45km of Nude Beach

Photo: Dominion Post, Andrew Gorrie

Chalk another one up for Nude Zealand! It looks like 45km of beach along the Kapiti Coast north of Wellington will be clothing-optional in the near future.

There have been naturists enjoying Kapiti for years, especially on Peka Peka Beach (oh the puns!) which has long been popular with gay men. But if the new bylaws pass, people will not be prosecuted for nudity anywhere on the beach. There will be no specific areas for folks who want to let it all hang out.

Considering the number of families I usually see on the beach during the summer, I expect there will be a certain amount of backlash as people fear their children will be somehow damaged by the "exposure" to human bodies in the buff. But hopefully the local council will stick to their guns and tell the paranoid parents to get over themselves.

I enjoy a good walk along Kapiti's beaches, which are ideal for strolling. Flat, wide and continuing for long stretches without a break, you can practically call a walk on the beach here a day hike! So the question is - will this new rule attract members of the nude hiking community to Kapiti in numbers? Only time, and the summer weather, will tell!