New Years Day, Waipatiki Beach, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Spent the morning on the beach just up the coast. Excellent little spot for the day. Some big waves crashing one after the other onto white sand beach (and on top of Linda).

Waipatiki Beach is pretty hard to find on the map, in fact Google does not seem to know it exists. It lies 20km north of Napier with view back to Bluff Hill. We missed the first road off the SH2 and so went mostly on an unsealed road, but the first road is sealed.

Waipatiki apparently means “water of the flounder” in Māori. It was once an abundant fishing estuary valley. The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake lifted the flats up in the air and formed the current sea front and stream.

Lessons from the day:
- Buy a less bendy umbrella
- Take picture of beach before you leave
- Wear more supportive swim wear in big waves

Picture of Waipatiki Beach from Public toilets !