“On a Mish” #434 The Riviera of the South (Part Two). Aparima / Riverton. Southland. 26.4.2025. North of Rakiura / Stewart Island is the South Coast of Te Waipounamu, and a little town called Aparima / Riverton. Some call it the ‘Riviera of the South’ due to its proximity to the Aparima River and its stunning beauty. Walks and views are everywhere and after a visit your eyes will be very pleased. I have been lucky enough to know people down there so I can go visit every now and then, and it is safe to say that my most recent visit was right up there with the best of them thanks to some unseasonably warm weather in the deep south…
A big reason Dan lives where he lives is surfing and by chance the ‘Bells Beach World Surf Champs’ were on in Australia. I know from my experience with skateboarding that if you watch a little on screen you feel an intense need to go out and do what you love. Dan needed a surf and thanks to where he lives, he had many options. Aparima / Riverton has many different beaches to take your board to and Dan decided that ‘Back Beach’ looked best (not packed with people) for the conditions. A short walk from ‘The Rocks’ took us over a small rise and down to a stunning spot with possible surf to shred and very few people. The waves weren’t quite right for surfing, but the warm sun made hanging out there still a good time.
After the surf we returned to Dan’s house for a feed and then a shipping container jam (making music) to see the night out. It was still strangely warm as we all retreated to bed, and the normal pile of blankets usually needed at this time of the year remained folded and unused.
Early-ish the next day Georgie and I were up to see another incredible sunrise, and this one was somehow better than the morning before. A powerful orange glow grew to cover the entire southern sky, and it was great to see so many people out starting their day with a morning walk in paradise. ANZAC Weekend was turning out to be one of the best of the summer / autumn.
The amazing morning was nearly matched by the feed we created for brekkie, and with that our day was underway and we had another stunner to go play in. The weather was as good as it could get for late April and now the big question was ‘what do we do today?’ After watching some more action from the Surf Champs in Australia we ventured out to look for waves. After seeing a few different spots, it was decided that the closest beach to Dan’s house was the one with the best waves, so very convenient!
That evening we headed down to the skatepark for an evening session, and in true Aparima / Riverton form, we had the place to ourselves. That evening, I had one of my longest skates since injuring my hip and back in 2020. I’m guessing it was the epicness of the weekend that helped me along. We had used the best of the weather and our weekend was coming to an end just like the spell of fine weather over the ‘Riviera of the South’.
Early-ish the next morning I was up getting Georgie and myself ready to head back up to Te Anau. It was now pouring with rain, and it was like the place was telling me “You have had enough, and it is now time to go home”. After another epic breakfast it was time to go, and I knew I’d be heading north with a huge smile of satisfaction. Georgie & I had had about as good a time as you can have down south, and the trip acted as fuel to get me back down to Aparima / Riverton for another couple of excellent days in the future…
