What Does Naturism Mean To You?

Naturism, nudism, skinny-dipping, clothes-free! It might have a lot of names but just one meaning…nude recreation! Non-sexual nudity.

What words would you use to describe what naturism means to you? 

You don't have to use the same words as everyone else - each person and their experience is real and unique to them.

Membership to a club doesn't mean that you're suddenly a naturist. And just because you prefer to only go without clothes at home doesn't mean that you aren't. 

It is not important whether you stroll along a nude beach or garden au naturel with the sun on your skin and the breeze in your hair. 

What is important is the freedom you feel and the benefits - which are numerous - that you discover in your body and mind. 

Why not share the words you would use to describe what naturism/nudism/clothes-free means to you...it might help someone to find their own words of what naturism means to them.

Going back to study...

In an attempt to connect with young people and share with them the joys and benefits of nude recreation and enjoying life naked, I contacted the tertiary organisations in the Auckland area. It's Orientation Week for a lot of these institutions so they are holding events and club information days/expos.

Today, with the help of Rick the Auckland region contact for Free Beaches NZ Inc. we set up a stall at Unitec Institute of Technology and chatted for four hours to students and staff and handed out flyers - starting with 100, coming home with 39.

What was our message? That it's not illegal; that it's beneficial for the body and mind; that it's a great way to unwind; that it brings you close to nature; and so much more. We talked about skinny-dipping and about being able to enjoy the experience at any time in appropriate places - and not just in the middle of the night after you've had a few. And we talked about the mutual respect and understanding amongst genuine naturists. 

The response was wide and varied as I suppose you could imagine. 

There were giggles and sniggers; there was polite consideration and genuine interest; and there were some shocked "goodness no thank you"s and some wouldn't even look at us. But each one left with a smile and a friendly experience.

At one stage in life I would have giggled behind my hand too so have to understand their reactions - especially in front of their friends. But, for lack of another metaphor, the seed has been sown and you just don't know when it will grow. 

We chatted to people of all cultures - from Asian and Indian to Island students. We even got a group of Island boys to hand some flyers out. 

We found the organiser very accommodating and supportive and would love to have us back again. The flyers we came home with will be sent to the student associations of tertiary organisations around the country in the hope they will put them on a noticeboard where even one student might see it and become interested. 

It was a lot of fun and I believe very valuable. 

gonatural Magazine Issue #228 March 2014

The latest issue of gonatural Magazine has been printed and will shortly be on its way to all subscribers around the country, and the world. To subscribe go to http://gonatural.co.nz/gonatural-magazine/ - there is a both printed and digital magazine available.

Here is the editorial direct from the Managing Editor's desk in the just printed next issue of gonatural Magazine:

In this letter, I thought I would deviate from my usual manner of introducing this issue’s features. Mainly because there is such a varied number of interesting items, I couldn’t do them all justice and so decided to just touch on a few. Although I have to say I take my hat off to the 740 plus skinny dippers who broke the world record at Midway Beach in Gisborne. A big thank you to The Edge Radio Network for providing a fantastic cover photo for this issue.

Another amazing milestone was celebrated by June Campbell-Tong, at the Wellington Naturist Club at Te Marua, in November last year. June has clocked up 50 years as a naturist. June, who is our National Secretary, joined NZNF Communications Officer and me for a ‘roadie’ last year to the picturesque Tripp Settlement School grounds where members of the South Canterbury Sun Club welcomed us and several other visitors for their 40th Anniversary party.

Travelling the inland route to Geraldine, we stopped off at Oxford for lunch and the first of our steering group discussions to formulate the NZNF bid to host the INF World Congress 2016 here in New Zealand.

It appears I missed a fantastic Roman Rotota Campout and all the fun and games; chariot racing, ballista (google it), slave auctions and gladiator challenges to name a few.

Now - here we are in February with more fun events being held at many venues around the country, some of which are notified in the What’s On page.

Which reminds me to ask you to send me notification of your forthcoming events. Our visitors would like to know what is happening here in New Zealand and would join you if they saw the information in gonatural.

So now I will leave you to browse at will and read about all the other interesting activities that have been keeping everybody happy in our naturist community.

