Waiheke

Today we went to the island of Waiheke (Maori: 'cascading waters'). So many people we've met have said we had to go, and my house officer said it's her favourite place in the whole world. In fact she said if she could live anywhere in the world it would be Waiheke, and I can see why:

However, her ST job is in Birmingham, so pretty much anything is an improvement.

Waiheke is about 40mins ferry journey away from the Auckland CBD, and is in such a position that it has it's own subclimate; it is always about 2-3 degrees walmer than central Auckland, and has 30% less rainfall per year. The island itself has it's own microclimates too, when big hills block prevailing winds, resulting in valleys that are up to 10 degrees hotter than at the top. This makes it ideal for grape vines, and Waiheke is full of vineyards. It used to be an unpopular place to live, but now it is so popular that many residents rent out their house for the summer months and go live somewhere else, because they come off better.

We arrived at Waiheke at 9am, and went to a nice little market in Ostend, one of the villages. It was quite small, but Waiheke is a very small community, so it was to be expected. We did meet an 'Iridologist', who proclaims to be able to diagnose diseases by looking at your irises. Based on a poster at his stall, I am genetically mixed, and E has sinus congestion. He also considers himself 'naturopathic', but me thinks he doesn't quite know what that translates to.

After Ostend we tried to go to Onetangi Beach, but due to a slight bus hiccup we ended up at Rocky Bay. It was rubbish. So we left Rocky Bay and went to Stoneridge Vineyard, which is meant to be one of the best.

We got the $10 tour and wine tasting deal, and felt very rebellious sipping a nice Merlot at 11:30am. As I was still bunged up, however, the tasting part was lost on me - I just enjoyed having two glasses of wine before lunch. The scenery was beautiful, but NZ is really one of those places that cannot be captured on camera. Here is a pitiful attempt to convey the beauty of the valley:

After this, we did actually manage to get to Onetangi Beach, which is meant to be one of the best in NZ. It was stunning - the sand was light, the sea was so clear and blue, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I managed to talk most of the others into going for a swim, so we donned our swimwear (mine exposes parts of my body that I don't think have ever seen the sun) and enjoyed the warm sea.

After messing around on the beach for a while, we headed back to the main village of Oneroa to find some food. We were unsuccessful, but we had a while to wait for the next ferry, and it was a shame to waste an opportunity to sit on a balcony overlooking a bay. So instead we got a bottle of very nice wine (by this point I had partially regained my sense of smell) and scandalised the waitresses by asking for free water.

After this, we were tired and wanted some Korean food, so we went home: