Pohutakawa Bay, Auckland, NZ

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.

So... Hair

So, this is not a location related post, and I think one that's probably been done to death, but seriously what is with the lack of body hair in the nudist/naturist set? As a moderately hairy guy, one of the things that puts me off the naturist bubble is the little variation in hair removal practices that seem to occur at nude beaches. This strikes me as incredibly odd when naturism is supposed to be about... nature? It's a big part of the reason why I (historically) did not often 'cross the line' in a mixed beach (and sometimes still won't).

Dressed up in terms of preference/choice/whatever makes you feel most comfortable, it seems that these 'choices' tend strongly toward the current dominant ideas about hair removal (i.e., porn/culture driven imperatives to remove it ALL). "It's just like choice in clothing" I've been told. You can do whatever you want with your body hair... just as long as it involves (full) removal. This 'choice' seems so clearly not a choice that I know of several people who have been scared off going to trousers-off beaches, purely because they like their pubic hair.

The fact that so many seem to be wearing the same 'clothes,' (IMO) flies in the face of the positive body image, acceptance of all body types rhetoric that gets promoted on the naturist websites. These arguments are right up there with the "actually you'll find lots of variation" talk that comes up in the same discussions. Funny, but I haven't seen much of this variation, so is it also just rhetoric, or am I not going to the right nude places... around the world? 

Let's be clear. If there was a huge amount of variation, and full hair removal was proportionally represented, then this would be a non-issue for me. Research evidence on hair removal (believe me, I've looked) suggests that (contrary to media accounts) there is actually quite some variation in body hair (especially pubic hair) removal (or non-removal) amongst men and women. What is evident is that younger people tend to do more removal than older people, and women more than men - and yet (anecdotally) nudism/naturism tends to be skewed older (i.e. 30+), and toward more men. So, in my mind the idea of representation of the general population must be nonsense.

To me, it smells a bit of the exhibitionism that's not supposed to be a part of 'pure' naturism. It also undermines the distance that naturists often want to set between porn nudity and 'natural' nudity. It's also possible that it's become so prevalent, that for some it's about not standing out, it's about being ordinary (amongst the nudists). I find that a bit sad.

For a lifestyle that's supposed to be about resisting the status quo, there doesn't seem to be much resisting going on. The rhetoric of 'choice' is the new opiate of the people.


OK. Rant over.  

Cala Fonda (Waikiki) - Tarragona, Spain

Sneaky, sneaky Waikiki.

I don't have any pics of this beach unfortunately, as my phone died just as I arrived - which was in the morning - a consequence of not plugging in my phone charger properly. I should have gone back and taken pictures later, but ran out of time.

I was staying with friends at Camping Torre de la Mora, a pretty back to basics cabin experience, but one that was thoroughly enjoyable. We caught the train down from Barcelona. A good trip, slower than many trains in Spain, but with a lot of coastal views. I knew things were going to be fun when you could see naked people flash by on various beaches. Not all, but some. Tarragona itself is quite fantastic (but very touristy at certain times!) Lots of Roman ruins, reasonably good restaurants etc. Early shoulder season (Sept. post school holiday period) meant overall things were probably a lot quieter than they might be.

The amenities are pretty basic in the township of La Mora, but it's easily accessible by bus from the main Tarragona township. It was a bit of a hassle figuring out the timetable, but it was straightforward enough that hiring a car wasn't necessary.  The beach at la Mora is a standard Spanish family beach - where Spanish tourists from Barcelona etc. go with their families. Certainly no nudity, not even toplessness. 

Cala Fonda is on the same coastline, but quite hidden away. Quite. You could go to La Mora and never know you were within easy walking distance of a nude beach!

You can get there via the road (apparently), but as we were staying at the camping site it was a bit more straightforward. Following the paths within the camping place to the fenceline at the back of the campgrounds, there are gates that give you access to a forested area. Sometimes the path gets a little hard to follow, but there are enough markers that you can get the basic idea. Google Maps (if you have data) helps - I used up my remaining battery to keep me on track (literally).

