Last night we arrived in Auckland New Zealand 12 hours ahead of our original schedule, which meant we had an extra evening ashore. After 6 days at sea, everyone, guests and crew alike, were excited to be on land again. What a shock to be "back in Western civilization" after 31 days in more primitive climes. We were giddy with delight. Our ship was docked at the most convenient location, so the 6 of us set out on foot and explored the waterfront, which was alive with people as Wednesday was a NZ national holiday.
The sun also doesn't set here till about 9 pm. so lots of evening light meant we could see the sights. Auckland is famous for its international sailing regattas, including America's Cup. In fact we saw that there was a Regatta starting on Feb 7th with 80 large boats. The waterfront has some of these famous boats permanently installed, near the Maritime Museum, and the marina is ringed by bars, cafes and restaurants. We ambled along looking at the boats, and decided to hit the Snapdragon bar for a little glass of wine. This 3 story building was filled with young people and us!! We were trying to find a table, and we asked this beautiful young girl who was sitting alone at a table for 8 if we could share her table. Kimberley ended up spending a couple of hours with us - much to our delight as she was a lot of fun and seemed as delighted to meet us as we were to have her company. Her boyfriend had broken up with her that day, so we cheered her on to new adventures.
We then walked over to Euro where we filled our faces with the most delicious carbs we'd all sworn to forgo - steak fries, frites drizzled with truffle oil and topped with cheese, and bread. So much for healthy eating. We told ourselves that it was ok as this was Garry and Linda's last evening as they were disembarking in the morning for home.
Morning dawned and we all met our friends in the Lido for a quick early breakfast and a hug goodbye. We so enjoyed their company and were sad to see them leave.
At 9:30 Jonathan, Karen, Barry and I started our day. What a gorgeous day it was and what a peak experience we had. The skies were clear, the temperature 75 F and all the Kiwis were out with their picnic baskets, surfboards, and kids, as excited as we were to be enjoying the day. We hopped on the high speed ferry to Waiheke Island. We knew we wanted to go to some wineries, and have a nice lunch, but we had no specific plans. Serendipity happened. When we arrived we immediately met Dave, a retired school teacher who decided to give us a deal for the day - $65 each- and tour us around. What a great decision to go with him. He was knowledgeable, delightful, and he would drop us off to be on our own, and pick us up at the appointed time. He has lived on the island for years and really gave us wonderful recommendations about what to see and do.
Waiheke is a New Zealand destination to live and to play. Originally a hippy haven, it now boasts some of the most expensive real estate in New Zealand including the home of the wealthiest man in New Zealand. Although in many parts of this country it seems from the architecture that time has stood still since 1950, here on Waiheke, the big real estate is marvellously contemporary. I had my eye on a long rectangular glass box home as we sailed in, that sat majestically on the ridge of a hill overlooking the turquoise waters. The population of the island is 8,000. The more modest homes are mostly cottages that sit higgledy piggledy on the slopes of the old volcano hills. They are priced at about 350K NZ dollars. Many have no road access and the owners must climb up or down carrying everything.
Dave toured us around showing us little coves with pristine white sand beaches, others dotted with moored sailboats. By the way 1 in 5 New Zealanders owns a boat. We arrived at the only town, Onereo, and had an award winning chai latte, in the sun, strolled along the streets, and then headed for the wineries Dave recommended.
First stop was Mud Brick. Stunning setting - with manicured trees and vegetable gardens, lavender beds - all at the base of the restaurant and wine tasting rooms. We ordered a platter of nibbles to share, and then went inside to taste about 8 premium wines. All of us are red wine drinkers, but we all loved the whites. We spent about an hour and a half sitting under an umbrella, overlooking the sea, with Auckland visible 18 km out - dreaming about living here on this beautiful island.
Dave drove us down the driveway to the next winery - which was in steep contrast to Mud Brick -- called Jurrasic- owned and operated by Lance, a geologist, neurologist and now wine maker. What a guy! He entranced us completely. He single handedly makes 60,000 bottles a year, plus his own olive oil (which was sold out) and proudly without a single additive. We were the only patrons, and he gave us a geology lesson of the island, and his property, and how that affects the grape and so the wine. He makes a red wine that has won an international gold medal. We loved his wines - so much so that he and I talked about getting them into Canada. We agreed to talk when I return home - on a handshake.
We spent so much time here that we didn't have time for another vineyard, so we headed back to the ferry at 4 p.m. Perfect day.
We met at 6 pm. and went to yet another dinner on the waterfront. We ordered NZ Green Lipped Mussels for an appetizer and bouillabaisse for main, (Karen had lamb). What a mistake that was. These mussels are the size of small cars! Huge. By the time we had our main course, none of us could look at the mussels in the dish and the servings were enormous. We did our best to finish what we could.
We walked off the dinner by going further along the marina area drooling over the most beautiful boats and sailboats you can imagine… in fact one was called Imagine. We are talking about one that was 150 feet long, all teak - and navy -- just stunning. It is pictured below.
I was exhausted and was sound asleep by 9 p.m. ready for Day 2 in Auckland.
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