is the City of Sails so there was obviously a lot of fun being had in and on the water. Today I discovered that yet another of my children is a water baby. My three year old boy was absolutely shivering in my arms, but would yell at me when I started to walk out of the water.

As I looked at my family, and all the other families on that beach I realised what an incredible day this was. It was like everyone in Auckland was happy, certainly everyone on that beach was. All the kids were creating memories that will last them a lifetime – and hopefully the adults were as well. I know I sure did.

What I came away with though was not just a great day spent with my family, but an appreciation for this great city I live in. I escaped the fast-paced rat-race of London seven years ago with the hubby and twins. As much as I love that city and hope to visit it again one day, I am glad we chose to settle in Auckland.

I know that many NZers see Auckland the way I see London, but in comparison it is really just a medium-paced mouse-race, if that. Today on that beach with five hundred other people, I felt completely relaxed and at home, wearing jandals and sharing the shade of a pohutukawa. And I didn’t even have a latte, and most importantly, I could see the ocean.

Maraetai Beach