KEY POINTS:
You could smell the summer aromas of sunblock and sickly sweet icecream but an icy southerly blast had beachgoers breaking out in goosebumps and blankets at Piha yesterday.
There was a fierceness to the sun yet it was largely cancelled on the black-sand beach as chilly winds up to 25 knots made going for a refreshing swim seem hardly necessary, if not foolhardy.
Piha local Waveny Bray said it was the coldest summer swim she'd had in 40 years there.
"It was ice to get into but I did it."
Her husband, Murray, said he could tell by the light-green colour of the water "instead of a nice blue" and the whitecaps far out to sea that a mean-hearted southerly was to blame.
"It's been like this for over a month. It's highly unusual."
They shared a laugh that the lifeguard service's sponsor was Climatech, with the shirts of the lifeguards bearing the logo "air-conditioning and refrigeration".
Patrol captain Duncan Clarke said he was keeping his jacket on as the nippy wind was not pleasant. "I live here and it's never been so cold at this time."
People were staying away from the beach or not staying long.
"In previous years, it would be cracker, but people seem put off by the wind. They arrive, hit the water, come back and are gone."
Mr Clarke said the bonus was there were fewer sea rescues.
It wasn't just the locals complaining.
Megan McDowall, wearing a windbreaker jacket and trousers, was visiting Piha while on holiday from Johannesburg in South Africa.
"It's freezing, this is horrible. I was told it was summer so I'm surprised."
Her 10-year-old daughter, Alafair, disagreed. "It was warm," she said, wrapped from head to toe in a large towel after a swim.
But Misha Mehta, 3, spent the day at the beach wearing a knitted hat, sweatshirt and long pants.
"She found it cold," said her father, Samit Mehta, of Mt Albert.
The family stayed at the beach sheltering in a tent for a couple of hours until the wind drove them back to the warmth of their car.