At some point you'll come to a sign pointing to Cala Fonda - in saying that along the coastline there are plenty of quiet little coves where you could wear whatever you want at various points in the day. If you were a little new to nudity/skinny dipping, you might find the occasional runner a little interrupty though. I snuck off for a morning skinny dip on my own, as the people I was with probably weren't into that sort of thing, and I'm not sure I'm quite ready for that level of social nudity just yet! Strangers are fine, people you see regularly less so...

After about twenty minutes you duck down toward the coast, and then have to steeply descend a rocky path. Definitely not accessibility friendly. It wasn't as steep as the descent into Guvano, but still not easy! There was a painted sign advertising it as a nude beach, which was a good way of clarifying things if the beach is a little quiet.

It was definitely quiet when I arrived. A small catamaran had been beached there, and its owners were packing up as I arrived. The casual nudity as they got changed and prepared for leaving made things clear though, as did the nudity of one or two others who arrived at a similar time. The sun was just beginning to make its way into the cove. Which was stunning. Golden sand, plenty of space, surrounded by forest. A real haven after a couple of weeks in big cities around Spain. 

This beach is 100% nude, without any ambiguity. As the morning wore on, a number of other people came and went, but it was never crowded. Everybody immediately stripped down. I think a slower entry into unclothedness, or less people turning up, might make for an easier entry for a newbie, or maybe being alone for a period knowing it was definitely a nude beach you had turned up at? Temps in September were still hot, and the water was a good almost warm - refreshing in the morning.



Grade: 9/10 
Difficulty of access: 8/10 (a bit of a steep climb)
Likelihood of others being around: 7/10  
Ease for a skinny dipping newbie: 9/10

Fyriplaka, Milos, Greece

Milos is just excellent. Loved Milos. Would go back there tomorrow. It's not quite on the beaten track that most tourists follow, but it beginning to head that way a little. The better restaurants on the island are pretty busy, and then there's a sharp and clear gap between the next level of quality, with a lot of tourist fodder restaurants. The port town of Adamanatas is where the worst of the tourist nonsense seems to occur, with other towns/villages much less 'invaded' in the shoulder seasons. Certainly there are things to do on Milos, aside from sunbathing, but with so many amazing beaches, why would you bother?


Milos can be harder to get around than some islands, as the roads tend to turn to dust at certain points. If you want to get to the truly isolated places you can a) jam onto a boat with dozens of other people also wanting to do the same, or b) hire a 4x4. Your insurance won't cover trips too far to the West of the island, which means you have a limited number of beaches you can visit if you go with 'standard car' option. There are some truly excellent options

We stayed at Paleochori beach rather than Plaka or Adamanatas, which was a great decision. It takes a little longer to get set up, a little bit of a drive, and not too many amenities, but a lovely place to be based.The beach itself was relatively quiet, with a scattering of nudity (partial mostly) at either end of the main beach. To the left of the screen is more of the same, with a rocky area at the end. If you cross that, then full nudity was the norm in our experience.

But this was not the best in life. And I am, if nothing else, motivated to find as close to the best as I can achieve... Unwilling to join the young ripped set who jumped on aforementioned boats, and not fussed about forking out for a 4x4 we head off for what is arguably the most lovely (easily accessible) beach on the island - Fyriplaka...

  
From all accounts, the levels of nudity on this beach can be variable, but it was a good mix when we arrived. There is a distinct nudie section at the leftmost edge of the beach, past the rrock in the centre. As you got closer to the left edge, clothes became less and less common. Toplessness was common, even at the 'party end' with the kantina, music and umbrellas. 

