Opoutere Beach weekend

WOW! What a great weekend we had at Opoutere Beach. We even managed to get the weather Gods to participate, with a fine weekend wedged between a cyclone and heavy rain.

We had a total of 8 large motorhomes, 4 small campervans squeezed into our limited area which would normally only hold only 8 sites and as well we had 3 caravans in another area. With careful parking of the vans in a corral circle, we even had room for our gazebo and to set up the Kubb.
With the weather being extremely hot, everyone went to the beach. The water was very warm and we were able to use our boogie boards to surf right in to the sand. Didn't do the elbows much good though! Others just swam while others sunned themselves. A couple of kites were produced, flying with varying degrees of success in the warm breeze. All this was au naturel, as Opoutere Beach is a recognised free beach.

Some tried their hand at fishing (naked too). Fish landed were a trevally and kahawai. One person even got a legal-sized snapper. There were tales of a possible stingray as well, which took the line of one unlucky fisher person. A few walked to the end of the beach, some 5km each way.
Happy hour both nights saw everybody joining in to socialise and and tell fishy tales, and tales of sun, sea and surf. A shared pot luck dinner followed and everyone sat around until dark. Some still had a challenge in the Kubb to finish off. I have never seen Kubb played under torch light before!
The only negative about the whole weekend was that we had to be dressed in the textile camping area! What a fun time we all had. Shall we do it again next year - SURE WILL.

2018 Pyes Pa weekend

The weather Gods were looking after us for this years camping weekend at a private property in a Tauranga suburb. The park-like grounds for this event really lend themselves to a naturist gathering which started on Friday evening with happy hour as people arrived to set up their tents and motorhomes.

After dinner we all sat around in the gazebo until dark, oblivious as to the storm buffeting Rotorua with flooding and thunderstorms, only about 50km away. We got no rain at all!
The next morning a group from a local life art drawing group came along to sketch some of the members. Others played Kubb or petanque. Once again,. although the wind was gusty, we got no rain.

After happy hour we had a shared pot luck dinner then sat around the fire waiting for dark. Then we watched an outdoor movie 'Going in Style' which was very entertaining.

Sunday was similar weather (still no rain) so our own naked chef cooked everyone a big breakfast of bacon and eggs, hash browns and baked beans. Everyone certainly enjoyed that!

A masseuse came along to give massages to several members while everyone else sat around chatting or playing the games.

After lunch we all sat around chatting until it was time to take down the gazebo and head home - although no-one was in a hurry to leave!
Once again thanks to our hosts for allowing us to camp in such a pristine area for our annual event.
See you next year - same time , same place!

Christmas party with a bang!

Our Christmas party was held at our regular hot pool night and was certainly one to remember! It started out normally enough with everyone given a small gift from Santa's sack on arrival. As well, BOP Naturists gave everyone a free drink of their choice to have with their dinner.
The Christmas dinner this year was a huge glazed baked ham with new potatoes and a salad bar. For those not wanting the Christmas meal, the usual fish and chips was the second choice.  Dessert was a huge self-serve trifle, chocolate brownie and Christmas cake with cream.

All 40 members had just finished their delicious meal when the earlier forecasted thunderstorm arrived in vengeance. The rain was torrential but this didn't deter those in the pool from getting a little wetter than usual from the heavens as well as the pool. The storm, the worst in Tauranga this year, soon passed but it certainly made for a Christmas party with a difference!

Our annual fun games weekend at Katikati Naturist Park

This year was the best ever attendance at this event. Over 50 members enjoyed a fun-filled weekend of socialising, fun activities and plenty of food.
We started out the main activities on Saturday morning with morning tea and then the games began. The forecast was for heavy rain in the afternoon so we put plan B into force and opted for indoor games. Even without the rain it would have been too cold outside although we added mini-golf to the games which could be played between showers
The indoor games played were pool (8 ball), darts, table tennis and Wii ten-pin bowling. This was a game that only a few had played before, but which most people had a go at.

