We’ve Got You Uncovered - Bottom! - Gonatural

The Manawatu Naturist Club - celebrating their 50th yearThe fledgling club held socials andattended the local sauna (who knewthese were popular way back then?)however they realised that without landthey would not progress. A farmerfriend in the Pohangina Valley gavefree use of his land, including riveraccess.The club was in operation for about18 months before obtaining LakeDowns. Steve spent some timetravelling around the Palmerston Northarea with little success, until he was putin touch with a Mr Murray Wilson whoapparently had land for sale whichcould be suitable. When the two met,Mr Wilson asked what the land was tobe use for, and on being informed it wasfor a Sun Club, he said he was notaverse to that and “there could be anarea of land in Lake Road”. As soon asSteve saw this land he knew it would bejust the place for the Club, and theywere given permission to use the landwhile the terms of sale were beingarranged.The original purchase was 12.5 acresplus a house (for 4,775) with a 5 yearoption on the 5 acres behind. The sale& purchase agreement was signed on 8October 1971.The Maori name is Paparotoiti,meaning Lake Downs. On the groundsat the time besides the house, was adouble car shed, some other sheds andthe corral as this had been part of ashare milker’s run.In July 1974, Council consent wasgiven for the construction of the Pooland sports complex. The pool, which is65 feet by 35 feet (for those of youyoung enough, this is approx. 20m x10m) was, at the time, the largest poolof any of the sun clubs. The main poolarea was excavated in two days by Boband his Hough, 500 cubic yards of sandwas removed to the sandy ridge. Thenew pool contains 80,000 gallons or383.6 cubic metres, of water.The original Club House wasdestroyed by fire on 21 June 1976. TheHimatangi Fire Brigade attended in theearly hours of the morning, in“atrocious conditions” of wind, rain andfreezing cold. The major task was notsaving the club house, long doomed,but preventing the spread of fire.Using water from the drain and thepool this was achieved. A bus wasscorched and the old tractor shed caughtfire but was saved. Some personalproperty was lost.Rebuilding was discussed but therewere no funds at the time, so the Corralwhich was being remodelled, served asa temporary gathering place.September 1978 saw Council consentfor the second toilet block, known as“Clochmerle” (some of us willremember that old TV programme).This is the building we call the mainablution block – maybe we give it it’sold name back?A new tractor shed was noted inNovember 1983 - the old pig sties hadbeen converted for this purpose. In July1985 a tractor mower was purchasedmeaning the shed doors had to bewidened. This meant ONLY 4 hours tomow all the club grounds – note thistoday guys!!The original cost of membership(September 1970) was 6 per unit, and50c entrance fee for new members.In July 1973 it was suggested 400 pinetrees be planted and then sold off forXmas trees in 5 years time.The pine trees that the early membersplanted were harvested in 2015 putting aconsiderable sum into the Club’s coffers.The club has now replanted the backarea and planted Xmas Trees in the longacre beside the drive – thanks to Colinfor his work on this project.There has been a lot of ongoingmaintenance on the buildings. In 2002club house had no ceiling – really coldin winter. Generous donations frommembers to help purchase the Pinexenabled the ceiling to be installed – andwhat a difference it has made.The second ablution block‘Clochmerle’ was given a renovation in2007, luckily the club had a memberwho was a professional builder.The club has some members nowliving on the grounds. Back in 2003there were three couples living there,who for various reasons, moved away.However now there are three couplesand one single member living there, withthe prospect in the near future of anothertwo couples moving in. The club thinksthis is great – it makes their piece ofparadise really welcoming to anyvisitors.Speaking of which, a lot of people arecoming to visit these days. The club hasa reputation for being a lovely place,with very friendly people so keep it upteam!!Like all clubs, they owe a huge debt ofgratitude to the original members whostarted the club. Those early membersworked extremely hard to landscape thegrounds, install the pool (the jewel in thecrown), and build up the wonderfulamenities they have today.AccommodationOriginally there were no baches onthe grounds – the original house wasused. Eventually power points were putin and even back in 1972, meters weresuggested to record the power used bycaravans. Trolley buses were brought tothe grounds in 1973.The Club has hosted three nationalrallies - I hope I have the dates right.1983-84 – Frog theme1988-89 – Indians; the totem polefrom this rally was still in place outsidethe main toilet block in 2002;unfortunately it had to be removed as ithad become unstable.1993-94 – CowboysThe report from the 1988-89 Rallyends with: “Five days into the rally, hadthe question been asked ‘will you doanother rally’ the answer would havebeen a very firm no. Now, as time hasCongratulations, Manawatu, ongone by, the answer could be ‘maybe’ achieving this milestone and on being abut with not making the same mistakes successful, thriving club. Wendy Loweagain.”gonatural: April - May 2021 - Page 5

