The real life stories of a social naturist
Country Experiences
Apart from the occasional midnight swim or mountain stream skinny dip, my wife and I had never practised naturism. It started in Southern Mozambique, when we were on a dhow cruise tour of the Inhambane estuary in crystal clear tropical waters under a blazing sun. The three Mozambican boatmen, physically well built sailors of the local waters wore only warps around their waists. The dhow stopped at Pansy Island, a sand island only visible at high tide. The tour group of 14 disembarked and went left in search of pansy shells. My wife and I looked at each other considering the heat, the humidity, beauty of the location and the opportunity. We went right. Pansy Island is flat without the cover of vegetation or sand dunes. We both stripped down in full view of the unconcerned Mozambican boatmen and walked along the sand in the glory of our nakedness. The rest of the group noticed and continued with their shell hunting, leaving us alone to enter the clear tropical sea waters of the estuary for a refreshing swim. It felt so natural and normal to do so irrespective of the eyes and opinions of the semi-naked black boatmen and the rest of the tour group. We sun dried as we walked back to the Dhow getting dressed only when near the boat. The boatmen, who had probaly also once swam naked in this idylicc location approved, members of the tour group expressed their verbal consent almost saying that they wished that they had the courage to have joined us in your naturist adventure on Pansy Island.
New Zealand
Wahiki Island Little Palm Beach
West Coast Beaches: Pahia
Lake Tapo 5 Mile Beach
Katikai Caravan Park
Long Beach Russell Maori family
Waitata Bay
Also known as Donkey Bay, this is the closest to an official naturist beach in Northland. It is about 2 kilometers from Russell in the Bay of Islands. There is also naturist accommodation, the Waitata Bay Naturist Retreat, close by.
Uretiti Beach
This is the best-known and most accessible nude beach in Northland, and one of the most popular in New Zealand. It is close to the main highway, just to the north of Waipu and about 40 kilometers south of Whangarei pronounced Fangareri as I was told). The beach itself is part of the long sweep of Bream Bay, from Marsden Point at the entrance to Whangarei Harbor to Langs Beach. There is a DOC campsite at the entrance to the beach. The accepted clothing optional section of the beach is reached by walking to the right for a couple of hundred meters. With views directly out to the Hen and Chicken Islands and the Whangarei Heads in the distance, this is a lovely place to enjoy on a summers day.
Palm hot water springs
The Katikati Naturist Park is the most upscale naturist resort in New Zealand. Although it is by no means 5-star (and there are no cafes or restaurants on site) it does offer the opportunity to be clothes-free is a comfortable and friendly environment. This can best be described as a holiday park/campsite with some upscale facilities. The Park is located near Katikati in the Bay of Plenty, North Island. It is approximately two hours drive south from Auckland or half an hour north of Tauranga. When leaving Katikati on the main road heading south look out for Wharawhara Road on the right. One kilometer down that road, and on the left hand side, you will see a prominent sign identifying the park’s entrance. The Park is in a delightful and secluded spot, in a sheltered valley and with a stream running across the southern boundary. The grounds are well maintained and there are pleasant walks throughout the property. As you would expect from a holiday park, there are sites available for tents, caravans, camper vans and motorhomes. There are also caravans for rent and a range of self contained units, some of which have their own showers, kitchens and toilets.
