Waiheke Redux

Today started out as a take-it-slow day — a bit of a sleep in. Time to email and Skype. A lazy breakfast.

The question of "what should we do today?" didn't come up until 10:30am. We wanted to pick up a road map (just in case the camper van doesn't come with one). We wanted to hit the Kiwi equivalent of a dollar store to pick up a couple of containers that we could use as soap dishes when on the road. And then?

We tossed around the idea of spending the day wandering The Domain and visiting the green houses they have there. Or maybe we should go out to the Botanical Gardens? Why not since they are free. OR.... we could head back to Waiheke to do some tramping about on the coastal trails there. Once we hit upon that idea, it was a done deal.

Do the errands and catch the 1 p.m. ferry. Done. We found a cheap pita place with heaps of fresh toppings (beets! pickles! julienned carrots!) that had a lineup out the door (that's my motto to find decent food in New Zealand now — there has to be people inside that look happy and it has to be reasonably priced) and grabbed it to go. An easy lunch to have on the ferry ride over.

At the ferry docks we were met with the sight of two towering cruise ships that had come in from Australia to dock for the night. They were higher than a 6 story building. I guess I've never seen one up close because I was slightly aghast at the size of them.







There are several hikes you can take right from the ferry terminal on Waiheke. They are circular, so you don't have to see the same scenery twice, unless you choose to. We picked to turn right out of the ferry gate and take the Matiatia/Church Bay/Oneroa loop which stretches along the coastline on the southern part of the island. It takes a few hours to do and there are various points where you can take side trails off to a road or winery.




This coming weekend, there is a renowned outdoor sculpture festival on the island called Headlands. I'd noticed the signs around Auckland and Waiheke and was slightly bummed that it was happening after we'd left Auckland. Yet, we were in for a surprise treat! The opening night of the festival is this coming Thursday which meant all the participating artists were out along the trail working on installing their pieces. We got to chat with many of them and hear about their process. Really, it was ideal as most of the artists we spoke with won't be there when the exhibit is actually happening... and we got to do the walk without any of the crowds!

















The tramp alone, with the views was gorgeous, but to have the added value of a myriad of sculptures along the way — priceless! The sculptures will be up for a few weeks and some of them should change in that time as they interact with the rain, wind and sun.





The trail offered us lots of chances to hop down to little beaches that appear when the tide is out and we took advantage of these little side trips several times along our hike. There was this perfect little swimming hole and another spot that was ideal for a snack break!





The other thing that the coastal walks allow for is some good house spotting. The "richies" on the island have snagged some of the most stunning coastal stretches, however, they cannot impede the right-of-way for the hiking trails. This means lots of opportunity for ogling the architectural eye candy! We even walked by the property of the richest man in New Zealand! Can't keep us yobs out!







After all our meandering along, we realized that if wanted to hit a winery to sample any of the vintages that Waiheke is known for, we had best get a move on! We hoofed it (and I mean hoofed it) up the side of an enormous mountain. Well, it was a large hill that felt awfully mountain like as it only kept going up and up and up. By the time we hit the road, we were sure we wouldn't make it before the tasting rooms closed so we hitched a ride with a friendly New Zealander and his brother who was visiting from the U.K.

This got us to the entrance of Mudbrick Winery at 3:55pm. Our brochure said that the tasting room closed at 4pm. Hmmm... we looked at each other and started running. Turning the last bend of the l-o-n-g driveway, we noticed the building looked suspiciously as though it was NOT closing at 4 p.m. Red faced and dripping with sweat (Keir was sopping) we burst into the room only to be informed that tastings close at 7 p.m. during the summer months. Dang it!



The kind fellow (who was also impeccably dressed...as was everyone else in the place....whoops!) offered us a jar of water and after guzzling it down we then set about doing a tasting. No guzzling here though — we savored our time and each sip, enjoying another breathtaking view and wandering the immaculately groomed grounds. If we ever were going to tie the knot, this would be the ideal place to do it. (Margaret, if you'll foot the bill, we'll set the date!)
















Slightly red cheeked (for a different reason this time!) we again hit the road, heading back towards the ferry terminal, stopping to have another little snack at a picturesque picnic table obviously set there just for us!



Back in Auckland we made a beeline towards the little strip where we'd gotten our delicious Indian take out the night before. We'd noticed that there were several Japanese restaurants along there as well and had decided on sushi for dinner. We picked up some maki rolls from one place and some yakitori and wasabi seaweed salad from another. It was a colorful and crazy tasty dinner! Yay!



Ummm... by the way...who counts parking time in 24 and 48 hour stretches IN MINUTES?!?!






Tomorrow, we pick up our camper van, leave Auckland and head north into the New Zealand wilds. Auckland is a nice city, but a little too much what we know from home. Out visits to Waiheke Island have given us a taste of what lies ahead in our travels around the countryside and we're ready for more of that!



We'll be reporting in from the road whenever we can.