Langs Beach

This weekend has been absolutely perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my last weekend in New Zealand. It's incredible to me that I am starting my week of "lasts". My last Packed to the Rafters episode (a new Aussie show addiction), my last Sunday with my host family watching tv and relaxing, my last school week, my last trip. All of these lasts are starting to happen and somehow I feel like my firsts were yesterday. How did 11 weeks go by so fast?

But enough of the depressing! This weekend my family took me to their batch (beach house) at Langs Beach. It's an hour north of Auckland and absolutely gorgeous! The water is bright blue and the waves are huge!! We were worried that the forecast said rain all weekend but waking up Saturday it was GORGEOUS so we headed to the beach! Nick's parents have this red batch with everything you could ever need, including a stunning view of the ocean and a place close enough to hear the roar of those magnificent waves hitting the beach. I don't know if I've ever been more relaxed!

Yesterday Emma and I decided to surf. Yes I said SURF! Nick took us down to give me a personal surf lesson. Tanya was nice enough to catch the humiliation on camera!! It was so nice of him to try to teach me! He joked that he would never take a first time surfer out in these conditions (the waves were literally ridiculous and the tide was in) but I gave it a go and had a blast just riding the board in like a boogie board! I felt cool just holding the surf board and wearing the wetsuit!

That night we went to The Pizza Barn a town over. It was the coolest restaurant and had so much character. We had a delicious meal reminiscing over the last 11 weeks. The highs, the lows and of course the funnies! It was the perfect way to spend the evening. We left the restaurant for the pub to watch the Blues unfortunately lose :( but the evening was still one of the best!

This morning we woke up for a long walk/run along the beach and through the town. It was perfect. Then Nick and Thomas grilled us a delicious breakfast with fried eggs, fried tomato, bacon, toast with speghetti (I'm now a true kiwi for having this! Yum!) and coffee! Then it was off to boogie board! Emma and I had a blast catching waves! It reminded me so much of being a kid again! David and I used to get awful skin burns on our stomachs and forearms from boogie boarding so much in Florida! So fun to be 23 and doing it in New Zealand with my 12 year old host sister! I felt young and loved it!

We headed back to Auckland today but not before hitting Bennett's Chocolates (for the second time) for coffee and chocolate! The perfect end to the best weekend. The rest of the day was spent reading, relaxing and then meeting some family friends for curry and conversation!

I'm absolutely in love with this family, their friends and everything they have shared with me here. I'm not ready to leave them and yet I am ready to be home in some ways. It's such a strange feeling and very much bittersweet. Wish me luck in this last week! In exactly one week I will be in the air flying home. Ahhhh!