Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Which CoffeeShop/Beach/Playground Should We Go To Today?


Well, we've been in New Plymouth about a month.  Which means it's been about TWO months since I've done any doctor-ing at all.  As I'm waiting for Patrick to get home to hear about his shift today, I'm half-excited and half-a-little-bit-bummed about going back to work (my first shift is tomorrow), because I've had such an amazing time with my munchkins.  To celebrate the end of this era, I think I'll title this post: "Which CoffeeShop/Beach/Playground Should We Go To Today?" as an homage to the unbelievable number of kid-friend beaches I've discovered throughout our thumbprint peninsula over the past few weeks.

There's Fitzroy Beach, to the east end of town, hosting this adorable outside cafe called Paris Plage, which is a coffee shop/pizza parlor out of an old boxcar.  During the day, they set up bean bags, a rope swing, set out kids toys (including scooters, balance bikes), all for free play.  It's, obviously, next to a great big sandy beach and the eastern end of the coastal walkway.

Coffee in the front ...

Tasman Sea in the back ...
Not too shabby.

There's Oakura, about 15kms outside of New Plymouth: beautiful wide black sand beaches with gentle waves.  Oakura is, for all intents and purposes, a surfing village that doubles as a commuter suburb for New Plymouth.  Its "downtown" is two blocks of surf shops, cafes, a gas station, a preschool, and an upscale salon.  It's a completely pleasant little neighborhood to spend the afternoon, and within walking-distance are a grassy playground, a not-sketchy-at-all skate park, and some amazing food trucks (Elaine, from New Mexico, sells ice cream on hot days and Francoise, from, naturally, France is the go-to espresso guy.  Holy Guacamole sells "Mexican Food," which I prefer to anywhere I'd found in New Mexico.  Is that blasphemy?).  It doesn't hurt that the "restaurants" are basically bean bags and picnic blankets on a lawn by the sea.  The Oakura Boardriders Club has a yearly fee of $100 per family for unlimited surfboard rentals.  Oakura is also home to Corbett Park, which is a basically a grassy river outlet with shallow running water and (always handy) clean public bathrooms.  We have zillions of pictures from the Oakura Beach and Corbett Park, but I'll just show a few of my favorites.

Where the river meets the sea
"This is awesome!" - Elise

Would probably say the same thing if he could talk.
The closest beach to us is five minutes away and in Moturoa.  There isn't a coffee cart, but there are some great waves (a true surfer's beach -- always a VW van full of grimy dudes parked nearby) and a small creek for the kids.  It's next to the Sugar Loaf Islands and Paritutu Rock, so the scenery is outstanding.

Sugar Loaf Islands in the background -- protected land since 1986, breeding ground for seals and seabirds, totally possible to see a whale or a dolphin swimming nearby.
5pm playtime
Elise starts preschool next Tuesday (tear!) so not sure if we'll still have as much time for seaside exploring, but I think we're off to a pretty good start!

Fun (fun?) fact about New Zealand, speaking of the beach, is how intense the sun is down here.  For those who don't know, the UV index is a standard measurement of the strength of the sun at any place and time.  Starts at zero (nighttime), you should wear sunscreen above 3, and usually tops out around 14 near the equator (although apparently the world record was 43 (similar to Mars), Bolivia, 2003). In the summer months, we routinely get up around 12-13 during mid-day.  New Zealand has the second highest rate of skin cancer in the world (after Australia).  Public outdoor events almost always feature this sign and have sunscreen stations next to the water stations.



Side Note: Sunblock here is ridiculously expensive.  If you're planning on sending us a care package, including a bottle of this liquid gold would be greatly appreciated.

Hope you enjoyed the post!

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