Waiheke Island

Day 10. Saturday, January 21, 2006.
Got up about 7:00 and had some fruit for breakfast. Then made our way to the harbour to catch the Waiheke ferry to visit Laura, our friend from the Sierras in Calgary. We caught the 9:00 ferry as planned. The ferry ride takes about 40 minutes and consists of a rapid ride in a catamaran to Waiheke Island in Auckland harbour. It is a beautiful island, about three km. across and 12 km. long and has world famous vineyards and wineries, gorgeous beaches and some truly breathtaking scenery. It is volcanic, so its geography is mountainous, with an abundance of greenery. The people Laura stays with, Peter and Ngaio, have a delightful home with a breathtaking view of several little bays and a number of neighboring islands. Peter and Laura met us at the dock and we went back to the house, where Ngaio had tea and coffee prepared for us. Then Laura took us to visit another friend, Phyllis, who lives nearby. We had a light lunch and Ngaio took us on a whirlwind mini-tour of the Island, showing us some of the highlights in the way of vineyards, orchards (olives), art galleries and beaches. We finished up with a visit to the shopping area of Oneroa, a walk on Oneroa Beach and a quick meal before walking back to the port to catch the ferry back to Auckland. Waiheke has the same easy-going, artist colony/holiday retreat feeling as Salt Spring Island. We can see what has brought Laura back every year for her holidays.
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