Both of us stayed swimsuited for the first hour or so, my partner wasn't keen to go the 'all nude, all of the time' section. This was less about the nudists and more about the pseudo-voyeurs. The beach is made up of amazing rock formations, and these often seemed to be an excuse for pasty, middle aged, British tourists to wander up the length of the beach looking directly towards those reclining on it ("Oh no, we're not here for the nudity, we're looking at the ROCKS..."). I'm sure that the rocks did play a part in all the walking and looking, but it was slightly uncomfortable with the fairly direct gazes of people who weren't naked themselves.

We located ourselves in the slightly more mixed section, more toplessness than full nudity. After settling in (and thoroughly enjoying the beach in and of itself), and seeing various 'waves' of clothing loss and gain, I took off my shorts in the water, and then walked back to my towel nude. Due to the mix of clothing options, this didn't seem out of place, except that it may have helped one nearby couple make a decision themselves and joined in - making the nude section slightly longer than previously.

The beach was lovely, although the wind picked up from time to time. The water was very warm and clear. It was quite the scenic spot, with the colours of the rocks being QUITE viewable from the water and the beach without the 'close inspections' the (mostly) British seemed quite invested in. 

Grade: 8/10
Difficulty of access: 3/10 (it can be a little hard if you have difficulty walking at the early stages)
Likelihood of others being around: 10/10
Ease for a skinny dipping newbie: 5/10


 

San Jose, Cabo de Gata, Spain

I'm not sure how much I should say about this place actually, as it's relatively untouched by commercialism, and certainly absent the scourge British tourism seem to bring in its wake to the rest of southern Spain. HOWEVER, it's not invisible to (British and otherwise) tourists willing to step outside the English speaking enclaves, doesn't currently have package tours visiting, nor mega cruiseships. The Cabo de Gata really is a great example of a high nudity tolerance place to visit in general, so I can't really know about this place and not rave about it.

It does involve hiring a car to take full advantage of the experience, and the facilities (in terms of good restaurants) are pretty light in the shoulder seasons. There were a few great options in San Jose township though, and certainly picnicking your way around during the day can be done, as there was at least one reasonable mini supermarket. Speaking more than 'basic tourist' Spanish goes a long way, especially as some forms of accommodation don't have any English speaking staff (long may this continue)!

The two most accessible beaches from San Jose are the main beach (which doesn't have any nudity that I could see) and Genoveses beach. The former is right in the middle of the township, and is filled with children, and swathes of others who like to congregate together in clumps, and who clearly don't find 'family beaches' repulsive. It's still gorgeous, and quiet by the standards of almost any other beach in Southern Spain. It's the beach in the distance in the first pic below. There was another smaller beach nearer to the end the photo was taken, but it was a little rockier and less interesting than any other beach in the area. It was close to some of the apartment type accommodation options though, so people were using it as their 'local beach.'

The town side (above)was good for food, and the necessities of a traveling person, but really, why would you go to the beaches on the side when you can walk for 20 minutes (OK, I'm answering my own question), and get this...

Getting there if you're more central than we were means walking about 10-15 minutes toward the smaller beach in the first pic, following the road up a hill, then entering onto a track. The track is very straightforward and flat, but quite exposed. it's then about 15 minutes when you reach the track, with the view above getting closer and closer.

Genoveses is the perfect, relatively untouched beach. No facilities to speak of, and the water was a little cooler on the other side of summer, but perfect for all of that. Filled with locals (and Spanish tourists), with small numbers of other groups, this place was a wonderland of casual nudity. Lots of people wearing swimsuits, but at least half of the women were topfree, and maybe a quarter of both genders  were naked. The nudity seemed to happen at the edges of the main beach (some of the first people you come across will be clothesless), or over a rock formation at the far end, but there were definitely people mixing it up throughout. We saw a group of three women walking down the beach together, one nude, one topfree, and one wearing her swimsuit. Summed up the beach perfectly. High season may change the shape of this a bit, but it was quite incredible as these things go. At times there would be a shift in the make up of the beach the arrival of larger groups of clothed people 'insisting upon themselves' in the more nude majority areas, and this was sometimes a bit unfortunate, but there were always places to retreat if you preferred to be away from others.

