TAKAPUNA BEACH DAY ENDS IN HORIZONTAL RAIN AFTER 11 MINUTES OF SUNSHINE
The sausages were still cold. The towels are now in the harbour.
A Mt Eden family's beach day at Takapuna ended in damp surrender on Sunday, eleven minutes after they arrived. The sky went from postcard blue to washing-machine grey without warning.
Organiser Priya Ranchhod, 39, said the forecast had promised 23 degrees and light cloud. "We packed the chilly bin, the boogie boards, the gluten-free buns from that place on Mt Eden Road. Hana at the bakery said it'd be a stunner. Hana was wrong! Hana is dead to me!"
The family had just laid out two picnic rugs and unwrapped the sausages when a wall of rain came in sideways off the Hauraki Gulf. One towel was last seen heading toward Devonport. The boogie boards stayed, mostly because they were sat on by an uncle.
A bystander, Megan from Hauraki, said she'd watched the whole thing from her car. "Saw them set up. Thought, bless. Then the wind turned. Then the rain turned. Then the uncle turned, and he was not happy."
MetService confirmed conditions were "broadly as forecast" if you read the fine print. The fine print mentioned "isolated showers" in a font Priya described as "frankly criminal." The family has relocated to a café on Hurstmere Road, where the sausages are being reheated under duress.
The missing towel has not been recovered. Hana has not returned calls.
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Reader Letters
Garry (Halswell)
Back in my day, we knew how to read clouds better than we trusted forecasts! You never relied on a weatherman for a sunny day.
crazy_cloud_bill
This is exactly what THEY want. Get people to the beach then BAM! Increase the revenue at the local cafes. It’s a conspiracy, I tell ya!
MumOf3_Remorera
Honestly, you can't trust the weather apps. They always say 23 degrees! Just watch the clouds. Some poor mum's always left holding a soggy sausage.
KiwiKayaker99
The real issue is that Auckland's weather changes so fast, you can't plan anything outdoors! I had a kayaking plan that washed out, literally.
sydney_k
Mate, it’s Takapuna. What were they expecting, Bondi Beach? Lol at the uncle sitting on the boogie boards though.
Just_a_thought_Jen
@sydney_k Takapuna's alright if you're prepared! But yeah, that's Auckland weather for you.