Ōhope Beach, with Ohiwa Harbour on the other side of the spit, in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, was the Herald's Best Beach in 2021. What will you vote for this year? Photo / Supplied
Ōhope Beach, with Ohiwa Harbour on the other side of the spit, in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, was the Herald's Best Beach in 2021. What will you vote for this year? Photo / Supplied
EDITORIAL:
Happy New Year!
There can’t be many among us sad to see the back of 2022.
A third year of living with Covid, the virus that has upended lives, relationships, routines and travel the world over.
A year of escalating cost ofliving pressures: rising petrol prices, food prices, power bills, and interest rates.
Worries around the housing market, for those first-home buyers still trying to get a foothold, recent purchasers worried about rising mortgage repayments, and renters or beneficiaries living in substandard or motel accommodation desperate for a more permanent place to call home.
Worries about escalating crime, particularly the spate of ram raids inflicting inconvenience, distress and heartache on retailers, which at year’s end sadly turned deadly.
Worries globally about climate change, the war in Ukraine, the fragile state of democracy.
Frustrations with our own Government, and where we are heading.
Thank goodness then for a new year, a chance for a rest, a bit of a reset, hopefully for most a bit of a holiday, and hopefully some nice summer weather to boot. And thank goodness as New Zealanders, we have something we can all look forward to - and something free at that: the beach!
The beach is surely about as quintessential Kiwi as you can get.
A place for paddling, swimming, sunbathing, reading, playing beach sports, water sports, boating, fishing, kayaking, jet skiing, building sandcastles, dabbling in rock pools, or lying in the shade of a majestic pōhutukawa. A place where friends and family come together to picnic, gather kai, laugh and play. Relive traditions. Make new ones.
With our country’s long coastline, the beach is accessible to many of us, and we will all likely have our favourite spots.
Today, we launch our 2023 search for New Zealand’s Best Beach - and we need your help.
We are seeking nominations in five categories: Best Family Beach, Best Surf Beach, Best City Beach, Best Camping Beach, and Best Hidden Gem (if you can bear to share it!).
In 2021, you voted the Bay of Plenty’s Ōhope the ultimate New Zealand beach. And for good reason: the long, white, sandy bay is lined with pōhutukawa, has warm water, is family-friendly, and has shops, cafes and motels nearby.
Before that, in 2019, it was Whangamatā, in the Coromandel, with its estuary, great surfing, and the classic bridge for kids to jump off.
Could a South Island scenic spot take the crown this year? Kaiterieri, at the top of the island, is a long-standing favourite with many holidaymakers, and stretches of Otago and Southland coastline have their own rugged beauty - and are often crowd-free.
Kaiteriteri beach at the top of the South Island is always a popular destination in summer. Photo / Supplied
We’ll be profiling some of your entries throughout this month - perhaps tantalising you to go further afield and try out a new piece of sandy paradise in God’s Own.
So get your thinking caps (or sunhats) on and contact us with your pick.
Nominations are open until the end of Sunday, January 8. See today’s story for details.
Happy summertime everyone. Stay safe in the water and remember to slip, slap, slop and wrap!
