Merry Christmas to all Bay of Plenty Naturists

I would like to wish all BOP Naturists the very best for a happy Christmas and peaceful and healthy New Year.
I hope to see some more of you at events planned over the summer. There is something for everyone - beach days, campouts, bush walks, hot pool nights, etc. So come along and enjoy some of these events with the fantastic people who make up this very successful naturist group.
Keep an eye on your newsletters and emails for more news about the exciting events happening throughout the new year.

Christmas at Oropi Hot Pools

Another wonderful night at the Oropi hot pools was the culmination of a successful year for BOP Naturists. Over forty people took time out from the Christmas rush to relax with a glass of wine and finger food, followed by a lovely meal in the idyllic setting. Even the weather played its part after weeks of rain to make this an unforgettable evening. Santa arrived with a sack of goodies, so that everyone went home with something.
Of course, all this would not be possible without the generosity of the members of this growing naturist group. By supporting the raffles, donating prizes for the raffles and giving cash donations, the group was able to give something back to its members, which of course is what the Christmas spirit is all about. Thanks to you all for being part of the group and supporting it so well.
Look out for more exciting events in the New Year, with the next being a weekend campout at the end of January, which will include a beach day at Papamoa and a walk up a very scenic river gorge.

The Weather Gods were not on our side

I don't know what happened to the weather over the weekend, but someone up there certainly spoilt it for the BOP Naturists. With the forecast looking pretty wet for the whole weekend, a call was made on Friday to postpone the event until late January.
As this was to be our Christmas party, Santa was re-booked to appear at Oropi on 19 December bringing his Santa sack with him. I will be providing some wine and nibbles, which we can have before dinner, while we are soaking in the warm pools.
We will be going to Pyes Pa on 28 January and make it our base for 'A Day Without Bathing Suits' at Papamoa Beach on the Saturday. We will have a communal meal that evening at Pyes Pa and stay the night, and on Sunday 29th head inland for the walk down the river valley, which Peter tells us is extremely scenic.

Picnic and Parkover at Pyes Pa

This coming weekend, BOP Naturists will gather for their annual Picnic and Parkover at Pyes Pa. The theme for the weekend is relaxation and at Happy Hour on Saturday, Santa may pay just pop in for a visit. After a communal BBQ, we will enjoy socialising around the fire as darkness falls.
On Sunday morning, BOP Naturists will provide a cooked breakfast before some of us head further up the road for a very scenic walk along a river gorge, where, if it isn't too cold, some might like to take a dip!
This will be our last weekend activity before Christmas, so make sure that you come along and relax before the silly season gets you in its grasp!

BOP Naturists sail around the Tauranga Harbour

After three previous attempts, the gremlins were finally sent packing and seven hardy BOP Naturists headed out for a two hour sail around the Tauranga Harbour.
It should have been a day-long adverture for 22 naturists to Motiti Island with two boats, but factors beyond our control (a cyclone, an oil spill and one boat being sold), put paid to that.
But the weather Gods were on our side today. It was partly cloudy, and the winds were perfect. Perfect enough to go to Motiti Island if only the oil spill cordon had been lifted according to the skipper. Darn!
With a stiff south-westerly wind blowing, we headed out to Matakana Island and the harbour entrance, then back around the harbour, past the Mount, a cruise ship, a logging ship and a container ship and then back to the shelter of the marina, where we all had our lunch while watching a wedding take place on the foreshore.
We must all thank Phil, our skipper, for being so generous in offering us a free 2 hours on the harbour - his gesture of goodwill seeing as the original trip could not proceed as planned due totally to circumstances beyond his (or our) control.

Nature and naturism at their best at our Oropi swim night

You should have seen some crazy naturists at our hot pool event at Oropi last night. Thunderstorms and hail had been forecast for the evening, but with a very warm sunny day in Tauranga, no-one believed it. That was until Peter arrived at Oropi and said that he had just driven from Rotorua and Mt Ngongotaha looked like it had snow on it and lahars of ice were flooding the streets in Rotorua.
All was calm in Tauranga however, but as about 40 of the group were relaxing in the warm outdoor pool, the skies darkened and huge drops of water started falling on the pool surface. A huge flash of lightning and the subsequent thunder about 5 seconds later, had some of us deciding the storm was getting a bit too close for comfort.
Then with a huge flash and clap of thunder very soon after, the sensible ones decided that the pool was not the best place to be in a thunderstorm and quickly gathered under shelter as the hail arrived in force.
However some hardened naturists remained in the pool in all the mayhem, hail landing on their heads, apart from Chris, who had the sense to keep his hat on. The steam was rising not only from the pool surface but also from the heads of the crazy naturists who were warm compared to the rest of us standing out in the cool air.
With dinner arriving from the kitchen, the sensible ones decided to retreat to the dining area to have their meal and by the time we had eaten, the mayhem was over and we spent the rest of the evening soaking in the warm pool as the stars appeared. Lying back and looking up, we tried to work out which two planets were shining brightly overhead and waited for a glimpse of a passing satellite which Peter insisted would come by anytime.
We never got to see a satellite, but all agreed that this night in Oropi had been one of the most dramatic we had experienced yet.

BOP Naturists join NZ Naturists at Katikati Naturist Park

By the time we set off for KNP, nearly 40 members of NZ Naturists and/or BOP Naturists had booked to attend the fun weekend. The weather didn’t play its part on Saturday but we still enjoyed the fantastic facilities at KNP, socialising in the gazebo, spa, sauna and swimming pool. The kids had a ball jumping in the pool, then the spa to warm up and back in the pool again. Indoor games were played, including chess, draughts, pool and table tennis. A fabulous pot luck dinner on Saturday night rounded off a somewhat soggy day. Sunday morning dawned better and Col, (with help from Bruce on the eggs), cooked us all a breakfast of bacon, eggs and hash browns. The prize giving ensured that everyone went home with something as a reminder of a great weekend.