After a couple more stormy days in Puponga, we headed for our second beach house on the other side of the peninsula. This one was much farther from civilization and as we drove farther and farther over dirt and rock, past muddy little bays with hardly any water, I began to worry. It was at least a 45 minute drive from the main road and even then it was a good half an hour into “town” (Collingwood is tiny, with a population of 250) and I knew this house was supposed to be even smaller than the last one…so I was picturing us stuck out in the bush in a cramped little cottage surrounded by mud. But once we got to the farm it became clear that the long drive was misleading.
It’s easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The beach house is a comfortable little converted shed out in its own nest of hills on the border of a national park. The house has a wood stove/oven, an outdoor bathtub, and a llama pen not far from the front yard.. To get to the private beach it’s just a 10 minute walk through bright green hills, crazy rock formations, palm trees, and herds of sheep before you get to the intensely turquoise water and flat pebble-free sand. When Katie, Tirzah, and I walked up the hill and saw the beach for the first time we could not believe it was 
actually real…that not only was it real but that it was right there
and practically belonged to us for the next few days…we were ecstatic. It’s funny how quickly such a beautiful place can make everyone and everything you miss just slip to the back of your mind.
For the first 24 hours everything seemed pretty ideal, sheep grazing right outside, Katie and Tirzah grilling up burgers on the porch, a kettle heating on the woodstove for tea, absolutely perfect sunset on the water, everybody exploring all the trails on the beach and in the surrounding hills (there are enough to keep you occupied for days), and curling up in the cozy little house at night reading and planning future trips. Katie and I r
ealized that it was the first time we had since stars since October, Christchurch and Nelson were too bright and all our time in Puponga was overcast…they didn’t disappoint, they were amazing stars, stars the likes of which we don’t really see in our hemi
sphere. Unfortunately, by the second day, that the old feeling of needing to flee New Zealand began to seep in; being a introvert at heart and the close quarters (despite my wonderfully solitary walks) have left my nerves a bit frayed and I think (though I’m not positive) that I’m just ready to be home…but that Qantas flight is closer than ever and in the interim I got to kill time in a pretty incredible place.
ealized that it was the first time we had since stars since October, Christchurch and Nelson were too bright and all our time in Puponga was overcast…they didn’t disappoint, they were amazing stars, stars the likes of which we don’t really see in our hemi
sphere. Unfortunately, by the second day, that the old feeling of needing to flee New Zealand began to seep in; being a introvert at heart and the close quarters (despite my wonderfully solitary walks) have left my nerves a bit frayed and I think (though I’m not positive) that I’m just ready to be home…but that Qantas flight is closer than ever and in the interim I got to kill time in a pretty incredible place.
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