NZ Beaches?

Hi guys, my wife is worried she saw a documentary on NZ which said that NZ beaches (water) are all cold and that NZ is No. 2 in the world as far as shark attacks? Coming from the caribbean the water might see cool to me, buy are there any beaches one can swim comfortably? Thanks... :icon_wink:

I thought the NZ water was warm, and saw many prople frolicking in the waves. But then, I live in an area where the water is a numbing 54F (~12C?), and only surfers in wet suits go into the water.

Are you sure that was on NZ beaches?!

NZ only has sharks on the very top of the north island, and there are very few attacks....

[quote:48a3325c15]During the past 150 years in New Zealand, there has been an average of just 2.6 Shark attacks per decade and only one fatal attack every 13 years! Worldwide, less than 30 Shark attacks have been recorded annually for the past 50 years. Of those, just seven have been fatal.[/quote:48a3325c15]

slightly off topic but still about beaches.
It was gorgeous here on Friday evening and so we went to the Kent Coast. Botany Bay in fact. We'd had a great time, hardly anyone there, it was late, around 8pm. Despite about a million flying ants.
We decided to go walking along the front, to cut a long story short some rotten b******r had partially buried a disposable BBQ in the sand and my son caught it just right to take a chunk out of his big toe. It was quite a deep cut and so we had to leave earlier than planned. :icon_evil: Some people!!!!

So what is it like for litter on NZ beaches? I do remember a lot of driftwood.

Beaches ......

hmmm ....

Wonderful on the east coast of the Nth Island, and the top of the South.

West coast beaches are wild, usually black sand in the Nth island,

depending on where you are a crowded beach may have up to 10 others on it. Shocking but true.

As for sharks, I havn't ever come across one in NZ. However one day whilst body surfing in on a wave in Aussie I looked over and saw a sand shark doing the same beside me. Not suprisingly I carried on out of the water as fast as I could.

Check out the beach cams

http://www.niwa.co.nz/services/cam-era/

http://www.surf.co.nz/

Well we were swimming at Rapahoe beach in Autumn (mid April) the water was a lot warmer than in the UK in summer!! and the water lovely and clear. We were also paddling at Christchurch at the end of April and again the water was a lot warmer than the UK

We popped up to Ninety Mile Beach, just for a look. It was about 17 degrees C, grey and showery, but there were still a couple swimming in the sea. Indeed, we rolled our trousers up and paddled out with the kids ... the youngest soon gave up keeping his clothes dry. The water really did not seem that cold, and it is midwinter here.

::):

You could have popped in for a cuppa driver :icon_lol:

Oh yeah, sorry.

That night seems like ages ago now.

Look at this weather!!! SUMMER!!!! :icon_sad: