Campout, beach, birthdays, BBQ and outdoor movie

What a great time Bay of Plenty Naturists had at a private property in Tauranga over the weekend. We started on Friday evening when members started gathering to camp over two days. After dinner, we chatted around the fire on the warm evening and were hoping to see the comet, but a late shower put paid to that idea!
Our host had to be congratulated on his new classy toilet, which was a few grades better than last years and showed some great Kiwi ingenuity!









Saturday morning dawned showery and thoughts of going to the beach were looking dismal, until our local Papamoa weather man sent a text to say the weather was clearing. So we got our things together and headed to Papamoa Beach just as the clouds disappeared. It turned out to be a great day at the beach. The campers were joined by others in the group and with the air temperature rising, many headed straight into the surf, which was great for body boarding.

A sand castle and sand sculpture were constructed by some of the members - the sand sculpture consisting of a shark chasing a stingray which was chasing a small fish! It was a great creation until the local life guards stopped to warn us of a rip and drove straight over it! However the artists soon rectified the damage and the stingray managed to catch its prey and bite the tail off the small fish!

Once back at camp, we settled in for happy hour and celebrated the 135th birthdays of two members (65 and 70 years). After a communal BBQ, it was time to sit down and watch a movie called 'The Way' about the Camino de Santiago which a couple of members had walked a few months before. It was a magical setting under the palm trees on a perfect evening.

Special thanks must go to our member for dismantling the TV set in his lounge to allow us to see the movie. I did hear that while he was pulling it apart, he disconnected the internet just as his wife was sending some emails from another room - oops!
On Sunday, our very own 'Naked Chef' cooked breakfast for everyone. Once fed, we all sat around chatting until it was time to disperse and go our separate ways - until next month.

Campout in the Waikato

Fifteen members of Bay of Plenty Naturists came along to Little Waipa Reserve beside Lake Karapiro over the weekend, some arriving on Friday afternoon to set up camp. One couple brought a gazebo along, so together with the party tent we had plenty of shelter.

Camping by Lake Karapiro

On Saturday, after the fog cleared to a beautiful day, seven of us completed a section of the cycle ride on the Waikato Cycle trail between the camp and Arapuni dam – a distance of 5.5km each way. For some of us, the uphill sections were a bit much so we walked those and a few also walked the steep downhill sections as well – I was never a keen mountain biker! But it was a lovely day and we all enjoyed the ride with no mishaps. We had lunch overlooking the Arapuni power station.

After lunch, the brave (not me) went over the suspension bridge and met me back on the trail. The ride back to camp was overall downhill so a little easier. Once back at camp we joined several others who had arrived while we were away. After happy hour we had a shared meal under the shelter of the gazebo.

On Sunday, the fog was quite thick on the lake. But once it cleared, we broke camp and headed to the other side of Putaruru to Te Waihou Spring (Blue Spring). There were almost no cars in the car park when the eight of us started out but this soon changed.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the spring… Along the way, we came to a bridge, where three of our members thought could be a good place to strip off for a swim in the cold water (why they wanted a cold swim I still don’t understand)! While they were contemplating if it was suitable, three walkers came along. The man said “What a great place for a skinny dip”! We said “Go ahead – we don’t mind” and I added “We are naturists. We will if you will!!” (Note that when I said ‘we’ that didn’t include me)! So with that challenge in hand, he started stripping off, quickly followed by our three. They all got in to the water which is reputed to be a constant 11^oC at the spring.

Once out of the cold water, our three new friends walked with us to the spring, stayed there with us for lunch (where they went for another swim, much to the amusement of another couple who arrived while they were in the water) and then walked back to the car park with us.
Once back there, one of our new friends produced a cake which she shared with us all and we provided a hot drink, which warmed everyone up. Isn’t it amazing that on a walk miles from anywhere, you can meet up with others who have the same mindset as us!!