Forever September at Waipu Cove

It's rare for me and AJ to have a relaxing day. Weekends and holidays, this 36 day honeymoon, are jam-packed with action and adventure. We like to feel exhausted are a day off, make sure we've invested as much time and energy in our personal lives as we do at work.

But yesterday was that rare exception, a day spent almost entirely admiring the ocean and each other's company. We woke at the Uretiti Department of Conservation Campsite, where we'd parked along the beach. It had stormed through the night, but by 7:30am, the sky had cleared, and it was already warming up. We made our way to Waipu Cove and Lang's Beach and decided to stay at Waipu because it was more exposed to the swell. The waves were chest to head high and clean and pretty punchy.

I opted to paddle out with AJ but was advised to avoid the rocks he planned to surf near. He had seen several nice rights peel by the rocks and was willing to camp out and wait for a set. I stuck to the middle of the beach and was pleased to have on-shore markers (a picnic table and the steps to the beach) to help me maintain my surf spot. When it's all open water and unmarked beach, I might drift quite far or question if I'm in the right spot. Markers take the guessing out of it.

I paddled out past the white water. Had to endure a bit of the water's thrashing before the waves let up and I had an opportunity to paddle out before the next set came in. And I felt good. The sun lit up the water and warmed my face and wetsuit, and I felt comfortable. Comfortable enough to only let one or two sets roll by before I attempted to paddle into a wave. Okay, I thought, this one. I quickly turned my board to face the beach and made sure it was straight, having been rolled when it was on an angle. Now the rush of thinking "feet together, paddle, paddle, board straight, board flat, paddle, paddle, oh shit, it's almost here, paddle, paddle, c'mon, paddle-------". The thinking stops as soon as the wave arrives and lifts me. I'm either overwhelmed by the sensation of being in the wave or hurtling through air and water as I wipeout that my brain finally shuts up. On this first attempt, I was launched over my board in a tremendous nose dive and spun once or twice before popping up for air. The brain immediately reboots.

I paddle out again and attempt to catch three more waves before they break but keep getting caught in the lip and hurtled, pitched, dumped. AJ would later inform me that these waves had steep take-offs. Translation: keep paddling. I decided to go in some. The waves were breaking pretty far out and the white water had good push. And hell, I've spent so much time paddling out, I should have the pleasure of catching something, even white water. And what a good decision that was. I let myself ride a few on my belly first and then I worked on popping up. I probably caught and rode 2/3 of the waves I attempted. It was so much fun!

AJ said it was like a day in September back home. Fun waves, not crowded.

Post surf, we picked up coffee and chai from the Altitude Cafe (which AJ renamed the Attitude Cafe, because he liked the thought of drinking coffee with attitude). And we watched the surf. It was like fall. Both of us sat barefoot on a concrete picnic table in shorts or with pants rolled up. AJ learned a lot about the local surf from a chap with robin's egg blue toenails. We lunched at the cafe (highly recommend the spiced wedges and the chai if you're in the area) and stopped at Lang's beach again to empty and fill our water at the dump station there. And we were back on the road to check out Mangawhai Heads (head high, a little overhead, closing out and kind of soft, but there was a really stylish long boarder out there). We opted to head straight for Raglan, hoping to catch the swell on Saturday morning and get in a surf before the drive to Wellington.

When we arrived in Raglan, Tonya and Ste'en were already home. We had planned to camp at the top of their driveway. I whipped together a pasta dish with garlic, mushrooms, silver beet, butter, olive oil, and some assorted seafood, and we all vegged out in front of the tv. Wednesday night craft friends, I watched Family Guy. My friends can attest this is some serios loafing.

I feel so fortunate to be exploring this beautiful country with AJ. He makes me laugh and is a true partner. Everyday I find myself marveling at this exciting adventure and the man I'm sharing it with.