Exploring Auckland and a Wonderful Wine Tour on Waiheke Island!

Wednesday January 30 was another warm day that became progressively more sunny.  High of 29C.
We decided to walk downtown- about an hour meander.   We walked through Vulcan Lane en route to getting our Red Rabbit coffee.  There have always been a number of law offices on Vulcan Lane.  According to our Free Tour guide from earlier this week, the lawyers' offices, often located on the second floor of the buildings, would keep their windows open to listen to people, including criminals who hung out below, when it was a more seedy location.  They would pick up gossip pertaining to their cases and maybe obtain new clients.  Today, there are still many law offices located in this  now more upscale lane.

I loved the name of Vulcan Chambers

The Lane was also known as Vulture's Lane-- today the name of a pub on Vulcan Lane

Alain found a wonderful merino wool store called Untouched World.  He bought a t-shirt with a kite on it. There was some info on the use of the symbol: according to many Māori tribal legends, kites in the shape of birds were used as an intermediary step between mortals and the gods.  Untouched World features this symbol on their t-shirts "to represent the ideal relationship between man and nature".

Alain with his new T

We had our coffee outside.

Red Rabbit in the morning

We then wandered over to the Britomart area.  There were some wonderful graphics on the construction hoardings near the railway station.  They were done by Tyrone Ohia, an Auckland-based graphic designer.

Black and white theme that "melds a sense of the bustle of human activity in the city with reminders of how the tides of the Waitematā once drifted in and out across this shore before the land was reclaimed."

Beautiful graphics

In the courtyard in the Britomart area, there are a series of beanbags where people were reading or hanging out.  There are a number of high-end stores and good restaurants around the public space.

Checking out the bean bags

We walked down to the port and decided to walk over to another recently developed Quarter called Wynyard.  It is a reclaimed piece of land on the Waitematā Harbour at the western edge of the Auckland waterfront.

We passed some very large ships

View back on the Sky Tower 

Bridge to Wynyard Quarter

Wynyard Quarter is bordered on three sides by the Waitematā harbour.  It was an industrial and marine area closed off to public access for many years.  Revitalization started in 2011. The Quarter is going be fully developed by 2030, and will be home to around 3000 residents and 25,000 workers.  In the next few years there will be new homes, offices, a new hotel and theatre.  The streets are becoming pedestrian and cyclist friendly.  More plantings are going in.  There are a number of restaurants and cafés that have opened along with commercial development.  It is becoming a popular destination for locals and tourists and there are great views of the water.

A new bank

The Auckland Fish Market just beside the bank has some fish stores along with other food stalls.

We stopped for some an Aperol Spritz and watched the harbour activity.  It was such a beautiful day, that we decided not to go indoors but to stay outside and enjoy the sun.

Aperol Spritz

Summer in Auckland

After some more wandering, we walked back to our studio--- it was about an hour walk, with a few big hills to conquer.

We have seen a number of very tall, thin trees in Auckland--- often on their own.  The tree in the picture below was in the middle of a residential neighbourhood.

Tall tree

We had a lovely fish dinner at our studio.  Still trying to catch up on our jet-lag.

Thursday January 31 was another beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the high 20s.  We got up early and walked down to the Ferry Building to catch an 11:00 a.m. ferry to Waiheke Island where we had booked a "Taste of Waiheke" wine tour with Fullers360, the company that runs most of the ferries.  The tour was recommended by I-site, the wonderful New Zealand Tourism office.

We first stopped for a coffee in Britomart at a café called The Store, which serves Allpress coffee.  The business was started by Michael Allpress, an Auckland native in 1989.  We had Allpress coffee in London, England a few years ago.

Early coffee from Allpress

It was a lovely 50 minute ferry ride, as the 11:00 a.m. ferry made one other stop.

View from the ferry

Looking back on the Ferry Building

Heading away from Auckland

We passed Rangitoto, Auckland's landmark volcano.  It can be seen rising out of the waters of the Hauraki Gulf.  It is New Zealand's youngest volcano and its most active, last erupting only 600 years ago.  One can visit and climb to the summit.

We had a wonderful view of Rangitoto

Waiheke Island is the most populated and second-largest island in the Hauraki Gulf.  It has a permanent population of about 9000 people. About 3500 people have holiday homes on the island.  It has a micro-climate slightly different than Auckland.  It is warmer and great for growing olives and grapes.  The Island has 92 square kilometres of pristine beaches, stunning coastal headlands, vineyards (about 30), olive groves and seaside villages.  It has recently been rated one of the top island escapes in the world.  The tour met and exceeded all of our expectations.

