Last weekend we decided to take a last-minute little vacation to the West Coast of the North Island. Our friends Timo and Olivia had recommended staying at the Blue Chook Inn in Kawhia, and since they were already fully booked for Saturday, we decided to go on Friday. This worked out especially well, since Bas had the afternoon off; this meant we could leave at 1 pm! After a beautiful 3 hour drive, we arrived in Kawhia. Since it was summery warm weather, we changed in summer gear (shorts, t-shirts) and had a walk around the little village, a good glass of wine and a nice fish-and-chips meal on our terrace. After that we went inside to watch some TV and had a good sleep. The next morning we checked out, but not before borrowing some spades from the owners, to go to Ocean Beach. Itis a 5 minute drive from Kawhia and another awesome NZ-experience; Black sand dunes and beach, plus: Natural Hotpools! At low tide, you can dig a hole and warm (hot!) water comes up, so you can dig yourself your own hot tub on the beach! It was wonderful, except for the sun burn that Bas got and severely troubled him the rest of the week. You can ask him if it was worth it… 😉 but I think it was another weekend we will not easily forget! On Saturday we took a touristic route back to Auckland, driving by the Bridal Veil Falls, more stunning New Zealand scenery! Enjoy the pics of this beautiful area below.