Pronounced FungamutAH, this little beach town has been so perfect for our month away doing nothing. With school back in session, the town seemed mostly empty, except for on the weekends when a minimal surge happened on the beach. Apparently it grows by 60,000 in December and January, and there is an event next weekend that brings in 100,000 visitors! Glad we'll miss that!
It has its quirks. Everything closes, except maybe two restaurants, at 3:00PM, maybe 2:30 if the owner feels like it. A loud warning siren goes off occasionally and can be heard throughout the entire town. At first few times we thought it was a tsunami warning, but none of the locals seemed to pay heed. We finally found out that going along with a long standing tradition, any time the ambulance or police is dispatched, it rings out. It is insanely expensive. A burger costs, on average, $13, a regular pizza that isn't even that good is about $18 for a medium size. One day we googled "Mexican food" in hopes of finding some cheap tacos. It lead us to an expensive, healthy cafe that used tortillas in a few dishes. It was most definitely not Mexican! The next "Mexican" restaurant google listed was a Thai restaurant. We finally made our own tacos!
There is really only one old main street with shops and restaurants. There is always parking and cars aren't in a hurry. The pace is slow. The idea here is work enough to live well enough, and then play at the beach the rest of the time.
It is refreshing to see old, simple cottages along the beach instead of multi-million dollar mansions, although it looks as though larger homes are being built. It feels like a safe, unhurried town from long ago.
It is '"September" here, so the weather is mostly nice with unpredictable storms and wind. Right now as I type there is a cyclone hitting. Hard rain and winds. But it easily could have passed without any trouble and the weather forecast would have been totally wrong.
It has been nice to get a few items at summer sales!
The ice cream shop on the main street is run by a couple from Menton, France of all places! We became fast friends.
Our favorite things are the consistent beauty of the sunsets, riding our bikes into town, the easy access of the beach, and the slow pace. It has been amazing. Geoff says it is his favorite beach in the world so far. He has suggested we spend a month here every year. It is pretty dreamy with its mile of soft sand stretching way into the sea, the arch of the coastline, the cliffs and islands that give so much beauty and interest, and the clean water and good waves.
Today we are packing up. We're ready for the next two weeks of discovering the rest of New Zealand, and I must admit, we're ready to get back to Salt Lake and see Tennie! We've missed her every day.
So long Whangamata!
It has its quirks. Everything closes, except maybe two restaurants, at 3:00PM, maybe 2:30 if the owner feels like it. A loud warning siren goes off occasionally and can be heard throughout the entire town. At first few times we thought it was a tsunami warning, but none of the locals seemed to pay heed. We finally found out that going along with a long standing tradition, any time the ambulance or police is dispatched, it rings out. It is insanely expensive. A burger costs, on average, $13, a regular pizza that isn't even that good is about $18 for a medium size. One day we googled "Mexican food" in hopes of finding some cheap tacos. It lead us to an expensive, healthy cafe that used tortillas in a few dishes. It was most definitely not Mexican! The next "Mexican" restaurant google listed was a Thai restaurant. We finally made our own tacos!
There is really only one old main street with shops and restaurants. There is always parking and cars aren't in a hurry. The pace is slow. The idea here is work enough to live well enough, and then play at the beach the rest of the time.
It is refreshing to see old, simple cottages along the beach instead of multi-million dollar mansions, although it looks as though larger homes are being built. It feels like a safe, unhurried town from long ago.
It is '"September" here, so the weather is mostly nice with unpredictable storms and wind. Right now as I type there is a cyclone hitting. Hard rain and winds. But it easily could have passed without any trouble and the weather forecast would have been totally wrong.
It has been nice to get a few items at summer sales!
The ice cream shop on the main street is run by a couple from Menton, France of all places! We became fast friends.
Our favorite things are the consistent beauty of the sunsets, riding our bikes into town, the easy access of the beach, and the slow pace. It has been amazing. Geoff says it is his favorite beach in the world so far. He has suggested we spend a month here every year. It is pretty dreamy with its mile of soft sand stretching way into the sea, the arch of the coastline, the cliffs and islands that give so much beauty and interest, and the clean water and good waves.
Today we are packing up. We're ready for the next two weeks of discovering the rest of New Zealand, and I must admit, we're ready to get back to Salt Lake and see Tennie! We've missed her every day.
So long Whangamata!
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