Goat Island, Matakana Coast

After all my complaining and carrying on about the heat, we had an incredibly cool and wet day yesterday! It was SO refreshing. You could almost hear a collective sigh with relief! The contrast was so marked that our thoughts started to turn towards heaters instead of fans, and socks instead of bare feet; sweatshirts instead of singlets. But today, it was back to business - another glorious day. Tourists to NZ could be forgiven for wondering which hemisphere they’re in!

We have wanted to take the boys snorkelling at Goat Island, for a long time.

So today was the day.
Goat Island is a Marine Sanctuary where the waters are beautifully clear, and where the underwater marine life is in abundance.
You can look, but you can’t eat!
Anyway, we went, and it was so nice.

And just to keep The Mom happy, we also stopped off at a few of the wonderful artsy, craft-y places along the way….and an art gallery….and the famous Morris & James Pottery gallery.

I fell in love with a painting of the Mahurangi Harbour but unfortunately, the wallet wouldn’t stretch. Instead, we stopped off at Charlie’s Gelato Garden and had the most scrumptious gelati! A must if you are ever up this way! A nice way to end the day.

Oh, and just in case you are interested, there are LOTS of properties for sale on the Matakana Coast. Here is a typical view you could expect as you drove home...

This section of land is for sale. We thought you would fit in well here.

Imagine the views from your kitchen....or bedroom....or spa bath!

But unfortunately, tomorrow is Monday again. Just WHERE did that weekend go?!