Peka Peka Beach

As predicted, the last few days have taken their toll and inevitably, I end up with a flare-up; fortunately I have my rescue pack of antibiotics which I started on last night, so hopefully I’ll soon be feeling better. 

Fortunately, today’s a relatively easy day with a 3.5 hour drive down to the Kapiti coast. It’s probably one of our least ‘interesting’ drives in that there are few stop-offs planned, but G’s discovered some rail-related sights he wants to visit before we leave the alpine area. 

As usual, the scenery is beautiful - we’re back to deeply carved river valleys in uninterrupted green - and eventually we reach the laid-back river town of Whanganui.it’s famous for its arts scene, but today we’re more interested in a shaded coffee; ironically, the further south we go, the hotter the weather. I’m sure it would be good to spend some time wandering through the streets of beautifully restored buildings and galleries, but I’m just not up to it today. 

We continue on our journey to Peka Peka beach and find our accommodation for the next two nights. Sarah, our hostess, has created the most wonderful little sanctuary out of the corner of her garden, with a mobile home type structure converted into a luxurious little bolt hole set on decking with its own tiny garden. We’ve travelled far and wide, and it’s certainly one of the most well-thought out holiday accommodations we’ve ever rented. Literally everything we need is on hand, and everything is delightfully artistic in its presentation.  And to top it all, the near-deserted beach is literally a short stroll down the road. G immediately decides to go for a swim, while I just collapse on the bed!  

Later, we manage to drag ourselves to a delightful local restaurant a little down the coast, and dine on gourmet pizza (Gorgonzola, cartelised onion and rocket) before returning via the beach to catch the sunset. G has delusions of grandeur and drives our little Toyota Yaris onto the sands - totally unnecessary as we’re staying just one house away. We’re close to getting stuck, and some of the locals with far bigger cars offer to help, but with some careful reversing, he manages to drive us out again - blushes spared! 

My main today is sunset from Peka Peka beach, looking out towards Kapiti Island. In extras, there are two examples of art around Whanganui.