After getting a solid sleep, were were up at 530am and made plans for the day. Destination: Waiheke Island. As we set out walking towards the harbour, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the trendy Britomart 5 minutes from the Jucy Snooze.
We bought tickets for the 40 minute ride on a high speed catamaran ferry, and boarded at 9am. We sat on the top deck soaking up the sun, enjoying the breeze and views of the Auckland cityscape, Rangitoto Island which erupted 600 years ago and other small islands.
An approx 75 year old gentleman sat behind us and was talking to people behind him the whole way and sharing how he has lived on a 44 ft sail boat for the past 18 years and is on his second trip around the world!! He was an interesting guy for sure and as Jody shared with him the location of the nearest wineries on the island, I overheard him nonchalantly say “You can’t drink all day if you don’t start in the morning”, so I decided to adopt that philosophy for the day!
However, calories on vacation must be earned so we set out on a trail along the coast and were treated to beautiful views and sunshine. Part of the trail was closed, so we detoured to a road and made our way to the Cable Bay Winery for our first tasting. Their Chardonnay was a clear winner!
Feeling a bit heady, we happily walked to the Mudbrick Winery and enjoyed a tasting of 4 wines in the cellar and wandered the grounds. It was a beautiful spot and had a great vibe. Some food was in order to accompany our libations, so we got a table in the bistro and ate like royalty! Our lunch included local oysters, focaccia and olive oil from the winery, line-caught snapper (T) and beef ribeye (J)…it was all divine! Leaving we noted a helicopter leaving the winery helipad – quite the place!
Living our best life, we walked to the other side of the island to Oneroa Beach to dip our toes in the ocean. With hardly a soul on the beach, we wandered from one end to the other, breathing deeply in the sea air. We then ventured back to the Main Street and enjoyed a gelato. A walk back along the high forest trail to the ferry had us on the 430pm boat back to the city.
A day of sun and indulgence landed us back at the supermarket, buying yoghurt, grapes, nuts and beer for our “paupers” supper while watching the Seven Sharp Kiwi News! Another early bedtime resulted after a pretty large day! Step count: 23K
Our final day in Auckland started with a trendy breakfast at the happening Amano in the Britomart. Breakfast options seems to be disproportionately expensive here, but the presentation and variety are impressive…and so yummy!
The decision was to explore the west side of the city, Parnell/Newmarket area and we walked about 40 minutes along Parnell Rise. While it was a warm day (we both wore shorts), rain jackets were needed intermittently when the dark clouds and light rain would roll in. A stop at the Westfield mega-mall, the country’s largest (7 floors, 2770 car parks and a roof top dining terrace) seemed like a good escape from the rain. Jody bought a merino icebreaker t-shirt there and we chatted with the saleswoman about the area and got a lunch tip for Mt Eden village.
My Eden is a dormant volcano which offers awesome views of the city, and involves a bit of a hike to the top. Once again the weather switched, from rain to sun to rain in the matter of an hour, but skin is waterproof! The view is all directions was pretty epic – the harbour, the cityscape with its anchoring sky tower, Rangitoto Island, even the Eden Park stadium where the All Blacks Rugby team practice could be spotted from up high. We dried off while enjoying lunch at Circus Circus, a very eclectic spot in the village, as suggested.
Back at the Jucy Snooze, we each spent time organizing luggage for our morning flight to Queenstown. Our next mission was to try and score ticket in the lottery for The Book of Mormon at the Civic Theater. Dressed for the theater in our best travel clothes, we walked up Queen Street and each entered the draw for the chance to win 2 tickets. After walking about to kill some time for the 530pm draw, we landed back in the lobby with about 40 others. They announced that as it was opening night, the lottery tickets would normally be $30 each, but tonight they would be FREE! They had about 25 tickets to draw and my name was called about 5 draws in!! So exciting!! We scored front row seats (worth about $175 each) and a pair of Book of Mormon socks!!!
A quick bite to eat and drink at a food stall and then some strong coffees to ensure we didn’t nod off, had us back at the theater pretty pumped about our luck and to see the show…our first Broadway play…in Auckland!! Woohoo! It was hilarious and so well done, with the orchestra in view, flawless acting, singing and dancing and gut busting lines! We laughed so much! A great way to cap off our visit to Auckland. Step count 30K!