The most upscale of these is a newly-built two-bedroom motel unit which is very well appointed. At only $100 per night (peak summer season) this probably represents the best value motel unit in the country, clothed or not! The facilities at the Katikati Naturist Park are truly outstanding, and much more than you would get at your average holiday park. The owners have certainly gone to a lot of effort to make this an enjoyable place to stay. In addition to communal shower, washing and cooking blocks for those not staying in self-contained units, the facilities include: Large swimming pool: This is surrounded by a nice grassy area for sunbathing and relaxing. Spa Pools: There are two spa pools, semi enclosed within a pergola. Sauna, Mini Golf, Pool Table, Table Tennis (ping pong), Trampoline, Petanque, Outdoor Chess Wireless internet
There are no eating places on site, or even a store where you can purchase supplies. However, Katikati town is only 3 kilometers away and it has a supermarket and a few cafes and takeaway bars. If you’re not wanting to self-cater and you feel like a nice meal out, however, you won’t find Katikati very inspiring. The best option for a good restaurant is to travel through to Tauranga. The Katikati Naturist Park has a very friendly atmosphere. It is a great place to meet interesting people from all over the world, as it does seem to attract quite an international crowd. Guests tend to be of all ages; they are predominately couples although there are often families there as well. However if you just wish to stick to yourself that is perfectly fine too. The owners have been careful to ensure there are no unsavory elements by having a few rules. Firstly, this is not a clothing-optional resort; although being naked is not mandatory (apart from in the pool, spas and sauna), it is expected unless the weather is bad. However, there is no pressure for newcomers to strip until they are comfortable with the idea – which for most is sooner than they think it would be!
Obviously the best time to enjoy the Katikati Naturist Park is over the summer months. However, the Park sits in a sheltered spot that has its own microclimate. As a result it is pleasant at any time of year. And if it gets a bit chilly there’s always the hot spa to warm up in. If you wish to visit in the height of summer (especially January) it is wise to book ahead. This is a popular place and it can often be full in January. At other times, booking is not essential, but it is advisable, particularly for the motel unit.
Europe
Hungary: Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton in Hungary is reputedly the largest fresh water lake in Europe. We have been fortunate to have visited this lake on several occasions, in different seasons. One can drive right round the lake (77km) and there is a well maintained cycle track around the lake that is well used. Lakeside towns and developments dot the lakeside and the tourist is well catered for. I have always enjoyed the serenity of the lake.
Perhaps it is the milkiness of the water, the gentle lapping of the waters edge, the morning mist that shrouds the lake, the birds that fly low over the water, the swans that are always gliding past as well as the relaxed holiday mood that is constantly prevalent. Somehow, to me, Lake Balaton is better than any tranquiliser, and indeed an ideal location for two naturist camping sites. The one is on the north bank and the other on the south bank. Now there is a story told in Hungary about how bad the drought is and the lack of rain. In one particular season they said the drought was so bad that Lake Balaton was down 1 metre on the north shore and down 2 metres on the south shore!
We camped for three nights at Bereny Naturist Camp on the north shore and apart from just chilling out in the nude we used the camp as a base to explore the vicinity. We were fortunate to get a campsite for our campervan on the edge of the lake and conveinently close to the communal ablution block. My wife went to brush her teeth in the unisex bathrooms one morning and when she returned she said it was an uplifting experience to be treated as an equal as she had a naked man on either side of her as she brushed her teeth. She said it was strange to a naked female to have two naked men on either side of you shaving. I said
“It would have been an uplifting experience for your two neighbour men if you had decided to shave your nether regions that morning.” My wife said it was also strange not to be able to talk with these two men due the diverse languages of Eastern Europe.
The lawned campsite had well established trees to provide shade for caravans and tents as well as naturists who wanted to get out of the sun. Two wooden piers were built out into the lake that expanded to large wooden sunning decks once in deeper water. Steps from the end of the deck took swimmers into deep lake water without having to wade through the mud and aquatic weed of the shallows. Now these decks, being the ideal sunning location, were usually covered in towels and naked bodies. Due to the confined area of the deck we found that often we were lying closer to a neighbouring naturist than we did with our partner in the matrimonial bed.
Everyone was there to get a tan or read, all done in silence. It was most tranquil. The tranquility of the occasion was broken by a young Italian looking naturist who was verbosely intent on fishing from the end of the deck. His wife or girlfriend preferring to lie on the lawns in the shade of the trees, probably to be away from her excitable partner. He ran back and forth on the pier consulting with his partner which lure or bait to use, this done with much gesticulating he consulted with her as to how far into the lake he should cast. Can you imagine the excitement, shouting and arm gesticulation when he caught a fish. He ran naked, screaming down the dock causing it to rock. He shattered the ambience of the mornings sunning much to the amusement of us other tanning/reading naturists. He was indeed a hyperactive, well tanned, well endowed dark haired young Italian man who appealed to all the women folk with his boundless energy and enthusiasm for fishing. We nicknamed him “Pedro the fisherman.” He was on the dock every day determined to catch as many fish as he could.
