Tag Archives: Beach

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Here comes the sun …

The umbrella drys under blue sky

Making use of a Beatles song title seemed the most appropriate way to herald the arrival of the good weather at Pohara – and hopefully the start of a long hot summer break.

I got the chance to head out around the coast yesterday with a camera and accompanied by my photographic assistant to take a few shots. Although we’ve been to Pohara a couple of times in the past, this is the first time I’ve really had the chance to discover the coast. It really is worth seeing.

As I write this the rest of the team are at the beach swimming, jet skiing, building sand castles and soaking up the sun. Just like when we were kids – except for the jet skiing bit of course.

Let’s talk about Hataitai Beach

A couple of posts ago (“One year ago today - 13 July”) I referred to our local beach as Hataitai Beach. To be honest I didn’t know what it was called, it has always been the beach at the bottom of the hill to us – no name required.

Well apparently it really is called Hataitai Beach (Hataitai is a Maori name pronounced “hi-tie-tie”) and it is named after the great taniwha (sea monster) Whataitai, one of the two creatures who helped form Wellington Harbour.

I joked about going down there in the bad weather that we had last week but this week the weather is a little better so I wandered down with my camera.

A little more about Wellington

There’s a saying – “you can’t beat Wellington on a good day”. But sadly at this time of year those good days are few and far between.

Today, after rain for the last 3 days, it was a good day. I was driving back from the city around Oriental Bay, one of the more affluent parts of the city, and the temptation to stop and take some photos was too strong.

Oriental Bay is only 5 minutes drive from the city centre and is a favorite spot for Wellingtonians – everyone from families walking dogs through to lunchtime joggers.

Until a few years ago the beach was just rocks and boulders but the city council decided to re-sand the beach, building break waters at either end of the bay to keep the sand from washing away. For the most part it worked with only an annual top up of sand and some re-distribution from one end of the beach to the other being needed.

In summer the beach is packed with locals making the most of this inner city asset.

One year ago today

July 12 2011 – we were staying in the lovely Villa Greta in Positano on the Amalfi Coast. It was a scorching hot day with the temperature hovering in the low 30′s (celsius) with hardly a breath of wind. The ideal day to wander down to the beach – in this case our local, Arienzo Beach. “Local” means directly below Villa Greta down 239 steps. All very well going down but an absolute nightmare coming up on a hot day. But well worth it for a lie in the sun and a fine pasta lunch at the beach club.

July 12 2012 – I was sitting in my study in Casa Kainui, Wellington. The sun was shining and I thought about taking a wander down to our local beach – Hataitai Beach. The temperature was hovering in the low 10′s (celsius) with a brisk wind blowing from the south- no, it’s not quite the same.

Waitarere Beach

I’ve never been to Waitarere Beach. I’ve driven past the road leading to the beach many times and have always meant to visit but never found the time. Our week in Levin meant we had time.

The beach is a short drive north of Levin and about a 7 kilometer drive east of State Highway One. You drive through typical undulating New Zealand farmland before arriving at the small quirky beach community. Then suddenly the road simply becomes the beach. If you are left in any doubt a sign at the start of the sand says simply “This beach is a road” and from there you are free to drive north or south as far as you want.

The beach stretches for miles in both directions. It is littered with driftwood, tree trunks and there are small streams flowing across the beach at regular intervals. Jean says Waitarere is otherworldy and it seems an apt description.

What a difference six months makes

In July we spent a leisurely day on Arienzo Beach in balmy temperatures and with crystal clear blue seas. Six months later and the beach looks a bit different. Today a 2 – 3 metre swell rolled into Positano and the cliffs and beaches took a real beating. From further up the cliff at Villa Greta it was great to wake to the sound of waves crashing onto the beach.

It was a real challenge getting the photograph in between the showers that arrived during the morning. Well, it is winter after all.

An afternoon in Marina del Cantone

When you drive along the Amalfi Peninsular towards Termini you come to a crossroads. Up the hill to the right is Termini. Down the hill to the left is Marina del Cantone. If you head down the hill you wind through some lovely countryside, through the quaint village of Nerano, until eventually ending up on the water in Marina del Cantone.

Like Positano, this was a traditional fishing village but now makes it’s living largely through tourism. Bars and restaurants line the beach and behind these are hotels and apartments for rent.

We stumbled on Marina del Cantone almost by accident. We had an hour or so to fill while we waited for the sun to go down over Capri so took the road down the hill. In the middle of summer the beach would be packed but in November it is only the locals (and us) who keep the bars and restaurants open. It was a delightful place to sit and watch. Watch the local lads drag small boats up the beach for the night. Watch the visitors from Naples enjoy a late lunch and a walk along the beach – in their designer boots and jackets. And watch the local kids playing on the pier as I suspect they have for generations.

We didn’t quite know what to expect from Marina del Cantone but an hour wasn’t enough time to explore so we’ll be back.

A funny old Friday

Friday is shopping day.  The day we head into Positano with the single-minded purpose of refilling the cupboards for another week. Although the village is only a 10 minute walk, on Friday we take the car. The thought of walking home carrying a plethora of heavy shopping bags is not attractive, so we drive. The trip is an adventure in it’s own right as the road is barely more than one car wide and, for part of the trip, is one way with switchback turns that are so close together they confuse our trusty GPS.

In the heart of the village there is a carpark we use.  In the high season the carpark is always full but in November any car wanting to park is made most welcome.  It costs €3.50 an hour but to avoid walking up the hill home it is worth every Euro.

