All posts tagged: beach

Off The Grid

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Without sounding spoilt, The Koala and I love to have long holiday outside of New Zealand once a year. But over the last few years, we have not left New Zealand, instead we have taken small holidays within New Zealand. I still yearn for foreign lands for new perspective and culinary delights, but there are world-class destinations within an hour from home. This is a story about one of them. Hidden in the remote hills behind Waiuku on the southernmost west tip of Auckland, is a secluded glamping gem. For the uninitiated, glamping is short for glamorous camping. Will and Kate (of the royal variety) went glamping in Uluru, Australia this week, so I think it is fair to say that glamping has reached the mainstream. The Koala and I stayed at Castaway’s glamping last Friday to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary. Expensive for camping, inexpensive for luxury, glamping is a careful balance. Our stay was paid for in full with real cash so this is an honest review, not an advertisement. Saying that, I must warn you I …

Have a picnic at the beach

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We just got home this week from a holiday in Tairua in the Coromandel. The weather wasn’t the best, but we made the best of what we had. We had a well stocked fridge and BBQs just about every day. Heaven is day after day of epic feasts with friends. We are back to work next week, so being the last weekday of the holidays, we decided to head to the beach one more time. Today we went out to Goat Island which is just over an hour north of Auckland and worked up an appetite by swimming and snorkeling at the marine reserve. Sometimes, the best picnics are the ones where not a single thing is prepared at home, but instead, collected from your local supermarket, assembled and enjoyed somewhere beautiful with friends. A hot roast free range chicken, cheesy buns, fancy bread, salads, chips, crackers, cheese, stick shaped vegetables and loads of dips. Dig in.

Eating in Koh Tao

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Epic mealtimes at Chalok Bay, Koh Tao, Thailand. Almost every restaurant served Thai, American, Italian and Mexican cuisine. Specialisation in tourist destinations is for fools. In Asia, it’s only at places that locals frequent that you get 1 chef, 1 dish specialities. Seaview Restaurant at Chalok Bay Our favourite place to eat was Seaview Restaurant which had a nice dining deck on the beach overlooking the bay. Right in the centre of Chalok Bay, you could swim from this area at high tide. Shoes off, low tables and triangle cushions give this place a super laid back vibe. We never dined inside, but it had a really modern, comfortable interior. Kind of a like a super modern beach bach. Beach burgers. We had these a couple times actually. Niçoise salad. Pineapple Shrimp. The shrimp were great. They had a fluffy almost fish like texture. A little chili made this a perfectly tropical meal. Of course, I had mango shake to go with this. Mango shakes are basically fresh mango blended with ice. Creamy Carbonara. Pad Thai …

Buddha lives in Chalok Bay, Koh Tao

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KOH TAO, THAILAND. Koh Tao is a couple hours ferry ride and a world away from Koh Samui. Peaceful sheltered bays, great diving and snorkeling. We relaxed for a 4 days before Koh Phangan. I can see why Buddha lives in Chalok Bay. It’s sheltered and calm and very peaceful. We saw the rock Buddha admiring the view. He sits facing out to sea. A round head, a gently sloping chest and a big round belly. Do you see? There were a few restaurants on the beach. This one was our favourite but I can’t remember it’s name or if it even had one. It was across the road from Koppee Bakery. It was never very busy, but it we just perfect. We had triangle cushions, deck, shade, great food and plenty of drinks on this deck. The sunset from near the rock Buddha. Back to the sunset, looking back across Koh Tao. Koh Tao Tips Hire a scooter. It’s cheap and totally worth it. The island is small, but there are lots of steep …

Eating Borneo #8 – New Years at Mañana

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New Year celebrations have always been epic for us. Many businesses are closed during this time in New Zealand so we holiday like there’s no tomorrow. It’s a time when we leave the city and flock to beaches all over the country to get absolutely trashed with their friends. There’s good food and good times to be had and the celebrations often last a week. I saw in last New Years with The Koala, my friend A, my sister Joey, her boyfriend D and the guests and staff at Mañana Borneo. Mañana is a small resort on a private beach about an hour north of Kota Kinabalu in the Sabah north of Borneo Island. It’s not on a separate island but this beach is only accessable by boat. No cars. No shops. No power during the day. Just a private, sheltered beach, snorkeling, swimming, books, hammocks, monsoon every afternoon (mandatory downtime). It was heaven. We stayed in 3 private villas with our own outdoor bathrooms. The menu here was limited but that was fine, it meant …

Friday Favourites: Fish Burger

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An amazing meal isn’t just about the food. What you did that day, the company you keep, surroundings and other stuff can all affect your enjoyment of a meal. After a lovely day at the Muriwai last summer, I got to eat this beast for a late lunch. A big piece of deep fried fish, plenty of salad bits and tons of mayo/tartar. It was at the fish and chip shop attached to the store on the way out of Muriwai. I don’t know the name of it, but I’m sure you’ll find it. It still looks good half way through. What’s a kiwi day at the beach without some fish and chips?