We were looking forward to our stay in Byron Bay as it was to be the relaxing portion of our trip. Vero scored the win with the best spot on Earth…the treehouse was our rental unit along Belongil Beach and it was fantastic. Cabin like feel, hammock, small BBQ on the balcony…it was great. We arrived and immediately headed to the beach (which I thought Vero was joking about it being clothing optional! Turns out I didn’t see anyone partaking in it.) where we walked to town. There is nothing like the ocean and I now know why my parents choose to go back to Gaspe each summer.
It was Spring Break in Byron Bay so there was tons of people there. We walked down the main strip and picked up some kababs to BBQ for the night. On our way back we stumbled onto a drum circle along the beach. I appreciated the lone guitarist but felt she was out of place considering the thundering percussion section. We stayed for a bit and then walked down the beach while the sun set and luckily made it back to Belongil before the tide had completely come. And blocked our way.
We had a lovely feast and chatted while the cold air settled in for the night. There was no Internet at this place which is a jarring but welcome experience.
The next morning there was no real schedule so we woke up late and eventually headed for a walk to the lighthouse on the other side of the bay. It’s a shame that Vero only brought her flip flops (known as thongs) as the trek turned out to be quite the three hour hike up a hill. Fantastic weather, but sore feet after that hike up the hill. Good thing I was in shape for that hike! We heard that Paul Hogan had a spot in Byron Bay so we imagined that we would stumble by his place and he would offer us some lemonade after a long walk.
After the hike we had lunch downtown and headed back to the beach one last time with the boogie board, then leftovers from the night before and relaxing for another evening.
The next morning Vero picked out a nice pair of beach pants from a shop and we hit the road for an afternoon in the airport before heading into Auckland around midnight. Byron Bay was definitely a highlight of the trip because of the great weather and sights and the relaxing time.
