Our first nude beach experience

(Warning: Images may contain nudity.)

Yesterday we went on our coolest hike yet. It was on a track called the Eastern Walkway here in Wellington, and it took us along the coast where the ocean meets Wellington Harbour, and then back (and up and down) through the hills and bush. In just two and a half hours, we traversed rocky coastline, flat grassy areas, sandy beaches, shady, damp forest, and yes, we saw some very nude people. First, a few shots of the scenery...

Jake was convinced he was taller than this plant.

I'm sure there's a story about this totem pole, but I don't know it. The boat in this pic is one of the ferries that goes between the north and south islands. We haven't been to the south island yet, but are definitely looking forward to it.

We saw lots of warning signs about penguins, but didn't see a darn one of them. Maybe our calls ("Here penguin!) scared them away.

<-- Wellington Harbour                        Pacific Ocean -->

Well I see the disclaimer about nudity didn't slow you down, so here's what you've been waiting for. See the arrow pointing at some people-colored pixels? Those are some real live nude folks. There were maybe 10 or 12 of them total, including both men and women. It was a bit strange to walk so close to them. I didn't know whether to give a friendly wave and smile, as is the custom here, or to avert my eyes altogether. Our hike took us down along the beach -- where we kept all our clothes on, in case you were wondering -- and then up to the vantage point you see here. 

We've started planning a few trips in the upcoming weeks. So far, here's what our calendar looks like:

Friday, Feb. 27: Cricket match here in Wellington

Feb. 28-March 2: Fly to Auckland for hiking and beach time

March 7-8: Drive north to Wanganui for camping and jet-boating on a river

March 20-22: Fly down to Christchurch area on the south island for sea-kayaking, thermal springs, and other cool stuff we don't even know about yet, in celebration of Jake's 32nd birthday (March 19) and our one-year anniversary (March 20).