Rokking the fieldA brilliant day, yesterday, walking the loop tracks aroundthe Ed Hillary Hope Reserve, near Raglan. Many thanks toKeith, Julian, and the six other folks from Waikato OutdoorSociety for having me join them for the hike. A fairly challenging climb to the summit, but a most exhilarating place tobe! Time for a relax and a bite to eat for lunch before thesteep descent. A group of clothed people passed us andwaved out just as we set off back down the track. A coolswim in the WOS pool was the perfect end to the day! RokCatching upI took a recent opportunity to drop in on Andrew to have achat about his hopes for the website he's set up: haurakinaturally.nz, which after a year or so, has accumulated around60-odd locals. Andrew (aka Rok) is an amiable contemporary of mine, living in a farmlette at the bottom of the Hauraki Gulf, with a flat-mate, Peter. They generally welcomevisitors (although not during the period of June to October,when their animals take precedence).Some years ago, in Auckland, Rok helped Joe Zalucki setup the Lets Get Naked group and he saw there, first hand,that having lots of 'site members' didn't necessarily translateinto lots of people turning up to your outdoor events! So,apart from setting up the site itself, his Facebook-stye adjunctis a MeWe.com group on that platform called: Hauraki Naturally (naturally!).That's why Andrew via his site (and group) makes a fewrequests of those who join, which are centred on ensuringactive, genuine, naturist participants - but with no caveats fora 'gender balance'. His experience of the 'numbers game' reflects mine as the first Wellington liaison person for theAuckland-based Free Beach Group, during the 70s and 80s.(I had up to 130 locals on my list to phone during the morning, when I felt the weather was looking good for a day atBreaker Bay, for example; but it was quite rare to see morethan 8-10% actually turn up, that afternoon!)At present Andrew has established personal contacts withboth the Auckland Council and the North Shore police - buthe only has a few members attending Pohutukawa Bay - Iremember a similar situation at Papamoa Beach in the earlydays when the police and Tauranga Council sought help fromthe local beach goers but our local membership was reluctantto step forward. (An exception was the Federation-alignedGraham Macgregor, who did come to the fore - and is stillthere for us.)Given that Andrew's preference is for those joining his siteto demonstrate their commitment in various practical ways, Ilook forward to see those joining this site, to be really activein demonstrating that commitment to Naturism out in thefield - rain or shine!John Lowegonatural: April - May 2021 - Page 6

WNC - from aboveIn the middle of last January, Wellington member Blair Hinton, promised us a unique photo-shoot.First up (did you guess?): Blair arranged us into the form of a Kiwi! Yes, I can see myself! (Third from the left in the top line.)I note there is another unanticipated history in this shot: the two places the club had originally established their tenniquoits(right) and volleyball (left & centre) courts. In both cases, both the original positions and the later positions are clearly indicated (above right, for the tenniquoits, centre & left for the volleyball). The movements were needed as the club membershipexpanded, during earlier days.Judging by the length of time taken to first, examine Antony East’s drone pictures, then adjust some relevant bodies to closerresemble the Kiwi outline, I have now an enlightened empathy for those in the design industry trying to perfect their form ofour national icon, for the various exploiters!gonatural: April - May 2021 - Page 7

A North Island sojournMore places to be -- South IslandLast month, on my way back fromvisiting Rok (Hauraki Naturally) Idropped in at the Waiotapu Centre. Itwas shut! (Never seen it shut before:must have been Covid-19.) So I stoppedat the stream, 500m down the road.About 10am, no one there. Clothes off,into it. Around half an hour later I hear afemale voice, “Are you naked? If youare then I’m getting naked too!”“Good,” was all I could think of saying.Marble Hills RetreatCampingPalmerston!JohnOn leaving I asked, “Can I get your picture?”HBNC’s Sports weekendThe photos this month are from Hansincluding a reminder from yesteryear ofthe joys of the Art Deco Weekends.HansAre you looking for naturistfriendly accommodation in NorthOtago?Steve and Shelli Mears areoffering a range ofaccommodation from farm-staybed and breakfast to tent andcamper sites on their small farmright beside SH1 north ofPalmerston in Otago.Despite it’s handy location thehouse offers a very privatesetting with a large gardensurrounded by trees and farmland which is well suited to thenaturist lifestyle. Visitors arewelcome for overnight or longerstays by arrangement.Steve and Shelli are activemembers of Southern Freebeaches and keen to host othernaturists and share their idylliclocation and self-sufficientlifestyle.Steve and Shelli can be contactedat steveandshelli@xtra.co.nz orby phone on 027 221 8500.HansMarahau!On a 1000 acreproperty, a retreatfromthemodernlifestyles - to campingas it used to be:surrounded by nature.Our property is aworking lifestyle farmsituatedashortdistancefromthepopular Abel TasmanNational park in aquiet valley with lots ofwild-life, tracks forhiking or maybe somemountain biking.The higher parts ofthe property offer viewsof Tasman Bay.Although the camp istextile the rest of theproperty offers plentyof secluded areas forthe naturist lifestylePh (03) 527 8212email:kmfry51@gmail.comLocation: 78 Moss RdMarahau, MotuekaNZMCA discounts applyHosts: Michael &Elaine FryHansgonatural: April - May 2021 - Page 8