Some even got hooked and tried out the tennis and basketball with mixed success. We played all doubles with the other games, as with up to 20 players wanting to take part, we would have run out of time for singles. The members all helped with the running of the draws, which meant that by happy hour, all the games were completed and everyone knew everyone! Afternoon tea was served while the games were being played.
Happy hour turned into a pot luck dinner with plenty of food for all. After dinner we had a quiz, which certainly tested the knowledge of everyone present.
On Sunday morning, the All Blacks were playing France. As Katikati Naturist Park now has Sky TV hooked up, many people wanted to see the game live on the big screen. So we served a continental breakfast before the game and hot savouries at half time.

After the game (which in case you didn't know, NZ won) we served a cooked brunch of bacon, eggs, hash browns and baked beans.Then it came to the prize giving - not just for the winners of the games but for everyone for attending. So no-one went home empty-handed.
This rounded off another very successful event for the Bay of Plenty Naturist group and we would like to thank Tom and Ami from KNP for hosting us for this event. We will be back again next November to repeat this annual event.

Winter activities

During the winter, we had monthly hot pool nights in Tauranga with a two course meal and swim. These nights have become very successful with over 40 members soaking up the warm water and ambiance of the location. The chatter is continual throughout the 4 hour period we have the use of the pool for.
These nights are a good way to introduce people to the naturist lifestyle and will continue into 2018 on a monthly basis.

We have also held a spa and movie night in Tauranga in July which was an enjoyable way to spend a mid-winter evening. The spa was welcome as was the roaring fire!
The movie shown was 'Oddball' a true story set in southern Victoria in Australia about a Maremma dog which protected penguins on an offshore island from marauding foxes. It was a great family, feel-good movie with a bit of comedy thrown in for good measure.

Opoutere beach weekend

Just catching up on events for the middle part of 2017.
We spent a successful, well attended weekend at Opoutere beach in February.The weather was good and members spent most of the time body boarding and swimming. Some went walking along the 5km beach wearing not much more than a sunhat, while others went fishing with limited success.
The happy hour went into a shared BBQ followed by more dusk fishing or chatter in the mild evening.
It was a great get together at a great location.

Another successful fun weekend for Bay of Plenty Naturists

What a great time BOP Naturists had at our annual Pyes Pa weekend! And what a great turnout it was. Even the weather, which had been very windy all week and raining Friday morning, played ball by dropping the wind and allowed us to put up the gazebo. We only had a few showers on Sunday morning, so the gazebo did its job and gave us cover from the rain too.
We kicked off Friday with happy hour as members of the BOP Naturists started arriving. This was followed by a self-catered dinner. After we had all eaten, with the help of our 8 year old 'fireman' we lit the fire and all sat around watching the full moon rise behind  the tall trees.

Next morning we welcomed a warm hazy/sunny day. And no wind! It was a day when we had a group of life artists come along to sketch any willing models. After setting up their gear, models were called for and there was no shortage of willing participants. They stayed on until late afternoon and were very pleased to have been invited along.








While the artists were busy, other members took on the new game Kubb. This is a Swedish Viking game and it was the first time we had brought it along to an event. It proved a good investment and the field was always being used as more and more joined in the fun. Even our 8 year old 'fireman' managed to beat some of us older members!

After the artists departed it was happy hour time and at this time I was able to present one couple who had just celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary, with two silver goblets, donated by a member. What an amazing achievement!! Unfortunately the group couldn't afford diamonds!

After a shared BBQ/pot luck dinner, we all sat around the fire until it was dark enough to set up the outdoor movie. This year it was 'The Danish Girl' and those who watched it enjoyed it till 11pm when we all headed for a good night's sleep in our respective accommodations.



















Sunday was a little drizzly but warm so this didn't stop our own Naked Chef from cooking everyone breakfast. Once that was over, Michelle our masseuse came along to relieve the aches and pains from those who had booked a massage with her.

We also had our own reflexologist, Marie from 'Inner Space' giving treatments over the weekend. Another member brought along her home-made jewellery so the whole weekend was one of relaxation, artistry and fun.



Our thanks go to our hosts for offering their lovely place to us once again. It is certainly appreciated, not just by me but by all who attended.