A bit of R 'n' R...

Over the last few days, we've introduced Nana Jenny to the little piece of paradise that is Himatangi Beach. Regular readers of this blog will know that we head up there relatively often, for a bit of r 'n' r and general family downtime.

It's not the prettiest part of New Zealand, and the accommodation options aren't the most luxurious. So, I was thinking....why do we like it there so much?

I've come up with lots of reasons. Firstly, it's a place where the sky is endless and the sea is endless and the beach is endless. A place like that is always good for the soul. It makes life simple again and allows us to get things back in perspective.

It's a place where it's always ok to open a beer or pour a glass of wine at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, with no feeling of guilt, as there is literally nothing else at all that you *have* to be doing.

It's a place where the beach is always interesting. It's full of shells and pumice stones and fish bones and lots and lots of driftwood. So you can make pretend "shops", build driftwood teepees and collect bits and pieces. The kids enjoy it so much, and the strange thing is that we do too. Something about being in Himatangi slows us down and makes just pottering around really enjoyable.

It's a place for being outside all the time and feeling refreshed. Where you can climb up tall sand dunes to get to the beach, where the wind blows through your hair and where we always go for afternoon runs. For Molly in particular, it's good to be at the beach, as her skin always improves. But for all of us in general - we always feel invigorated and healthy while we're there.

It's a place where there's always time for lots of playing. As well as spending lots of time on the beach, rugby, tennis and waterfights also tend to feature in most days' activities. The kids are always really, really happy.

It's a place which never changes, yet it is always different. We always go exploring and we always find something new (like a giant mound of hay). There's always excitement about something. 

It's a place where, no matter what time of year and what the weather, there's always time for an ice cream from the dairy. And at just $1 for a cone and a choice of about twenty or thirty flavours, how could we ever not do this?!

And it's a place where, even with two noisy children, I can always somehow find the time for peace and quiet, a good book and a deckchair, or a sunset walk along the beach...