New Zealand's best swimming holes, beaches and outdoor pools to visit this summer 27 Dec, 2020 05:16 PM 8 minutes to read By: Ewan McDonald Summer is bliss. Or "Bliss", if your coming-of-age memory is Th'Dudes' gig at the Soundshell. It's the rosy beginning, burnt-orange middle and fading end of the golden weather, when life is a beach, a surf break, lakeshore, swimming hole, whitewater raft-ride, sit-down or stand-up paddle bay; when New Zealand becomes a country of sails. Aotearoa has 15,000km of coastline, which means that each of us gets 3 metres to find a tree, spread out a towel and moor a gently defrosting chilly bin.