Legend, history, remarkable rocks & sandy beaches…

all come together at Castlepoint, where we spent the second day of our weekend away in the Wairarapa. Only a 12 minute drive from our holiday cottage on Tinui Station we packed up the car and set off. We’ve lived in Wellington for over ten year’s but have never made it to Castlepoint. We’ve heard countless stories of its wild beauty. Now we’ve been we understand why it’s such a gem and will definitely be returning soon.

The walk across the boardwalk and up to Castlepoint Lighthouse was absolutely breathtaking (though would have been extremely scary on a windy day!). Fisherman stood out on the huge limestone rocks. From their scenic vantage point we watched them lower their lines directly into deep sea below, without even needing to step foot on a boat. My Mum and I imagined whiling away an afternoon sketching the breathtaking views, but with our little charges keen to explore we made do with photographs.

They bounded on, momentarily taking in the view. A pool of mud held their attention with great glee and they bathed their feet in the cool stickiness. After the walk we headed to the lagoon, where sand-dunes, a shallow pool filled with fishes to chase and plenty of space to run made for a child’s paradise.

On the main beach we whiled away another hour, with Granddad taking to the surf and body boarding his way back in on the waves. Sophie dug holes in the sand, whilst Charli created games in the sand for us to test our jumping skills (I wasn’t doing too much jumping though!). We played frisbee, with Mum saying, ‘Steady on Sarah… we’re not quite ready for baby yet!’ It was the most perfect day at the beach. Castlepoint, we will be back!

For historical information on Castlepoint visit Te Ara