Less than an hour north of Auckland is a stunning marine reserve. Tawharanui has a campground that always seems to be booked up, so I decided a day trip would be the best way to tackle it. And with a long weekend (Auckland Anniversary weekend) last week, with the sun beating down on us (the funny thing about beaches is they’re a really good place to cool off, even if you don’t swim, because you just don’t get that kind of breeze in the city) and T’s new tattoo nearly healed up, I declared Monday the day we would visit.
T had been dragging his heels (“All that way for a really average beach!”) bemoaning its shortcomings, as judged by the week he spent there for school PE camp nearly 10 years ago. But since then Tawharanui has been revitalised, cleaned up, with new plants and wildlife introduced. The parkland is lush, the white sand pristine, and the water is exactly the pure, clear shade of aquamarine you’d expect of a marine reserve. Signs warn you to keep off the large boulders to avoid disturbing the dotterel, tiny black mussels cling firmly to the rocks all along the shore, and if you’re so inclined (we were not) there are trails to walk that let you explore more of the land.
There’s also a neat little lake, where they apparently learned to windsurf back during camp:
Birds resting on the shore…
By the end of it, he had to admit it was worth the trip. All in all, I’m glad I dragged him out. It’s far too easy to sit at home all the time. Reading is great, movies are great, saving money is great … but so is getting out and making the most of your environment once in a while.
Also? Guys. LISTEN to your partners. We always know best.
Good reads this week:
WORK
Alexandra Franzen, like me, hates the “what would you do for free?” career schtick.
Freelancing has made Cordelia/Kelly a better budgeter.
Dollars and Deadlines on the best new markets for a freelancer to tackle.
On that note, Wealth Informatics has a gigantic post on using your skills to profitably freelance.
Discussion on Get Rich Slowly about putting in more effort than you’re paid for – overdelivering to get ahead.
Does your resume say “let’s be friends”? Tough talk over at Life After College.
MONEY
Spend your money where you spend the most time, says Fabulously Broke.
Budget and the Beach on the financial pros and cons of getting older.
LIFE
Red Lips and Academics shares some awesome resources to jumpstart your goals.
Here is a lovely conversation with Cheryl Strayed, via the woman she advised to “write like a motherfucker”.
Truths about Twitter, via Jeff Bullas.
FOOD
Stonesoup’s four steps to curing refrigerator blindness are super helpful.
TRAVEL
Everyday Minimalist offers an honest view of what it’s like to visit China.
Alexis Grant on getting back into the swing of travelling after time off.
How to boost productivity while travelling, via Dumb Little Man.
Carnivals, etc
I had a few posts make it into various carnivals this week:
On recommending friends for jobs (Carnival of personal finance)
On internships – the good, bad and ugly (Yakezie carnival, Carnival of money reasons, Carnival of young adults’ finance)
Eat of the week: Cazador (Lifestyle carnival)
Finally, I’m mentoring Debt and the Girl as part of Bloggers Helping Bloggers, so go check her site out!
Nice picture! I just love the beach! There is something about the sound of waves that does great things to me. I find it so relaxing.
Oh my gosh….SO GORGEOUS! Does New Zealand have any landscape that’s NOT breathtaking? I’m with you…it can be so easy to just lounge around or fall into a routine, but being a tourist in your own area can open up so many great experiences.
I cannot lie, NZ is pretty beautiful! Expensive, though.
This is what I love about Oceania islands – gorgeous beach walks!
I should make it a mission to visit NZ next time I’m in Australia (planning to do a PhD there!)!
Let me know if you do! You can crash on our couch 🙂
Be a shame not to – where in Aus?
It’s unbelievable that I just saw your reply to my comment. T_T
Most probably in Canberra, ANU. It’s probably a lot colder than I can handle, but there’s a school there that’s doing what I really love to dabble into.
I definitely will keep you in the loop!
“but so is getting out and making the most of your environment once in a while.” I totally agree. You have to balance things out. It looks so pretty and peaceful! Thank you so much for the blog mention!
Wow, thank you so much for sharing these photos! New Zealand is absolutely gorgeous! How great that you get to go out and enjoy it. :))