Camping Basko Polje
Although not a naturist campsite, this Croatian campground was located right above a naturist or FKK beach on the Adriatic Sea. The campsite is located about eight kilometres from the town of Makarska which is the tourist centre of the Makarska Riviera. The campsite built during the communist era has those large functional concrete structures devoid of any architectual aesthetic. It is set among pine trees that evidently the Romans used to harvest for pine pitch to seal boats. From the camp it is an easy 300m walk to the beach. The Makarskan Riviera claims to be one of the sunniest areas of the northern part of the Mediterranean boasting more than 2,700 sunshine hours per year. Well we can vouch for the sunshine as we had glorious sunny weather the duration of our stay.
Walking from the camp the path winds along the top of a twenty foot cliff with the sandy beach below. As the cliffs receed the path drops down to the beach. At the entrance to the beach there is a well used volley ball court. The textile beach users go to the right whereas the naturist or FKK beach is to the left. There are no sign boards but it is visually obivious a virtual line in the sand. The beach volley ball court is the unspoken divide. With these parameters would it not be interesting to have a textile versus nudist beach volley ball game with each team keeping to their respective, respected sides, Tex to the right, Nat to the left?
With the cliff as a backrest and place to put ones clothes out of the sand we would spread our towels and sunbake on the white sand, aware, but unconcerned about the passing pedestrians on the path above who had an unobstructed view of the naturist beach and its occupants. Due to a long period without rain the sea was crystal clear with fish swimming among and around us. We also enjoyed the high saline content of the sea as it was so bouyant that we bobbed to the surface and floated .
We came down to the beach most mornings returning on the path to camp to get some lunch. Before setting back to camp we reluctantly would get dressed and head back up. One day on our return walk there were four girls, all about eight years old. who had ridden their bicycles along the concrete path above the naturist beach. They had stopped and were gathered in a group looking down at the well occupied beach. The girls did not see us as we walked towards them as they were engrossed at what they saw below. They were pointing and discussing the various naked body forms. Although we could not understand the language they were speaking we could just imagine the conversations among these eight year old girls.
“Look at that old woman!”
“Whoa that man has a big one”
“She’s got a super tan”.
You should have seen the blushes when they realised we were upon them and needed to pass on the path. Was this a regular cycling site seeing trip for this giggle of girls? Certainly enriching their anatomy knowledge and broadening their outlooks. Would they eventually become naturists and occupy this beach? We laughed as we walked away from the embrassed girls, hopefully breaking the tension.
Valalta Naturist Camping
NATURIST CAMP VALALTA
The Valalta Naturist Camp was established at the end of the 1960s on the tame slopes stretching along the northern coast of Rovinj. During its four decades of existence, the camp’s name, Valalta, has become a synonym of unquestionable quality among lovers of this sensitive tourism branch. This unquestionable quality is primarily manifested in the plethora of high-standard services, continuously enhanced in accordance with the special needs of the camp’s loyal guests. The authentic Mediterranean environment that this naturist complex is deeply immersed in and whose beneficial features it preserves, creates an irresistible desire to return. The immediate vicinity of an exceptionally clean sea, which allows you to walk into the sea at any moment and from any accommodation section of the complex, in combination with highly maintained green areas will spoil even the most demanding guest.
Situated between the coastal towns of Porec and Rovinj on the Istrian pennisula
Croatia:
This naturist beach is located near the charming fishing village Mlini and neighbouring resort of Srebreno, between Dubrovnik and Cavtat. The naturist beach with its own restaurant, is in a secluded bay five minutes by boat from Mlini. A small pebble beach and facilities out of concrete. Mostly rocky, with a small shingle beach
Walking along road Camping Politin
France
Spain: Estepona Costa Natura
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