Waiheke Island
Wednesday, March 6
Just a half hour ferry ride from Auckland is the lovely island of Waiheke, the wedding capital of New Zealand. I kept confusing this island with Waikiki, Hawaii, but this one is pronounced more like "Why-hecky."
We tasted a sparkling beverage that we won't call champagne, since that might upset les français. But we learned some fun facts about making champagne-that-isn't-called-champagne (CTICT). Mudbrick stores their CTICT bottles on their sides for at least 3 years (minimum is one year for French champagne), and gives every bottle a 1/4 turn per day. This is the traditional method invented by Madame Cliquot. Vintage champagne can be put away for many years. Apparently prosecco gets its bubbles differently, something like a soda stream. 😄
So I've finally learned who was the Veuve (widow) Cliquot. I have not yet learned how to flip a photograph.
Happy wine girls. Mary with Meghan from Boston, our equally wild-about-hobbits friend.
Our brewery and distillery tour was handled very professionally by this startlingly young New Zealander who knew his stuff. Our guide explained that Waiheke Distillery invented their own geodesic still in a geometric rather than a smooth shape, and had it custom made.
Mary and second guide Louisa sharing stories.
Louisa doesn't like whiskey.
I liked the Irish red stout. We also tried a light lager and a 5-year-old whisky called "Sweetwater" - made for the brewer's wife who didn't like peat.
The barrels behind us were impressive.
After the tasting part, the distillery staff served up a delicious lunch of fresh sourdough bread with whipped butter, olives and salami, followed by pizzas.
On the way out, for some reason there was a giant trampoline in the ground. After tasting all the morning's brews, Mary was in an adventurous mood.
The group gathered around the map before setting off down a gravelly trail - up and down hills and along cliffs, open hillsides and through wooded areas. We were asked to spray and scrub off the bottoms of our shoes before taking the trail, and again as we reached the end, to reduce the spread of a fungus endangering the kauri trees.
Here Meghan and I are confused about the abstract art.
Some were so abstract, I was more interested in the views of the water and sharp dropoffs to the rocks below.
But this lighthouse was very cool.
Hiking around in the peaceful trees, providing welcome shade from the scary rays getting through the ozone hole. We thought we'd get a sunburn if we weren't careful.
This was a particular favorite sculpture for me.
This installation was thought provoking. What does it represent? Polynesian sails? An ancient settlement now destroyed? Ghosts of ancestors past? Was it meant by the artist to decay slowly, leaving us all wondering?
Colin gamely herded his followers, who somehow went off in different directions but ended up in the same place.
On the way to the ferry, we were charmed by this random but statuesque horse on a hill. Another sculpture?
One last sculpture in Waiheke harbor.
And our adventures for the day were over. Tired sisters picked up some snacks at the nearest Metro (grocery store, not public transit) and shuffled back to our QT Hotel for an evening of tour travelers' favorite pastimes: packing up our stuff to move to the next adventure.
Colin had us queue up early for the 9 a.m. ferry. Then - just for amusement - he asked us sort ourselves into alphabetical order. I assume it was a devious method to get us talking with others in our tour group, which was necessary since we got in line so early, we had plenty of time to get to know our tour companions before boarding.
It was a bright, sunny morning so we were all in good spirits, chatting and taking pics on the the ferry. Sunlight on the water and dramatic island shorelines provided stunning views.
First stop: Mudbrick Vineyard for a Waiheke wine tasting. Turns out Colin's wedding took place in this very room.
We were told that 60% of New Zealand weddings take place on Waiheke. Or was it 60% of Auckland's weddings? I've been meaning to check.
We also got to taste a pinot gris and a lovely 2022 syrah. The sommelier described it as "a fruity drink me, drink me style."
Mary and Colin enjoying the final wine outside in the sun. Yesss! Sun!!
Moving on
Our group was moving around Waiheke in a mid-sized tour bus and a van for the last five of us, driven by Waiheke resident and local guide Michelle.
Waiheke is only 19 km long with no traffic lights, but has over 100 km of coastline, if I noted Michelle's comments correctly. If not, I won't win any journalism awards. Many residents work in a tourist industry role for 9 months of the year, then go live in Bali during the off season. Sounds like a plan!
Colin's brother lives on Waiheke and is a newly minted electrician, which Colin called a "sparky."
Waiheke Whiskey Distillery
After sweating out the explanations upstairs where the brewing was creating some serious heat, we cooled off downstairs with a beer and whisky tasting.
Waiheke wins international competitions for wine and olive oil, they told us. Something about the terroir.
I snapped a few table pics of our tour friends.
Michelle drove our minibus crew on a short detour to show us Waiheke's 2-mile beach, then on to a small town for a half hour of shopping. Then it was on to our final activity for the day:
Sculpture on the Gulf
Here's a great picture of Dave in front of a kauri tree (from another day, but it counts).
Along the trail were various sculpture installations. Modern art is not my forte, so let's just say that the first several didn't speak to me at all. It was fun to hike along in the sunshine, although the day was definitely heating up.
At this point, we were ready to get off the trail. Somehow I thought this sculpture walk was going to be a walk in the park, but it turned out to be a legit hike.
We made it back to the ferry terminal - in about three separate hiking groups - and queued up for the 4 p.m. to Auckland.
- Christine
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