Waiheke getaway

D and I were fortunate enough to be able to have a romantic getaway to waiheke island. A small island just off of auckland a short 30 min ferry ride from where we live on the hauraki gulf.
It had it all. Amazing rolling hills in various shades of green, dotted with sheep, beautiful vineyards and gorgeous beaches. The island is known as an upscale "batch" location for locals and for its many vineyards.

We started off our weekend bright and early arriving on the island around 10am. We did a little shopping b/c it was a little early to start wine tasting. So we waited until 11am! The first was called the Mud Brick. Known for its red's and in particular its 2006 Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon which won a gold medal :) It had an absolutely breathtaking views of our volcano rangitoto and of auckland city. After leaving this one we went to Cable bay which was just down the road but known for its whites. So interesting all the factors that play into wine making and that even a few minutes away the soil, angle and slope of a hill or wind can play a huge roll in the outcome.
We stayed at a cute B&B in a studio style room that had a really tropical feel to it. After checking in we headed out to find some fish and chips and our last vineyard on the list. The last and most well known vineyard ended up being close for a private event (a lot of weddings on the island this weekend) but it worked out b/c we found a neat newer vineyard next door that also had a brewery on site. So they had great ales, wine and wonderful homemade dips. We were given cards for free tastings on arrival by other guests so that was a bonus.

That was enough for one day so we headed out to do a little sightseeing and to the beach for some body surfing. The weather had not been looking promising when we left takapuna but turned out to be a beautiful day.

We went for dinner at vineyard/restaurant called Te Whau (pronounced Te fow) that was voted by frommers as one of the top 20 restaurants in the world to eat at and by fodors the top pick for 3 years in a row. By the time we left we knew why. Fantastic service, delicious food, amazing wine list and like everywhere else here an AMAZING view. It was like one of those dates you'd see on "The Bachelor" or some other reality dating show. We watched the sunset out of one window and the other offered a view of the vineyards that looked fake it was so perfect. I have to say, one of my favorite things about NZ so far has been the amazing sky's. During the day the clouds are so picturesque and interesting and the sky is the most amazing shades of blue and as the sun sets here, it morphs into this watercolor of blues and whites, pinks and oranges. At night I have never seen so many stars. Especially not in a city.
Darryl was full of surprises and kept me happy with Lot's of chocolate, great coffee and champagne :)

The next day we set out to have more of an active adventure and rented sea kayaks for the day. We went around the island and found private beaches, sea caves, saw a blue penguin and were able to take the kayak through a neat natural arc in the rock. It was a great way to end our weekend in Waiheke. My only regret is not checking my camera battery which died after only a couple pic's, enjoy the one's I did get. The sunset one is not from Waiheke but from our deck at our flat in Takapuna.

So if I haven't already wrote enough enticing things about NZ on our blog I'm betting this one will have you saving your Penny's and looking at flights :) It is worth the money, travel time and any hassle to come to this side of the earth and experience God's country :)