Isn’t that just a key ingredient to a successful holiday? Making new chums?
Well, here’s a beach dedicated to the pursuit. Kind of. The thing about New Chum Beach (or Wainuiototo Bay, as it’s also known) is it is an exercise in irony because its greatest charm is the fact that it’s so secluded. There’s hardly ever anyone there!
Metres and metres of white sand stretching away deliciously. Clean, clean water. No buildings. No camping. No road.
What does it have? It’s a cathedral of pōhutukawa and nīkau. It is a golden stretch of dazzling beach. It’s near to the ‘resort’ town of Matarangi, the beach and shop at Whangapoua, and yet it’s a million miles away. On a busy day, you might see a flock of seagulls. It’s paradise, people, and it’s yours to enjoy any time you choose.
A 30-minute walk from Whangapoua and you’re there, so obviously don’t pack the kayak and the jetski. But on the plus side, how refreshing to not have to worry about parking, yours or anyone else’s. Just walk – and it’s a bit of a hike, but you’re up for it, we can tell. Take a splash across the estuary at the northern end of Whangapoua Beach, just stick to the shoreline and you'll find a track that crosses the low part of the headland and... drop on down, onto the sand and, wow. That’ll be the big word. Swathes of sand stretching to the sea one way, and into beautiful bush the other. You couldn’t build it better.
Stock up on water, sunscreen and Jelly Tips at Matarangi, then make your way to a ‘slice of heaven’, as New Zealand’s troubadour Mr Dobbyn once put it. It truly is.