We found a nice spot at the far end, where there was lots of variation. I whipped off my clothes almost immediately, my partner wore her swimsuit initially, then gradually 'lost' more and more of it as the day went on. Long days mean you have to take your own water, snacks, and if you're paler lots of sunscreen and an umbrella, but I can't rate this place high enough for nude recreation. A week here wasn't long enough, and there were plenty of other beaches around to visit, some with 'nude only' vibes where the clothed insisters weren't apparent, and some mixed like Genoveses. I'd holiday there every year if I could.

Grade: 10/10
Difficulty of access: 1/10 (if you're able to walk for 20 minutes)
Likelihood of others being around: 10/10
Ease for a skinny dipping newbie: 9/10
 
 

Governor's Bay, Marlborough Sounds

I think my trip to Aotearoa was where a real confidence shift happened for me. I had so thoroughly enjoyed not wearing wet togs, and swimming and sunning naked over the year or two prior, that I was willing to skinny dip at a 'not necessarily nude' beach. Again, due to NZ laws around this sort of thing, and the quietness of many tiny, beautiful bays in the Marlborough Sounds, dropping trou seemed almost essential at times... And none moreso than the lovely Governor's Bay.

When I say not necessarily nude, it was clearly a place nudity was 'known to happen' (to fulfill the criteria expected within NZ case law), as when I arrived there the first time I visited in the summer of 2014/2015, there was a small handful of younger women sunbathing topfree (normally relatively uncommon in NZ). At other points I saw one or two others (usually on boats moored in the bay in the early evening) stripping off completely and diving into the water. It's not recognised as a nude beach in any sense by the 'official' lists that various nudist organisations put out though.

A bit emboldened by the unexpected partial (and later full) nudity, I decided getting my kit off was not going to offend anybody, but still walked to the furthest edge of the bay (out of sight for the most part, and only from a distance when in view). Even at low tide, the beachy bit of the bay is quite thin, and so walking along from the main grassy area meant wading at times (especially at higher tides). That was all part of the fun though, and I spent a few hours each day nude sunbathing and skinny dipping on a nice patch of 'golden' 'sand', which had a bit of shade. There were only two or three similar spots, but they were never occupied when I went (and that was during the high season).

Although I was quite surreptitious about it all, others were a bit more blatant (the topfree women for instance were sunbathing on the grass at the entrance to the beach). I think the fact that it's very quiet (even during the high season), probably due to the 10 minute steep walk down (and then up). There are certainly PLENTY of bays around the area, so although this doesn't make the official lists of places to go, I think it might be the one place I discovered between Havelock and Picton where you could easily go skinny dipping (especially at night!) - it has all the hallmarks of a nudist beach, and perhaps just needs to be claimed as one. It was funny though, after all the fraughtness of my experience with a recognised nude beach, I was happy to indulge in some opportunistic nudity in this case. 

Grade:8.5/10
Difficulty of access: 4/10 - Similar walk to Orpheus, but slightly less well maintained track.
Likelihood of others being around: 4/10 (very small numbers though).
Ease for a skinny dipping newbie (Hmmm, 3/10 in my experience, but likely variable).

Orpheus Bay, Auckland, New Zealand

Nude beaches in New Zealand are a funny old thing. They're not really designated, more that they're recognised as 'free beaches' - places where people have gone nude or are known to go nude. Part of this seems to be about the laws around nudity in NZ, which are super relaxed in some ways (no rules against nudity in general), but vague enough that they can be policed poorly (nudity is not an offence, unless it causes offence, and how is that actually interpreted?)

New Zealanders have a reputation for being laid back, but I'm not convinced this is a stereotype that holds, based off their driving behaviour and engagement with rugby. They also have a reputation for being sexually conservative (a product of their British history, and isolation from many of the more liberated European countries?) Some social scientific research has suggested this combination of expectations of laid-backness (or is it laziness? :)) and sexual conservatism plays a part in their abysmal sexual health stats. That nudity isn't more common, despite the massive stretches of coastline and a very  small population, suggests that New Zealanders are either getting nude very, very quietly, or that intangible (probably mythical) laid-backness is very specific to certain situations, and not related to nudity at all - even breastfeeding orientated nudity.