Spending Time Naked With Strangers Can Improve Body ImageNew research finds that communal nudity can help people appreciate their bodies.Nudism is a practice - and some- and respect at all times” and they were essarily the best approach for everyone.told that offensive, inappropriate, and However, for those who are open to trytimes a lifestyle - that centersharassing behaviour would not be toler- ing it, spending more time naked justaround non-sexual public nudity. ated.might offer some psychological benefits.As someone who grew up in theJustin J. Lehmiller Ph.D.After the study, participants completedUnited States, I learned very early a survey that included a measure of bodyFeb 03, 2021on in my life that this was taboo. appreciation. Participants had also com- ReferenceWest, K. (2020). I Feel Better Naked: ComWhenever nudism was discussed pleted a body appreciation survey before munal Naked Activity Increases Body Appreby Reducing Social Physique Anxior portrayed in the media, it was the socialization activity so that re- ciationsearchers could test for a potential ety. The Journal of Sex Research.always the butt of the joke (punchange in responses.intended). The impression I gotWhat they found was that, for partici- Here: a précis of Dr West’s previous research.was that no “normal” personpants in the naked condition, body im- Want to Be Happier?age was significantly more positive atwould ever do this and that justTake Your Clothes Offbeing naked in front of other peo- the end of the study than it was in the Ever let it all hang out on a nudebeginning. For those in the control conple is wrong, pathological, anddition, there was no significant change beach? There’s a reason those people areperverted.all smiles: Being naked around otherin body image.However, research tells us thatFurther, they found that “social phy- people might make you happier, accordgetting naked with strangers in a sique anxiety” (anxious feelings about ing to a new study from Goldsmiths,safe setting probably isn’t harm- the way others look at your body) was University of London.Researchers surveyed 849 people, andlower for those in the naked condition,ful. In fact, contrary to all of theand that this accounted for the increase found that those who had spent time innegative assumptions and stereo- in body image reported by these partici- the nude outdoors or with other people types about nudism, there justsorry, your girlfriend or family doesn’tpants.In other words, communal nudity count - reported they were happier, feltmight be some benefits to it.Could spending time naked improvehow people feel about their appearanceor help them to appreciate their bodiesmore?This paper presents the results of thefirst-ever randomized controlled trial ofcommunal nudity. Specifically, 27 menand 24 women were recruited in Londonfor an experiment in which they would“hang out” with others and, if desired,drink wine.Participants were randomly dividedinto two groups. In the control condition, participants were told that “all youhave to do is enjoy yourself in the company of the other participants.” In thenaked (experimental) condition, participants were told to “(1) enjoy yourself inthe company of the other participantsand (2) do so naked. All participants areexpected to disrobe for this part of theexperiment.”Note that this study was approved by auniversity ethics committee, the possibility of nudity was mentioned on theinformed consent document, and participants were repeatedly told that they hadthe option of withdrawing at any time. Inother words, people freely chose to takepart in this study and they didn’t have todo anything they weren’t comfortabledoing.Participants in both conditions werefurther instructed to create a safe spaceby treating everyone else with “dignityseemed to make people feel less anxiousabout how others viewed their bodieswhich, in turn, made them appreciatetheir own appearance even more.Please note that this was a small studyconducted in the UK with an almost allWhite sample, so we need to be mindfulof the limitations. Thus, we shouldn’tassume that these results would necessarily generalize to other persons andcultures. Also, it’s possible that thisstudy selected for those who had moreexperience with public nudity, or morewillingness to try it in general, so theymight not be representative of thebroader population.That said, these findings suggest thatcommunal nudity - when it occurs in asafe space - has the potential to improvebody image. This is an important findingbecause we know that negative bodyimage is related to a number of problematic outcomes, including several mentalhealth issues (e.g., depression, eatingdisorders), as well as sexual and relationship difficulties (e.g., avoidance ofsex with one’s partner). Interventionsthat improve body image therefore havethe potential to offer a number of positive downstream effects, although weclearly need more research to demonstrate this definitively.Of course, this isn’t to suggest thatcommunal nudity is the only way to improve body image or that nudity is nec-better about their bodies, and had higherself-esteem than those who didn’t shedtheir clothes.Then they did two more experiments,but this time they talked to people beforeand after they participated in an actualnudist event. The results were similar:Study participants reported improvements on those same wellbeing measures afterwards.“What we found was a very good correlation, that generally, if you did theseactivities, the longer you did them andthe more frequently you did them, thehappier you were about all of thesethings,” explains study author KeonWest, Ph.D., in a video produced by theuniversity.What’s more, seeing other people naked predicted a more positive body image than being seen naked by others, thestudy authors wrote. And no, it’s notbecause you get to stare at a bunch ofbutts.According to one participant, seeingother people with “normal, not perfect”bodies helped ease the insecurities theyfelt toward their own.So while more research needs to bedone to confirm exactly why nuditycould make us happier, the findings havethe potential to help those with bodyimage problems in the future, West exAlisa Hrusticplains.gonatural: April - May 2021 - Page 9