Kay Hannam
Managing Editor

Skinny-dip Down a Moonbeam

Have you every tried skinny-dipping? How about skinny-dipping down a moonbeam?

Well, this Saturday February 15th, you could try both...weather depending!

It will be a beautiful full moon that rises at 8:04pm on Saturday February 15th and the forecast for much of the country is looking mild if possibly even clear skies.

Why not get a bunch of friends and head to a beach near you, cast off your clothes and swim in the shimmering light the moon casts along the water as it rises above the horizon.

You could continue the Valentine's Day romance from the previous day, have a lovely picnic on the beach while awaiting the moonrise and then slip into the water discovering the magical experience of its silky warmness directly on your skin.

And if you aren't near a beach you could always try a river like this group in the photo on the Wairau River.

This event is promoted by Free Beaches NZ Inc. and more details are available on their website at:
www.freebeaches.org.nz/eventssdmb.htm

And for more information on the benefits of skinny-dipping and naturism go to:
http://gonatural.co.nz/news/1/24/Benefits-of-Naturism/

63rd NZNF Naturist Festival - Rapere, Hawkes Bay 2014/15

Every year the NZNF holds a National Festival to coincide with their AGM.  The festival runs for 7 days from 28 December to 3 January with the host club presenting themed entertainment each day and evening.

The Festival is a chance to reconnect with old friends and to make some new ones…a time to relax and "reboot” enjoying clothes-free recreation together.

This year the 63rd NZNF Festival will be hosted by Hawkes Bay Naturist Club at their grounds in Rapere, Rissington, north of Napier.

Theme:

The theme for the festival this year is "Rapere Film Festival".

The programme will be exciting...as well as a full sports programme, there will be movie-themed nights and outdoor movies, a Casino evening and Blues, Brews & BBQs...it all sounds very interesting doesn't it.  

The organising team is working hard to make this event even more memorable than Hawkes Bay's last NZNF festival - A Taste of the Bay which was in 2011.

The Rapere Film Festival registration form is available now from their website.

For as little as $150 p/person ($140 p/person if paid in full by 31 October 2014) you can treat yourself to a wonderful clothes-free holiday from 28 December 2014 until 3 January 2015 on the tranquil Hawkes Bay Naturist Club grounds.

This is my story...

Recently I received a fantastic email from a reader of this blog in response to my article about attracting the younger generation. The writer gave insight from his own experience and that of his wife, whom he described as a reluctant naturist, about how young people think and what they are looking for - or equally important, what they aren't.

He wrote also about how "women often help other women out" in relation to the reluctant partner and making them feel more comfortable in nude social settings. And it is this point that I would like to take up and tell…my story...for gonatural Week!

Hi, my name is Donna and I am - but haven't always been - a naturist. 

My parents brought me up deeply religious and we went to church, until my mid teens, three times on a Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings as well as youth group on a Saturday. The 12 or so years after that were spent almost as occupied with things Christian - church twice on a Sunday, youth group on a Saturday and music practice (being the church pianist) once a week.

As you can imagine, nude recreation would have been far far from my mind...it just wasn't a concept I was brought up with or even aware of. Televisions and even secular radio stations were frowned upon and we were separated from "the real world" immersing ourselves only with everything church - excluding all else.

My parents were clearly conservative, however around the home, they were always open...neither Mum or Dad hid away their nakedness or showed us that nudity was anything to be ashamed of - but we knew that was okay just for home.

During one family holiday to Cooks Beach (I was about 13 years old) and a day trip to Cathedral Cove our family was joined on the beach by what became apparent as European tourists who, much to my lovely father's horror, proceeded to undress and have awesome fun setting up their picnic, running in and out of the water, and throwing a frisby around. Dad tried to distract the attention of me, and my younger brother and sister...but there is only so much you can find interesting about the Hole in the Rock at that age! That was my first experience with social nudity.

So, fast-forward quite a few years...I'm newly married...we got married in Fiji so this was our wedding and our honeymoon. We organised to go on the Honeymoon Picnic where you get dropped at an isolated island (the one filmed in the movie Castaway) with food for the day, a first-aid kit, and a walkie-talkie in urgent assistance was required. Anyway, this is when and where I found that my husband had no problems going nude outside...and I did. 