We met our tour guide, Dave who lives on the island and is from Bologna, Italy.  There were 28 people on the tour. As Dave drove us to the first winery, he pointed out the many beautiful beaches, and told us about the history of the island.  There is a real sense of community- there are only two policemen on the island and there is a volunteer fire brigade.  He pointed out an old hippie community that lives in houseboats in one of the harbours.  It is a hilly island with spectacular views of the sea.  Just stunning.

Driving in the bus- view of one of the beaches

Our first stop was Stonyridge Vineyard.  It is one of the oldest wineries on the island. Stephen White, the owner and founder, had sailed around the world and worked in wineries in France, California and Italy.  He returned in 1981 and found the site of his winery.  The first Bordeaux vines and olive trees were planted in 1982.  The first vintage was produced in 1985.  He made a 1987 Larose that has been hailed as the greatest red wine ever made in New Zealand. The winery is located in a sheltered valley with gorgeous olive groves.  The winery is known for its Cabernet blends.

Winery rep talking about the olive trees

The vines--- beautiful setting

The olive trees were amazing

We tasted a Sauvignon Blanc and a red

We then stopped for an Olive oil tasting at Rangihoua Estate.  It was founded by Anne Stanimiroff and Colin Sayles.  The initial inspiration for the business came from Stephen White (owner of Stonyridge), who had challenged them to make olive oil-initially from Stonyridge olives.  In 1997, the inaugural Rangihoua Estate harvest began.  They manage 4200 olive trees on Waiheke Island.  In 2013, Rangihoua Estate was ranked in the Best 20 of the World by an Italian Guide to the World's Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

The rep told us that they do not use pesticides on the olives and that there are no predators on the island that attack the olives.

Olive oil story from rep

Italian machines for extracting oil

We had samples of three olive oils.  We bought a small bottle that we will use on our trip.

Olive oil tasting

We continued our tour to the next winery.

Lots of green and flowers en route

Our second winery stop was Casita Miro, a sprawling Spanish-style vineyard known for its tapas-inspired food and fine wines.  There is a wonderful restaurant on site.

Entrance to the restaurant

The owners are Cat Vosper-Bond and her husband, Barnett Bond, who is also the winemaker and in his spare time, does the amazing tile work at the winery.

Gaudi-like tiles

We walked through the restaurant on the way to the tasting area

More tiles

There was a wonderful long table set up for the tastings.  Each glass was paired with a small tapas.
We tasted a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, a Syrah and a fortified wine.

Tasting table

The wines were very good--- the fortified wine (Madame Rouge)was very expensive at $88.00 a bottle-- but had a wonderful raisony taste (the winery paired it with some sugar coated walnuts).  The Sauvignon Blanc was also very good.

Getting ready to taste the reds

A Gaudi-like structure near the tasting table

The settings of all the wineries was spectacular-- lots of views from the hills

Resto-- looked very inviting

The vines

On the road to the next winery-- another beautiful beach

Our last stop was Mudbrick Vineyard--- it had the most amazing views and very good wines.  The winery is also the site for around 150 weddings a year.  It needs to be booked two years in advance.

Wine rep was studying viticulture- she is from Chicago

The vines at all the wineries we visited had just been covered in nets to keep the birds away.  The grapes are now sweet enough for the birds to feast on.

View of the volcano

After our last tasting,  the bus headed back to the ferry dock to catch the 5:00 p.m. ferry.  We were given the option of being dropped back at Oneroa- the main small town about 1 km from the ferry dock.  We had a local bus pass as part of our tour package, so we could return to Auckland at our leisure.  Alain and I were let out in the village and immediately saw a sign for the beach.  In just a few minutes, I was wading in Hauraki Gulf.  The water was warm... I regretted not taking my bathing suit as there were some people in the water.

Wow-- the South Pacific

We stopped for an excellent gelato.

Alain had pistachio and chocolate.  I had a delicious non-dairy chocolate.

We ended up catching the 6:30 p.m. ferry and then stopped for dinner at Ortolana in the Britomart square.  We shared a lovely piece of swordfish with green beans, avocado and almond sauce; and a watermelon and feta salad.

Gorgeous outdoor location and fresh food

We shared a piece of vegan raspberry cheese cake for dessert - there is a small sister bakery beside the restaurant

View into restaurant

We took the bus back to the studio.  It was a gorgeous day in Paradise.  We both highly recommend a trip to Waiheke Island, its beautiful beaches and wineries.  It was a not-to be missed experience and the perfect summer day for the visit.