Berwick Lodge 2021 ‘The Naked Discovery’With hours of winding our way throughthe maze of water channels, the adventurous naked team of Free Beach kayakerscan hear the crashing sound of a fabledOtago waterfall, yet to be discovered!Adventure leader Paul (SNC) finally ledthe yellow paddling team into a beautifuloasis of silver ferns with the most magnificent waterfall.Why were we even here? Southern FreeBeach once again pulled off a fantasticnaturist weekend at Berwick Lodge in theforest not far south of Dunedin, attractingadventurers from Kapiti to Buff, oopsBluff. The theme for this annual FBevent is definitely fun – on the flying fox,the lake, confidence course, the manyforest walks, playing kubb, and watchingHuffin ‘n Puffin trying to hoist a flag!Actually, its the tribe of naturists whomake this weekend so much fun, andmany travel vast distances with familiesin tow. Big thanks to the organising teamand cooks, and the musical entertainers,and the Mayoress of quizzes Oh, back to the story – we named it the‘Berwick Waterfall’ because we have noimagination for naming things, butagreed never to tell of its location in caseit became a serious tourist attraction withjet boats and paddle steamers – you knowhow it is in Otago right? We didn’t eventake any photos of it, but that was reallybecause we had no pockets for cameras :)See you all there again next year,All photos: Jeremy Kellehergonatural: April - May 2021 - Page 10

There’s a Life Drawing day atWellington Naturist Club on Sunday25th April - 11am-3pm.Bring some lunch. Bring your own artmaterials if you like, or you can usesome that are provided. Come to draw ifyou like; model if you like, or swapbetween the two.We draw outside on fine days andinside otherwise - from 11am until 3pm,but you’re very welcome to come earlyand stay on and use the facilities. At3pm the club puts on afternoon tea foreveryone who's around, so feel free tojoin in that too.For non-members, the usual visitor feeis halved for all attending the lifedrawing so: just 10. Members are free.There's the wonderful club groundsand facilities that you're welcome to use:a full kitchen, BBQ facilities, swimmingpool, spa, sauna, table tennis, hugegrounds, eels to feed, bush walks etc.Make a day of it if you like.On the days of life drawing at the club,the only time anyone is obliged to wear'club uniform' is if you're modelling forthe life drawing, or you’re using thespa/sauna/pool. Otherwise just wear - ordon't wear - what you like. No need tobook - just turn up & enjoy the day.Wellington Naturist Club, 20 MolloysRd, Te Marua, Upper Hutt 5018. To bebuzzed in when you get to the gate, callthe club mobile: 027 330 6212.There'll be monthly life drawing atWellington Naturist Club month duringthe warmer months with the last one onApril 25th (until later in the year).Thinking about visiting Rotota Sun Club this autumn? Not Banned!The period for guests visiting Rotota SunClub has been extended until Queen’sBirthday weekend. Please book using theforms on our website (www.rotota.co.nz)Keep an eye out for May accommodationspecials. The lakeside hot tub o

7 Lady Godivas 11 Berwick 2021 10 Cyclists bare all 13 WNBR Waitati 14 Club adverts 15 Roger & Naomi from Tokoroa, let me know that they’d arrived at HBNC for the weekend. The local kids were very happy to join in too! gonatural: April - May 2021 - Page 2