Wineries, Olive Trees, Beers and Ferries

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Auckland, New Zealand. New Zealand the extreme sport capital of the world. Where people travel from all over the world to jump out of planes and throw themselves off of tall buildings. So what would Gifton do on his first post jet lag day in New Zealand? Well the options are plentiful here in Auckland. I could SkyWalk, or even jump off the SkyTower. Maybe some canyoning, skydiving, white water rafting or even river sledging. The adrenalin sports are readily available. So this morning I made my decision. None of those sports for this guy, but a wine tasting on an island outside of Auckland.

So At 11 am I found myself on a ferry in the south Pacific sunshine pulling away from the Auckland skyline. The ferry ride was beautiful as we cruised away from the city skyline and past green islands of different sizes. It was a 45 minute ride to the port at Waikhehe. We jumped on our tour bus, ( I know its not my style but let me continue). The bus drove through the narrow island streets past sheltered beaches, marinas, house boats and past hidden coves. We were greeted at our first stop with a glass of chardonnay upon stepping off the bus. Followed by a walk through the olive grove then down the vineyard. Next came the highlight of this visit. I found a beach chair at the cafe and sat in sunshine while drinking some red and snacking on a sandwich overlooking the rolling hills of vines. Who needs extreme sports? We did some olive oil tasting a bit of cheese tasting.

Our next stop was an olive oil producer. We tasted a wide range of olive oils ranging from light and fruity to dark and slightly bitter. We toured the small operation and learned how it was made and listened to the woman explain how most olive oil was garbage. She had passion in what she did. Next we toured a winery and micro brewery ( pure genius). It also had a place to practice archery (another great idea). So after a few glasses of wine and tastes of ales and stouts, we ere off to another winery.

This winery, I beleive it was called the Mudbrick Winery or something like that. It was perched atop a large hillside that overlooked the entire bay. You could see all the way back to Auckland, and all the islands in between. We walked around the property while enjoying our glasses of wine. So after soaking up the island sun and the last of the panoramic views, we were en route for the ferry. The sun was getting lower as the ferry cruised across the harbour towards Auckland. Within 40 minutes or so I found myself back in downtown Auckland, already missing Waiheke Island. What a place.

This blog took alot of time because the sight or my connection or both have been given me problems. This is the fast version of what happened because I've had to retype alot of it. Anyway I rented a car this morning and drove north to the Bay of Islands. It is raining so it will be a quiet day. Peace

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