Being down in Aotearoa for a couple of weeks over Christmas meant I was able to get some time on the beach. That half the world is in summer, and for us to miss out on this seemed problematic, so getting at least a couple of weeks of respite from the Northern winter seemed important. Unfortunately the summer down under was not been as good as the previous times I'd visited, but there were still some (very) good days (if slightly cool at times). I managed to go to one beach or another almost every day we were there, sometimes not for very long though due to weather issues. Three 'nude beaches' while we were there. Three. This review is just for Pohutakawa Bay. It was going to be all three, but there's a minor rant in this one that took up more space than expected.
Named for the tree hugging native tree that light up with red flowers over Christmas, I missed going to this beach last time I was in New Zealand, despite hearing good things about it. The weather was just good enough while I was at a loose end to sneak in a swim and sunbathe. For a couple of hours anyway. A short hike (20 minutes?) away from Long Bay on Auckland's North Shore, this place has a reputation for being the best nude beach in the Auckland area. And it is kinda nice...
I think I'd need a more positive experience than I had to buy into that glowing review though, especially given the other contenders. I'd rate Orpheus well over this beach (although Orpheus is much smaller), and the other two nude beaches I visited were far superior experiences.
The beach itself is nice enough. Lovely shady pohutakawa, golden sand (although a little rocky in places), beautiful clear water. Yup, it has all the right ingredients...
The issue was less with the beach and more with the culture (and I'm quite the stickler for culture!) No women at all here when I was there, but at least 20 men, and it felt like a total cruising zone. Given the press associated with the #freethenipple campaign a few weeks before at a centre of the city beach, I would have thought this place would have been ideal for women wanting to continue with the topfree thing and spend time here, and for some more diversity in general.
I imagine the tone changes a bit over weekends (more below), but I stayed here for just over two hours on a weekday (just after the statuary holidays - so people will have been off work), and for every white middle aged man with no body hair leaving, another came to replace him. I was 'lightly harassed' a couple of times, as men approached started conversation, and then proceeded to twangle their dongle (lightly... but repeatedly). I was friendly enough, but didn't take the time to ogle the twangling, so they got bored and left. It definitely felt like 'visiting with purpose' rather than general friendliness.
The water while calm, was MUCH colder than last time I was in NZ at this time of year. MUCH colder. Reportage from local friends suggests that the water temperature did improve as the summer went on, but not by much. Reportage also suggests that there is a much better vibe on the weekend, where there are more women, less 'visiting', and more couples. I think the sense that sex-related activity is off limits for everyone at a nude beach, is a really strong move toward making nude beaches more acceptable, but some guys (as it's always guys - gay and straight) can't separate the perviness stuff from getting their kit off.
I recognise that this is a very complicated issue (complicated by the normalisation of heterosexual spaces amongst a number of issues), and that this beach is much more than my experience.
Edited - revised opinion based off conversations with others.
Grade: 7.5/10
Difficulty of access: 4/10 - the walk prohibits wheelchairs etc, but the walk is manageable if you're have average fitness.
Likelihood of others being around: 8/10
Ease for a skinny dipping newbie: 8/10 (weekend), 7/10 (weekday) - this is also affected by tides as people will walk from the non-nude Long Bay at low tide, which means if you prefer a little more privacy to try things out you may instead have a horde of tourists walk past.