Yesterday, for some reason, it was closed so we had to find an alternative spot – which meant another trip around the one way system to an alternate park.  Then we found our macelleria (butcher) had closed early for siesta – a closure that could last anywhere from an hour to three hours depending on – well, who knows.

The day was not working out as planned. So we did what you do in Positano when things start to go “pear shaped” – you have lunch on the beach.

It was a glorious autumn day so Chez Black was chosen for lunch. This restaurant is right on the beach and has been part of Positano since 1949. It is also the only one still open on the beach which made it a good choice. Over the years Chez Black has hosted many famous people including Denzel Washington when we were there in 2007 (click to see the photo). In the middle of summer it is incredibly busy and can, like any of the Positano eateries, fall into the habit of treating customers like walking wallets – get them in, empty them and get them out, next!

At this time of year everyone has that most valuable commodity – time. So there’s no rush to order, the drinks arrive quickly and the food less so. The quality of the food is superb because there is time to do things properly. And if you spend two hours having pizza and lasagne and a few drinks, no worries – simpatico as they say.

When the sun left the beach at 3:30 an autumn chill arrived. It was time to do what we were there to do – shop. The macelleria had re-opened so we bought what you always buy at a macelleria - wine, eggs, and yes, meat. It was a short walk to the negozio di alimentari (alimentari for short – the grocers) for all the other things we needed. The store is small, a rabbit warren with produce stacked to the ceiling.  What you can’t find you have to ask for. No matter what it is they seem to stock it and its not unusual for the “boy” to be sent up, down or behind to find some obscure item.

We are now on chatting terms with staff in both the macelleria and the alimentari. Their english and our italian make for lively conversations with them correcting our pronunciation and providing vocabluary tips to help us. Being regular customers has it’s benefits – our pork chops, which are cut straight off the rack, seem to get fatter every time we buy them, and the alimentari has offered us their free delivery service to our door – by the “boy” on his scooter of course.

So that was Friday – shopping woes that turned into a long lunch that turned into a leisurely wander around the village.

Out and about in Positano

Just a quick post of a few photos taken out and about in Positano recently. No real story, just bits and pieces.

Positano revisited

In July we spent 2 weeks in Positano on the Amalfi Coast taking a holiday from our holiday. During that time we were joined by Mike, Charmaine and wee James. Looking back, there were photographs taken that never made it to the blog. Here are some of them.

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Relaxing on the Cote d’Azur

Before leaving New Zealand we had planned a weeks stay at Villefranche sur Mer on the coast just west of Nice. It was an ideal place to drop off our Peugeot lease car and collect our Renault lease car and to take a 4 day break from our holiday.

A holiday from our holiday if you will.

We stayed at our old favourite Hotel Welcome, right on the water, and were joined by Mike, Charmanie and James who had arrived in Nice a few days before us. This break was a chance to explore Villefranche a little more, sample some of the local cuisine, spend some time at the beach and soak up the atmosphere of the French Rivieria in peak season.

In the week we did all this. What else did we discover?

1) Much like other places some food is good and some isn’t

2) Meals tend to be less expensive and better quality further from the waterfront

3) The exception is La Mere Germaine right on the waterfront which we tried. Great food since 1938

3) Sitting on a beach is therapeutic no matter where you are in the world

4) The majority of French women have an urge to go topless on beaches. Some really, really shouldn’t

5) French service is more surly than Italian service but does warm up if you become a repeat customer

6) The girls are welcome everywhere we are which is great

7) Chateau Eza is always a great place for a drink – which costs about the same as a meal anywhere else.

Goodbye Positano
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Goodbye Positano

We have had a fantastic time in Positano. The apartment was great, the weather hot (too hot on occasions) and having Charmaine, Mike & James arrive near the end of our stay a real bonus.

As always we were spoiled by the wonderful people at Eden Roc Hotel who made us feel very welcome. But all good things come to an end and on Saturday morning we headed for Tuscany.

We enjoyed the stay at Villa Greta so much we are sure we’ll be back. So it’s not so much goodbye to Positano, more “au revoir”.

Positano from Villa Greta roof terrace

Spare time
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Spare time

Ok, so I’ve got the luxury of time on my hands.  And what better way to spend it than brushing up my PhotoShop skills and then boring everyone with the results.

In particular a process called “tilt shift” photography which makes a photo appear to be “model-like”.  The purist approach to this involves special camera lenses and vast amounts of setup time.  But good old PhotoShop can emulate the look with quite impressive results.

I’ve taken a shot of the local beach and had a wee play.

Answers to questions
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Answers to questions

Never let it be said that Toscanakiwi doesn’t respond to it’s readers comments.  The recent post about our day at the beach raised a number of questions.

Here, we answer them.

That Ferrari

I didn’t have a photograph of the Ferrari yesterday but “Tina of Texas” wanted to see the car.  Today I wandered up the road to take a shot and, being Italy, the car was still there.  In fact it hadn’t moved an inch.

What you can’t see from the photo is the steepness of the drive the car is parked on.  Clearly the car’s owner doesn’t trust the handbrake and has used what I assume is a Ferrari aftermarket accessory to ensure the car stays put.

Obviously it must be a Ferrari branded brick although I couldn’t get close enough to confirm this.

The turntable

The turntable is covered in a very stylish faux grass finish.  Not really sure the logic of this but I guess it’s an Italian thing.

The beach

Geoffman asked about the makeup of the beach.  Asienzo beach is mostly a pebble beach.  There is a small area of sand but from where we were it was a stony walk to the water.

Also the stones were incredibly hot so part of the entertainment was watching people do a funny little dance when a stone or two worked it’s way into their shoes or sandals.  From experience I can say  – ouch.