J&V Down Under: A Very Kiwi Weekend Away

It was a friend's birthday this weekend, and we got invited along to spend the weekend at his family bach. It's one of Jet's (short for Jethro) favourite places in the world, and its easy to see why. The bach is in Riversdale which is on the East coast, about 3 hours away from Wellington. It was literally right on the beach, with nothing but a corner shop for miles around. It's been in Jet's family for nearly 50 years, and it was fabulous. I don't think anything has really changed over the years (apart from the installation of hot, running water maybe) and that was the absolute beauty of it. There were no mod cons, and all of the furniture and crockery and odds and sods had obviously been accumulated over many years. Since Jet's grandparents passed away, it's been owned by his dad and uncles/aunts, who take a very laid back approach to the place. They don't 'book it'- if you're away at the bach and other family members turn up, the more the merrier. There were 16 of us staying this weekend, including Jet's parents who were so lovely, and Lilly the dog. 'Chilled out' probably sums it up best- everyone just got on and did what they wanted- played golf, went surfing, went diving, or sat about in the sunshine with a beer. We took it in turns to prepare meals, and everyone pulled their weight clearing up. Sweet as.

As well as the traditional bach, there were a few things that made us feel like we'd experienced a true Kiwi weekend away. Some of the lads had been diving a caught some paua that afternoon, which Jet's dad turned into fritters to cook on the BBQ. They were actually more tasty than we had imagined! The paua shells are beautiful too- they are coated with 'mother of pearl'. I was going to keep one, but I thought Oz customs would have a fit if I tried to sneak a shell into the country! Then, on Sunday morning, one of the girls was putting on her wetsuit to go for a surf when she squealed and dropped it. NZ don't have any poisonous spiders, but they do have wetas, which are fairly ugly little beasties!