I'm sure the Antarctic ozone hole and the impact this has on burn times probably doesn't help either...

I've been naked on a few beaches in New Zealand in my time there. Enjoyed it every time. Without the experiences I've had elsewhere, and the encouragement of similarly minded friends, I wouldn't have found it all that straightforward though. The free beach element is part of this. As you can't (apparently) put up signs advertising a nude beach (because they don't really exist), people willingly engage in the 'Guvano effect' and even in some cases, use nudist use of free beaches as a way to generate interest in tourist packages (ahem) that put Auckland on display (OK, getting silly now)  - or at least that's how it sounds?

Anyway... Of the handful of nude beaches I visited in Auckland in 2015, Orpheus was (by far) the best. Small, quiet, lovely, I went there three times in total. The first I had the beach to myself for several hours (awesome), the second two times were busier (weekends), so my overall experience had enough variation in it to confirm its status as excellent and recognisably nude (unlike some of the other beaches about the city). It is about 30-40 minutes from the city centre, and takes you into Huia, a part of Auckland that feels like you've dropped out of civilisation. Filled with baches (NZ holiday homes), and a LOT of native bush, this is New Zealand at its wild best, and it's SO close to the city.

Just as you're starting to come down the hill to the Huia township, there is a gravel road on your left (Huia Lookout Rd.) Veer left along it, as the road and people's driveways look almost identical. About 15-20 metres down you'll see a parking bay for 3-4 cars, and the entrance to the Con Bryan walking track. Brush down and spray your shoes to help protect the native kauri tree and take a quick, beautiful, downhill track for 10 minutes (remembering it's uphill on the way back!)

You'll arrive onto the beach, which is excellent at any tide (low tide is a little rockier, but better than many). There's a small stream and a cliff face to your left, and a lot of shade. I have only seen one couple set up here, despite it being an idyllic location compared to many beaches around the world. Most people seem to walk to the left, going around a small bend that keeps the 'main beach' hidden from casual entry off the track - which I guess is why most people seem to set up there. It's also, definitely, the best part of the beach.

There are a bunch of pohutakawa (native New Zealand coastal tree) for shade. The water is clear, the view is outstanding, and when no-one else is there, it feels like you've been stranded on a desert island. I think that's only a privilege you can experience during the week (and naked of course!)

There are a lot of shaded areas, but it can get a bit of wind from offshore at times. As it's inside the harbour though, there are virtually no waves, and the sand is whiter than the rest of the West Auckland beaches.

The other people that turn up here seem to consist of 'regulars', as there was a lot of talk among various groups/individuals. There was also a bit of 'policing' going on, with a couple of guys ensuring everyone was recognising this was a nude beach at the busier times. This was noticeable when a couple turned up, camped at the less nice end, with him naked and her not. If she was ever going to try things out, the arrival of a hovering, old, fat guy, staring intently at them wasn't going to help! I understand why naturists/nudists want to protect 'their' turf, but I think it can be done in a much more relaxed manner than it was done in this case (there's that NZ laid-backness again...) I suspect that people pop down the track for a look quite often (not necessarily at the nudists, just at the beach) and its about preventing a clothed invasion (which seems to occur at other free beaches in Auckland). The couple seemed steadfast though, and carried on, tucked away - good on them! Maybe she'll get into it a bit later, maybe not, but nice that she seems to be happy to go to a nude beach with her nude husband.

On a good day, this is almost as good as it gets.

Grade: 9/10
Difficulty of access: 3/10 (if you're fittish and physically able, it's no problem)
Likelihood of others being around: 5/10
Ease for a skinny dipping newbie: 8/10