Anna Tuson rates Northland beaches against the Welsh coast.
The decision to place Tutukaka and the Welsh Pembrokeshire coast second-equal after Avalon, Newfoundland, in a ranking of the world's finest coasts is a cop-out.
While I respect National Geographic Traveler, the magazine that produced the rankings, my response was: if you can't decide between the two, let me be the judge.
I'm a self-proclaimed specialist in beaches, my sole qualification being that I grew up in the Coromandel. I should admit that beaches from elsewhere inevitably come up as, "really nice, but not as nice as back home", partly because it's true, partly because of patriotism and partly just to annoy my non-Kiwi friends. But for the purposes of this article I will repress my natural bias.
I recently spent five days exploring Tutukaka, and I've also made several recent visits to different parts of Pembrokeshire as I've been living nearby in Cardiff.
Wales is wonderful and not just because it has many similarities to Aotearoa. It too is a country of sheep, rugby and salt-of-the-earth types, and it's still wild in some parts while holding a deep sense of culture and tradition.
The charm of beaches on the unspoilt coastline of Pembrokeshire is different to those in the north of New Zealand. For me, there's nothing better than Tutukaka's sandy stretches or lonely bays, guarded jealously by the embrace of native bush thick with ponga and nikau. But there's also something about the barren hills and harsh, stripped-back beauty of Pembrokeshire that will make your cheeks glow. The wintry bleakness contrasts with the rich colours of the cliffs, drawn from a warm palette of reds, oranges and yellows.
To shift focus from palette to palate, both coasts stand up well. In Pembrokeshire, I ate in pubs, because it's always been cold when I've visited and they were cosy, and there wasn't much else around. There is a more eclectic selection in Tutukaka, including a pizzeria perched over the marina, as well as a great restaurant called Schnappa Rock that specialises in meals made with local produce.
But it's best to rely on a tried-and-true indicator of whether a coastal region's cuisine is worth its salt in British and Kiwi culture: fish and chips.
In Ngunguru (Tutukaka), they do it exactly as I like it. The local fish'n' chip shop offers crumbed tarakihi, battered scallops and chunky chips, all fresh and fried to perfection.
In Tenby (Pembrokeshire), I dined beside the roaring fire inside a little pub where the window boxes overflowed with cottagey flowers. I was served a lovely piece of haddock in a light, crispy batter with golden chips and garden salad. It was delicious, but of course my companions' plates seemed even better. One of my friends eulogised her grilled salmon and dill while the other devoured her seafood platter with shiny-eyed glee.
To counter my grease-laden diet, I did some meandering around Tutukaka but, overall, I was a bit disappointed. It was a little anti-climactic to not find a lighthouse on the Lighthouse Track, and at the end of the Giant Kauri Track - well, I've seen bigger kauri.
But tottering along the tops of the majestic Pembrokeshire cliffs is a soulful experience. The sight of the immense coastline and the reckless waves brings home your own puny insignificance.
The area is now part of the Wales Coast Path, due to be completed next year with the goal of creating a track that spans the entire Welsh coast.
What you really want to do in Tutukaka is to get out on the water, or even better, under it. With my companions, Mum and Grandma, I took a cruise aboard a boat called Perfect Day out around Poor Knights Islands.
This place is so ecologically sensitive that nobody besides the Conservation department is allowed to set a single biodiversity-crushing foot ashore.
The islands have been out-of-bounds since about 1820, when Chief Waikato slaughtered the locals while their warriors were away fighting another battle. When the Poor Knights chief, Tatua, returned to the devastation he declared the place tapu and left with the few survivors, vowing never to return.
Now the islands are inhabited by unique water and land species such as the tuatara, which have flourished thanks to thousands of years of isolation.
While visitors are restricted to the waters surrounding the islands, this is no cause for complaint. It is one of the most revered diving and snorkelling destinations in the country.
As a novice snorkeller, I had nothing to compare it with but found it enthralling, almost surreal, to dip below the water's surface and glimpse another world of exquisite creatures and plants. On the way back to the mainland, we were joined by a couple of cheeky dolphins racing our boat, just to top off our perfect day.
Back in the land of the Welsh are wonders that New Zealand simply can't compete with. Pembrokeshire boasts about 50 castles and forts, such as the Norman Pembroke Castle on the Cleddau River that dates back to the 13th century. The walled town of Tenby, with its Five Arches Barbican tower, conjures images of olden-day battle scenes.
So how does Pembrokeshire stack up against Tutukaka? It's really, really nice ... but not as nice as back home.
CHECKLIST
Further information:
Tutukaka Coast
Visit Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Anna Tuson paid her own way to Tutukaka and Pembrokeshire.
