Friday, January 11, 2008

Togs, Jandels and BBQ's


Ahh, summer in New Zealand. Being a Northern Hemisphere girl, having summer during winter and Christmas “dinner” on the beach has taken a bit of getting used to. No sleet, no snow, and a Santa with sunglasses…

Christmas Day becomes a week-long affair for most people. We took our cue from the Kiwi’s and spent the week in Auckland with Bruce’s family. And what did we do for Christmas dinner? That’s right, we had a BBQ on Cornwallis Beach, played volleyball and cricket, swam in the ocean and drank bubbly!

While swimming, I happened to look back at the tree-lined beach. One of the things I have truly come to appreciate about December and January in NZ is the beautiful pohutukawa trees that bloom throughout the month and Cornwallis beach was no different. Known as the New Zealand Christmas Tree, they bloom a brilliant red and are iconic of summer.

We’re lucky enough to have 2 of these native trees on our property and they are in mid-bloom right now. Our neighbour also has one which means I no longer loathe washing the dishes as at least I have a beautiful view to look at!

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