Escape to Waiheke

We’ve lived with many people since coming to New Zealand. They have ranged from the polite, clean, and considerate to the loud, obnoxious, and insane. There are only a few we’ve stayed in touch with, and probably even less we’d live with again. Two people that fall into both those positive categories are an American couple we lived with for around 6 months.

Our early summer was still reigning unchallenged and called out for weekend exploration. We joined up with our old flat mates, Erik and Minerva and set out on a morning ferry ride out into the Hauraki Gulf. Waiheke Island had escaped our presence last summer thanks to the fact good weather seemed to bypass every weekend we planned to go there, but there would be no reprieve from us this year.

We stepped off the ferry and breathed in the relaxation. 30 minutes away by sea, and half the world away in feel. We were just starting to let the atmosphere truly take over our senses when a local tour guide approached us and started the hard sell. While I looked at our surroundings I caught the eye of a café worker who had clearly seen the speech before. She looked at me with complete sincerity and mouthed the word “RUN”. Once my laughter subsided I joined the girls in reiterating the fact we wanted to do our own thing and were not interested in a tour. He muttered his rejected annoyance and walked out towards a mini-van full of Japanese tourists. They stared out like sheep from a trailer, and I felt a pang of sorrow for them as they were carted away.

We on the other hand, picked up a hire car and set out on roads curvier than a Playboy party. The island is only 20 km long, so we didn’t expect the long journeys between stops, but then it didn’t worry us either; we were in no hurry.

We stopped at beaches, cut foot prints in sand, and climbed rocks. When hunger called, we made our choice from the 13 vineyards on the island and prepared to sample the culinary delights. Our first course was an obvious choice for such a venue - a selection of wines were brought out on a tray for us to sample, mull over, and enjoy. By the time those glasses were empty, food was definitely required to bring me back to road legal. Thankfully the food here was as good as the wine, and we made every mouthful last. It was obvious to see why ‘Stonyridge Vineyard” was so well regarded.

In the afternoon we continued our drive around the island and went for a short walk across a headland to a seemingly secluded beach. The sky was beginning to darken by the time we arrived so we didn’t hang around long, and began our journey back to the ferry terminal.

Back in Auckland, the colours surrounding us had paled again, while those of our new memories were still fresh from the brush. We'd had a great escape from the city, and would definitely return to Waiheke again.