Waiheke Island

Though not strictly part of the city, the island of Waiheke is my favourite part of Auckland so far, and therefore deserves a dedicated post! It's top attraction is it's array of wine making Vineyards and distilleries, but this was not the only reason I liked it so much😉. Waiheke is so close to the bustling main city of Auckland, however, in stark contrast it has a serene and peaceful atmosphere, which caused me to fall in love with it.

Amelia, Phoebe and I took a mid morning ferry from Auckland over to the island. We arrived in time for an early check-in to our quaint lodge a short walk from little Oneroa Beach. To my surprise, the lodge featured a shared private hot tub and free afternoon tea! Therefore, we spent both of our evenings here enjoying the hot tub, after having had afternoon tea. I even finished the remainder of my lengthy book whilst in the warm water. Our eccentric and affable host really made our stay as comfortable as we could have wished.

After check-in, we wasted no time by taking the short walk from our lodge to the beach to enjoy the view. As Amelia and Phoebe both meandered across the sand, my stomach rumbled and I become suddenly and horrendously HANGRY. Insistent on food, and being British, it didn't take us long to find the local chippy! Serving up dissapointing chips and interesting deep fried mars bars, we seeked to sample the best comfort food Waiheke had to offer. And so, I was soon happy again, settled beside the beach with my food, despite the seagulls harrassing us all for our left-overs.

The beaches of Waiheke are it's second top attraction, and we spent plenty of time on or beside the little Oneroa Beach, enjoying the sun, reading or eating. I got the sense that leisure and relaxation came easily on the island, or we were simply in need of it and fell easily into it. Phoebe and I took some beautiful walks: exploring the coastline at leisurely paces; enjoying the natural landscapes; and excitedly spotting new bird species.

As mentioned previously, Waiheke's Vineyards are it's top attraction! And Phoebe spared no expense in her organisation of our exploration of them for Amelia's 29th Birthday. We were collected early by our tour guide David, who also picked up many other eager wine tasters from the ferry terminal. David was a fun, witty and interesting character, and he acheived the admiration of all 16 or so of his customers, including our trio. He took us across the island in a mini bus and we stopped to visit four different vineyards and sample the wine at each site. The islands speciality is red wine, but we enjoyed many different flavours as well as a delicious lunch out. If I had not had my own birthday surprise a week prior, I might have been jealous of Amelia's own surprise activity!

Waiheke island will warrant a second visit at a future date, at the least because I did not get a chance to run across its interesting landscape. Auckland is blessed and unique, that it should have a small paradise such a short journey away.