Back to the beach

I’ve been back in New Zealand for a little over a month now, and I’ve spent nearly every second trying to catch up for lost summer time. Wellington has a plethora of beaches to explore, and what better way to extend the summer than a trip to the beach?

A few friends and I put down our pencils and dusted off our textbooks, switching studying for sand, sun and smoothies. When I feel like I need to get out of my little Wellington bubble, I head to Lyall Bay. Tucked in the top of a surf club is the Maranui Surf Life Saving club café. Clamber the old wooden stairs, and you’ll find yourself faced with panoramic ocean views, and the best chips this side of Wellington.

We debated over what to order, before settling on a smoothie each and fries to share. While we waited for our orders to arrive, we watched the surfers bobbing around in the waves, and the seagulls flying low overhead. We arrived relatively late in the day, so the café wasn’t heaving, but if you want to go for brunch you’ll have to get in quick – it’s one of the few places in Wellington you regularly have to queue to get a table.

^If it's green it's got to be good for you, right? 

I don't know what they make the sauce out of, but it is so addictive -I could literally smother it on anything. 

 After we’d drunk our fill and swiped up every last drop of the delicious sauce that accompanies the chips, we rolled up our jeans (I said I was trying to extend summer, I didn’t say the temperature was agreeing!) and strolled along the beach.

^Docs n’ socks n’ sand.

Eventually the wind got the better of us, and with windswept hair and numb toes we made our way back to our bubble, at least for now.