Before Glenne Findon and Colin Basire had even kissed, they had already seen each other naked hundreds of times. While that may sound odd, for this couple it was completely natural in more ways than one – they fell in love through a shared passion for naturism.

'We were both naturists, which was good, because it's hard to find someone else interested in it,' Glenne explains. 'If you meet someone and tell them you are a naturist, they might be put off.'

'But we were lost souls with similar interests,' Colin chimes in.

Nude enthusiasts since the '70s, the duo came into it separately, but in 2007 Glenne had an accident resulting in surgery. Weeks later, her partner died. Recently widowed Colin, her 'knight in no armour', nursed her to health, and they have been inseparable ever since.

'With us, it was perfect. Nursing a fellow naturist is a lot easier than anyone else because we have no problems with nudity, and I could help her in the shower without any bother.

'Better the devil you know,' Colin adds with a chuckle.

The pair met through naturism four decades ago, and went their separate ways with their own partners. But when their spouses both passed away, destiny brought them back together again.

'When you meet people through the club you are friends for life. That's how we got together,' Colin reveals.

'It's a great leveller. Once you have no clothes on, you're all the same. People get hung up about the idea that people are going to stare at them, but no one does. It's normal for us,' Glenne explains.

Glenne is now the communications officer for the New Zealand Naturist Federation. But while you couldn't tell it today, she wasn't always so forthright with her stance on living completely starkers.

'In the early 1970s my husband at the time had friends at the Bay of Plenty Sun Club who invited us to a beach weekend. I wasn't keen because I was quite shy,' the vivacious 60-year-old says.

'There was no pressure to undress, but I thought, "What the hell." The feeling of the wind, sun and sea on your naked body was fantastic, and from then I was hooked.'

While Glenne became more open with her passion for no fashion, 66-year-old Colin was a bit quieter with his outings to Sun Clubs.

'In the 1970s you didn't tell anyone, but I've always liked the freedom of taking your clothes off. So when the Waikato club had an advert in the paper, I asked my wife if she wanted to do it. She was hesitant but went along. Just as I was thinking about getting my gear off, she was already naked,' Colin says.

He went on to bring up his two sons in the naturist community, but lost touch with the organisation when his wife Robyn became ill.

'When my wife died six-and-a-half years ago, I joined with the Hawke's Bay club again for friendship,' he says.

Now they have found one another, Glenne and Colin are extremely passionate about their alternative life choice.

'It's very healthy, and it's a great lifestyle,' Colin says. 'Generally people are not shocked but intrigued when we tell them what we do.'

For Glenne in particular, the change in her confidence has been enormous.

'A lot of women feel scared because they think their body is not good enough. But nobody's perfect, and you realise everyone's not airbrushed models,' she says.

New Zealand has more than 20 clubs that are open all year, and usually have sporting facilities and swimming pools. As a member, you can go to any naturist resort in the world – or, in Glenne's words, 'take a nakation'.

'People think naturists are only ever naked, but when it's cold we have clothes on – we're not stupid,' Colin says. 'There's no pressure to take your clothes off or a box by the gate to put them in.'

Relaxing at home

The only trouble the couple has encountered when it comes to their natural choice was buying a home when they retired to Tauranga.

'A private garden was [our] first priority,' Glenne says. 'Colin does the gardening naked, but we haven't had any reaction from our neighbours.'

'People tend to judge naturism by the person. So if you are a reasonable person, they see your naturism via that,' Colin says.

In fact, the duo loved their nude life so much, they are naked as much as they can be.

'If it's warm enough we don't bother getting dressed unless we have to leave the house. You just have to be careful when you are barbecuing,' Colin says with a laugh.

'We find it very empowering,' Glenne says. 'We wouldn't have it any other way.'