Kiwis romantic summer holidays to remember forever

Jeremy Elwood and Michele A'Court on holiday in Rarotonga.

Whether it's a person, a place or a special memory that makes it so, summer is easy to fall in love with.

BRODIE KANE

I have a recurring love affair every summer. It's not like I forget about it in the colder months, I pine for it all year. I actually believe it's an obsession. I used to think it was totally normal but now I'm not so sure — I don't know many people who spend the entire day with it, for days on end. I spend every moment I possibly can with it, and when I'm not around it I get anxious. The thing is, it's not a person. It's the beach. If it's possible, I think I fall in love with it more and more every year. There's something about walking it, catching a wave at it, dozing on it, drinking a beer on it, throwing a stick to the dog at it, running along it, and coming home and having the sand still on your feet and the salt on your skin. It's the best summer relationship really, it's always there and it never

gets sick of me (so I'm led to believe . . . ).

● Brodie Kane is the new co-presenter on The Hits Christchurch breakfast show, alongside Dave Fitzgerald.

Brodie Kane.

LUKE PATRICK

Christmas last year was my first trip back home (South Australia) after getting my Shortland Street gig. My Dad, brother-in-law and I went to Coorong Beach, south-east of Adelaide, which is where I'm from. It's a great place to surf and fish. This day in particular was just perfect, the weather was perfect, the company was great and it was just filled with laughter. The sunset that day was beyond anything I'd seen before. The only noise I could hear was the waves crashing in front on us. It was the perfect moment. Dad came and sat next to me, put his hand on my shoulder and said "How magical is this?" And then he went on to tell me how proud him and Mum were of me and all my achievements thus far — it was so heart-warming to hear. I will cherish that day and that moment for years to come.

● Luke Patrick plays Frank on Shortland Street.

Luke Patrick.

MICHELE A'COURT

The last time my husband and I went to the Cook Islands, I came home pregnant with a book. This was unplanned. But you know how it is when you're on holiday.

Rarotonga has been seducing me for years. I travelled there solo some 20 years ago — a brief fling, but memorable. I loved the way it smelled — frangipani on hot air — and admired its looks. Lush greenness, sparkling blueness — handsome, but not stuck up about it. Makes you feel beautiful, too, just by being in its presence.

We've visited as a family many times since — daughter mucking about with local kids, husband and I doing grown up things like napping and pretending to read. These past few years, I've fallen in love with the taste of it. Fresh coconut and pawpaw for breakfast, ika mata for lunch, and hunts for the best key lime pie.
● Michele A'Court's new book is due for delivery in April 2018. How We Met is a collection of stories about how real people fall in love.

PETER URLICH

It was 2007 and my old band Th' Dudes had reformed a year earlier, 26 years between gigs. We had such a brilliant national tour that we decided to do it again, this time around the legendary summer resorts, including The Mount, Coromandel, New Plymouth and Nelson. We called it The Summer of Love Tour. Sold out wherever we went and of course the crowds were totally in let-your-hair-down party mode due to the festive season and balmy weather. I can remember one particular night, when we were performing our final song, Bliss. Hundreds of punters, most of them in their beachwear, were belting out the lyrics so loudly that we just stopped playing and soaked it up. It was a moment that we realised we had the priceless ownership to songs that were made and "lived" right here in Aotearoa. It was sadly also the last time Th' Dudes original line-up, with dear friend Ian Morris, would ever perform onstage.

● Peter Urlich is a New Zealand musician, DJ and entertainer.

Peter Urlich. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

GARETH STEWART

The first time I came to New Zealand was in 1997. I'm from the UK, and in London I met all the Kiwi guys who are now my best friends — they basically stole me. One of my friends has a place on Kawau Island at Vivian Bay, and we all went over there when I first got to New Zealand. It was a holiday of firsts for me — using a chainsaw, fishing off the rocks, diving for scallops, building naked fires and cooking your catch at the end of the day. I'd never done any of those things before, and it was just magic. It's the type of place where your shoes come off when you get there, and they stay off for the week. I've been back there a number of times since and I just love it; the holiday romance is definitely still strong.

● Gareth Stewart is executive chef for The Nourish Group, whose restaurants include Euro and the Jervois Steak House.

Gareth Stewart and son on Kawau Island.