Baches be crazy

As a Southern Hemispherean in the Northern Hemisphere, a reasonably frequent topic of conversation is the "crazy" concept of having Christmas in summer. There is always a certain level of cognitive dissonance involved, sure - virtually every single TV show, movie, song, book, tradition etc. that features Christmas shows a snowy scene presumably quite far removed from an actual Christmas in Bethlehem. Talk to any New Zealander, however, about the problem with Christmas in summer, and it's not the un-traditional nature of proceedings that jars, but rather that it forces all the summer festivities into a week or two around Christmas and New Year, when the weather is often unsettled, and leaves nothing fun to break up the winter. This is bad for those of you living in New Zealand, but for anyone in the Northern Hemisphere planning a trip Down Under, it's good news. Wait until at least after Waitangi Day (6th February) and you're likely to have great weather with fewer crowds (and escape the NH winter). We arrived in Matarangi on a Sunday, when there were a few people still on the beach, but on Monday and Tuesday we had the place virtually all to ourselves. Perfect!

The view from our free accommodation in Matarangi