A Weekend in Waiheke

After a month of 50+ hour work weeks, Kayleigh and I finally found the opportunity to escape for the weekend to do some more exploring.  We decided to go to the island of Waiheke in the Hauraki Gulf which is about a thirty minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland.  Waiheke is a revered summer getaway for Aucklanders due to its lovely beachside villages, wineries, and dry sunny climate.  As it turns out, it's not so bad in winter either.  

Would you believe this picture was taken in winter?

We arrived at the ferry terminal just before sunrise and our weekend kicked off with a dawn ferry ride to the island, which provided some beautiful views of numerous Hauraki Gulf islands as well as the Auckland coastline.  After a much needed cup of coffee, our first stop on the island was Oneroa, an idyllic little beachside village on the shores of Oneroa Bay. It became immediately apparent why Waiheke is such a beloved vacation destination.  The bay is picture perfect, with azure waters gently lapping onto a sandy, sea shell strewn beach which is bordered by sandstone cliffs, painted green with trees and shrubs. As we walked along the beach we happened across a makeshift swing hanging from one of the large pohutakawa trees overhanging from the bluff and after a brief romp (followed by a complete wipeout upon dismount) I was sold.  If we ever decide to emigrate to New Zealand permanently, Oneroa will be a strong contender.  

Oneroa Bay Overlook

After soaking in the scenery of the bay (and some sun on this most beautiful of winter days) we set off to do some wine tasting.  Waiheke is known for its red wines, particularly its Syrahs, and while I admit to knowing virtually nothing about wine, Kayleigh and I did enjoy every single wine we tasted.  In fact, I found the wines to be more agreeable than those we tasted in Napa Valley.  Both the red and white wines of the island are bursting with fruity flavors and go down very smoothly.  In addition, since we went on a weekday in mid winter we were often the only people in the winery at any given time, which means we got lots of personal attention and learned a lot about wine in the process.  We ended up tasting about twenty different wines across five wineries and walking away with 3 bottles of wine, 2 smiles, and a pleasant buzz.

Amongst the vines

We closed out the day with a picnic on the romantic Palm Beach while we watched the sunset.  Wine and cheese on a romantic beach with your favorite person? Doesn't get any better than that does it?  We retired to our campground on Rocky Bay and were pleasantly surprised to discover that we had the whole place to ourselves as we spent the remainder of the night watching through Velma's moon roof as satellites sailed across the southern hemisphere before drifting off to sleep.  

Kayleigh is setting sail

Kiwisms:

vacation home = bach

exhausted = knackered

Kayleigh says: fish and chips on Waiheke = awesome :)