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Happy new year! 2013, I’ve got big plans for you

So, 2013!

Last year we had a somewhat extravagant break. After Christmas in Auckland, we drove straight down to the Coromandel, where some of T’s friends hired out a huge house and we camped out in a spare room. We had tickets to Coro Gold, one of the big NYE music festivals but the weather was literally a massive damper on things. It rained the entire time (my shoes still bear muddy traces from the concert). During the days, I read a lot, powering through all the books I had brought down with me, and even through a terrible Clive Cussler novel I found in one of the rooms at the house.

There was no swimming done, T injured his arm in the mosh pit and even our stop at Hot Water Beach on the way back was a disappointment – it was a grey day and there were huge crowds, everyone digging in with their feet and wearing out the hot water before the tide came in.

This year, we stayed close to home. NYE saw us drive out to Karekare, where I got my first taste of the waterfall and swimming holes tucked away in the bush (there’s a series of them; we climbed up to the top, which is the cleanest) and then a jaunt over to Piha for my first ocean swim of the summer. It was all the better for the fact that we had a visitor, and showing a newbie some of the best off the beaten track places around, watching their awe, is unbeatable.

karekare waterfall west auckland

karekare waterfall in west auckland bush

karekare waterfall in west auckland bush

karekare water hole swimming

karekare water hole swimming west auckland

Then it was over to a friend’s house for a dip in the pool and BBQ. Aside from the $30 we spent on food, it was about as free as NYE can get. Toward the end of the night, T and I had a bit of a snooze inside while everyone else played Circle of Death; we got up in time for the changeover, everyone took part in a rendition of Auld Lang Syne, and I was in bed by 1am. Start as you mean to go on – balancing fun and responsibility is going to be a big one for this year, I think. Nailing down concrete goals may be a struggle, but I have a clear idea of a few key things I want to pull off.

How did you celebrate? Hope you saw in 2013 with loved ones! Here’s to a good one.

PSA: To ring in the new year, I’ll be doing a bit of cleaning house around the blog this week. RSS subscribers will probably see a flood of old posts popping up in the feed as I make some tweaks, but don’t be alarmed. I’ll keep it all to one day for minimal disruption.

7 thoughts on “Happy new year! 2013, I’ve got big plans for you

  • Reply Laura / Move to Portugal January 2, 2013 at 03:35

    Happy New Year! It sounds like you had a lovely NYE! Good luck with your goals in 2013 🙂

  • Reply krantcents January 2, 2013 at 05:22

    Happy New Year! We went to the movies with friends shared dinner and went home early. Rather tame compared to my youth, but it was pleasant.

  • Reply CF January 2, 2013 at 18:51

    Happy new year! We went to a restaurant for food, drinks and dancing. Had a great time, ate a ton of shrimp and crab. Yum.

  • Reply Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter January 3, 2013 at 03:33

    Wow, that looks amazing. Very cool. We had friends over for a potluck and some games. It was a real blast. I love spending time with those close to us. I feel so lucky.

  • Reply Untemplater January 3, 2013 at 19:44

    Nice pics! I can’t wait for some warmer weather to go on more hikes again. I did go on a short one a few weeks ago and saw a ton of surfers out in the water catching some big waves close to shore. I was high up on some cliffs, so they looked like seals at first with their wetsuits on!

    Happy New Year!

  • Reply femmefrugality January 4, 2013 at 04:53

    Looks like such a fun, chill NYE! We were supposed to meet up with some amazing family, but the snow turned the roads rough really quick, so we just stayed in and watched the ball drop. It was still fun, though to be able to spend some time together. Little jealous that it’s summer there right now, though. :p

  • Reply The Asian Pear January 5, 2013 at 17:23

    Happy New Year! Fabulous photos. I celebrated new year by blogging. Really tame. Heh.

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