Holiday Seclusion

New Zealander Amanda Jones writes for the Los Angeles Times about the bach, “purportedly evoking ‘bachelor pad,’ although this typically refers to their condition and not the marital status of their occupants.” “On a recent trip home, my family and I decided to spend a week touring the Coromandel Peninsula and the Bay of Plenty,” Jones continues. “I wanted a kitchen, privacy and a place my two daughters could go barefoot 24/7. The obvious answer was a bach at each stop. Our first bach was on the northeast of the peninsula at a secluded, folksy place called Rings Beach. The house had three bedrooms with beachy blue decor, IKEA-style furniture, a modern kitchen and an uninterrupted panorama of waves. It cost $22 a night for all five of us. Here we recovered from jet lag: The hiking was good, the boogie boarding effortless and there was nothing else to do.”