Sun, sand and surf: kids' beach party

Laid-back and free-flowing beach parties make for blissful times – for big and little people alike!

Pregnant with her third baby, working a corporate job, moving house and settling two kids into their new kindy meant Katie Hungerford had a lot on her plate. So much in fact, that she was tempted to let her son Noah’s second birthday slide. However, rather than put the party in the too-hard basket she called in the expert, and stylist Renee Currie, of Joy Co kids’ party hire, came to the rescue. “There are seasons in life where you just have to accept you can’t do it all,” says Katie. “I’m all about the village mentality. As busy mums, pretending we can do it all is usually to our own detriment. There are times when you have to admit that you might need some help.”

Katie’s husband Fraser is an avid surfer and, having recently moved from Auckland to Tauranga, the couple loved the idea of a beach party. Noah is a happy-go-lucky, cheeky little guy who loves the beach. “At kindy pick-ups Noah constantly demands that we head to the beach instead of home, so for us it was a no-brainer that we would take his party to the beach,” explains Katie.

Fraser and Katie see birthdays as a chance to bring their friends together. However, they often go a tad overboard with the catering to ensure people are well looked after – “After all, food equals love, right?” – and end up spending all their time in the kitchen. However, Renee took care of that side of things, plus she did all the heavy lifting (because pregnant mamas shouldn’t), setting up the mini trestle tables, cushions, lanterns and the bamboo tee pee.

On party day, the weather was glorious and the beach set-up glowed gold on the sand dunes. “Renee was incredible!” says Katie. “Walking into the party set-up was like walking into a magazine. Most importantly, the kids were thrilled and they went straight for the beautifully laid table full of kid-friendly (and Insta-worthy) treats. The delight on their faces was priceless. Everything looked amazing, the food was great, and Fraser and I were fully able to chill, enjoy the party and catch up with friends without any of the usual party-prep stress.”

Noah’s big sister Maddie adores her little brother and from the moment she knew it was his birthday, she let him know what a special occasion it really was. Four-year-old Maddie took charge at the party and sought out each detail to show him: “Noah, this is your cake!”... “Noah, these are your presents”… “Noah, look at the teepee!”… and directed him, “Noah, you sit here by your cake!”

The kids loved roaming in the great outdoors which meant the usual party mayhem was dispersed. “We have a really small back yard at home, so taking the party to the beach really was a game-changer,” says Katie. “The kids were free to explore and burn off their sugar highs without destroying the house!”

The birthday cake is always a big deal, says Katie, and is usually “weeks in the planning and days in the making”. This time though, Renee organised the cake and personalised cookies through Tauranga company Decadence. “That took away a lot of stress from me,” says Katie. “Besides looking amazing, it was delish!”

All up, it was an easy, breezy beach party that allowed the Hungerfords to enjoy a relaxing afternoon on the beach with their family and friends.