After that experience we began going to nude or clothing optional beaches. I was the reluctant partner. Often I would finally be down to my underpants when it was time to leave! Each time however got a little easier...well, mostly it was that I didn't want to let him down by being the party pooper and likely creating a scene by taking so painfully long. My husband had spent time as a teen visiting his father - who was a naturist - even going to the 1979 Gisborne Rally so was quite comfortable without clothes. But he was very understanding and never pushed.

6 years ago we booked to stay at KatikatiNaturist Park for a few nights on our way back home after Christmas and New Year in Napier. Oh the nervousness! I drove the 3 hours there...I just needed to concentrate on something else and take my mind off what I was about to do. I'd warned my husband that I was just going to stay in the cabin and relax and not walk around anywhere with him. However, when we arrived I was truly taken by the place. It really wasn't long at all before we went for our first wander, exploring the grounds, nervously, almost terrifiedly waving at those we passed trying to put on a brave "I'm a seasoned naked person...nothing special to see here" smile. 

A couple of days later there were discussions of buying caravans, making the trip down from Auckland every weekend, and fully buying into the naturist lifestyle they provide. Then within days, of arriving home, we contacted the club we now belong to for a visit, became members and within a couple of months brought a caravan there which we now enjoy...every weekend.

Just being honest, I actually like clothes...even nice clothes. And I'm sometimes, okay often, cold. I don't feel like "oh I can't wait to get these clothes off" all the time!

But, I am no longer reluctant. Naturism and nudity are part of my life and I embrace the benefits I receive in my body, my mind and also in my soul. 

For me, the attraction first probably came with the setting...the privacy and safety of the club...the closeness to nature with native trees, birdlife, and even the weather. From there it didn't take long to realise I actually enjoyed the feel of the breeze on my entire body and gardening or working around the caravan without clothes. The awkwardness of talking to people without my clothes on left quickly - everyone was so genuine and welcoming - and I began to enjoy socialising more with fellow members in the nude. 

Today, my greatest enjoyment comes from introducing people to clothes-free(dom) living so they can experience the joys and benefits it holds for themselves. But I understand, having once been the reluctant partner myself, that it can take time for people to feel comfortable. So allow yourself time to truly experience the freedom and if at first you don't fully relax then give it another go. I'm sure you will soon wonder why you didn't enjoy it sooner. 

For more information and FAQ go to our website: http://gonatural.co.nz/

Day Without Bathing Suits

Almost seven years ago, the Spanish Naturist Federation held the very first Day Without Bathing Suits event and promoted it to all Spaniards and tourists in Spain, to be held on the third Sunday in July. 

The initiative was highly successful and a few years later the 2010 INF World Congress in Italy declared this as an International Day. 

Now you don't need to be told that the third Sunday of July here in New Zealand is always pretty cold indeed. However, the New Zealand Naturist Federation and Free Beaches New Zealand are declaring the Southern Hemisphere equivalent of the third Saturday of January as Day Without Bathing Suits day - the event nicely kicking off our annual national gonatural Week to a great start.

Hence, on Saturday January 18th 2014, go to a beach near you and sunbathe or swim in the nude - without soggy toggys! 

In New Zealand, it is not illegal to be naked in appropriate public places, such as beaches. It is not the lack of clothes that is the issue but the behaviour that goes with it. The New Zealand Naturist Federation and Free Beaches New Zealand fosters your choice of sunbathing with or without swimsuits and want to increase greater acceptance of nudity by the general population. 

We want this to be a day where tolerance and respect to everyone is practised - nudity is an option same as wearing a swimsuit, bikini or going topless - we are all just sunbathers or swimmers.     

If you wish to go to a recognised clothes-free or optional beach, the Free Beaches New Zealand website www.freebeaches.org.nz/noted_beaches.htm has the location of these. 

To find out more about the naturist community in New Zealand and frequently asked questions, check out the New Zealand Naturist Federation website www.gonatural.co.nz.