Waihi Beach

IMH: Waihi Beach is a little coast town which forms the start of the Coromandel peninsula, known for some of the North Island's best beaches. Waihi Beach is a beautiful 9km-long sandy beach lined with holiday homes.

Waihi Beach

The reason for our stop-over was to meet-up with an old school and varsity friend, Riaan Botha, his wife Carla and their lovely little daughter, Milla (almost 2years old), who moved to New Zealand after a few years in London. We haven't seen each other in over 8 years and thus haven't met Carla or Milla and they haven't met Ryan - this was an ideal opportunity for everyone to get to know each other.

We were entertained with a true Kiwi BBQ at the bright and sunny Botha residence, together with another couple of their friends, Shane & Nicky. We were also treated to lovely New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc's, Chardonnay's and red blends - what a spread! Thanks for having us over, guys! It's always great to catch-up with friends and we hope to return the favour sometime when we're finally settled and have a home.

Surf Waihi

Before departing Waihi beach the next morning, we had a scrumptious breakfast at Riaan and Carla's restaurant, The Porch. From there, we hit the road heading north for a 5 hour drive to Whangarei (pronounced Fan-ga-rahi, where we plan to dive the Poor Night Islands off Tutukaka (supposedly one of the top 10 dives in the world according to that famous French diver).  

Waihi Beach

Dinner at the Botha's

Riaan & Milla