A food and wine tour of Waiheke Island.

I arrive in Auckland from Dubai Sunday morning. The hotel isn’t quite ready to check me in and so I leave my bags and take a walk to the waterfront and then back up via a wide pedestrian street. It’s overcast and a light rain starts and stops, seemingly unable to make up its mind whether it wants to pour.

The hotel itself is fantastic. It’s a one bedroom apartment with a kitchen and a washing machine with a view from the small balcony over the bay directly in front of me, and a view of the Sky Tower to my right.

I open my laptop and search for something to do. I’m a full day ahead of New York and so my Sunday is their Saturday, my Monday the second half of their weekend. My Uber driver from the airport recommended a trip to Waiheke Island to visit the town and the vineyards there. He told me that it’s a quick 40-minute ferry ride from the port, just down the hill from where I’m staying.

I do a quick search and find that there’s capacity on a tour the next day and book it. It’s been a long day of travel and so I turn in, skipping dinner. The Sky Tower serves as my nightlight.

The next morning I am up early to take the 0715 ferry from downtown Auckland, scheduled to arrive an hour before the tour is to begin. I’, curious to see the island, wondering if there will be something to do at the ferry terminal on the other end. I’ll find that there isn’t and will use my time to write post cards.

The crossing is smooth, and I’m happy to be on the water. In another week I’ll be on another ship, larger, a longer voyage, days at sea rather than minutes.

Near the appointed time I wander the landing looking for my guide. Other ferries are arriving from other isalnds and I see a man carrying a whiteboard with my name on it. I approach him and introduce myself. His name is Nick, retired to the island once his children had grown. Later, he’ll tell us the story of how he bought a place. Having come for a concert, he found himself looking at real estate listings the next day. He’ll point out the realtor as we drive through the village. His children were still in school then, and they rented it out until they graduated and they could make the move. He tells us to beware if we find ourselves in a similar situation. Be careful what you wish for, he tells us.

He collects the other guests, almost all people from the States and a couple from the UK. Almost all retirees.

On the bus he holds up a map of the island and points out the villages. He says we probably notice the lack of roads on the eastern end of the island and tells us it’s because one family owns the majority of that area, including the Man O’ War winery, named after the naval ships that boasted masts made from the local Kauri trees. The family made their money in paper, having owned one of the largest paper mills in New Zealand.

Once he gives us the lay of the land he hops in the driver’s seat and we drive to our first winery.

Along the way, he drives us along the shore and points out the bach houses, traditionally small bachelor pads built along the beach. These days, people are buying up the small lots for millions and building million-dollar homes on them. He points one of the few original baches out to us as we pass. The woman’s been offered a lot of money for it, but she refuses to sell. She’s very happy there, and as we pass we see her seated on a bed, flipping through a newspaper, looking very happy indeed.

Our first vineyard is Kennedy Point, specializing in organic wines. Sofia greets us in the tasting room, and begins to tell us about the three wines we’ll try. She offers us Te Matuku oysters, grown in a marine reserve just off the island. Nick tells us they’re some of the freshest, cleanest one can find. They’re delicious and pair nicely with the wines.

Sofia has an accent and tells us she’s from Argentina. I thank you for the pour in Spanish and she looks up. Habla Español? Un poquito. I ask her where in Argentina she’s from. Rosario. You’ve been there? A long time ago.

After the second pour she takes us on a small walk to look at the vines. On the terrace she points out the trees that grow on the slope of the hill that heads towards the sea. They were the inspiration for the walking trees in The Lord of the Rings.

They’re covered in nets to protect the grapes from the birds. She points to the hill behind us and tells us that its home to their two cows, who are currently hiding elesewhere. Back in the tasting room, she’ll show us pictures of them and we lament we didn’t get to see them in person. They feature prominently on their website.

Our next stop is Batch Winery, so named because they make small batches of the wines they produce. Situated on a hill with views out to the sea, it’s a picturesque setting and I mention how it’d be a great location for a wedding to Heather. In fact, a couple is being followed by a photographer having engagement photos done.

Nick leads us to the dining room where the tasting is already set up, with a small bite accompanying each glass. Nick tells us it's the only winery on the island that makes a sparkling wine, and I'm excited to taste it. It'll be the last glass, paired with a dessert bite.

After the tasting, Nick leads us into the winery itself where he tells us about how they make their sparkling wine. They use the Charmat method, where the fermentation is done in stainless steel tanks. They’re also the only winery that bottles their own wine, the bottling machine stands in the center of the room.

We drive to our final winery, Casita Miro. The proprietors fell in love with wine on a trip to Spain, and also with the artwork of Guadi. The husband has spent his time creating murals for the winery and they line the drive and walk up to the tasting area. A grassy area is set up for picnickers.

The winery takes its name from Joan Miró, another of the proprietor’s favorites.

When we arrive in the tasting area, glasses and snacks are already set up. Katrina from Prague introduces us to the wines and tells us a little bit about each of them before we taste them. Afterwards, she leads us down to the dining room where we enjoy a light tapas lunch.

Driving back to the main town, we pass the original winery on the island, Goldwater Estate. Nick tells us that the owners have since bequeathed it to the University of Auckland, stipulating that they must have established and continued a wine program in order to retain it. It’s where Nick learned to make wine after he retired. He said he was the oldest in the class, but also did the best out of everyone at the blind tastings. Years of experience, he tells us.

Back in town he tells us that we’re good on time. He’s happy to run people down to the 16h ferry if they so choose or he will wait for people to explore the town and run them down to the 16h30 ferry. He recommends and ice cream shop. Two of us decide we’ll walk. I thank Nick and take a tour of the town, stopping for ice cream.

I walk down to the beach to touch the water and get my shoes wet. I wander to the cinema and poke my head in. He had told us that all the seating was donated and consisted of comfortable sofas. And so it is.

A woman outside asks me how I like it. I tell her it’s lovely. She tells me they get first run films. I had noticed and am duly impressed. I cross over to the library and she tells me what a wonderful library it is. She’s part of the French and philosophy groups and tells me there’s an activity room in the corner set aside for group meetings. She tells me that it’s part of a program of third-age education. She tells me the island is nice and quiet and safe. She seems very happy here.

I make my way down the hill to the ferry. Passing a sign for a nature walk I decide to head into the forest and take the upper path through the thicket en route to the wharf. I end up continuing on and find myself let out at the far end of the beach from the terminal. I can see people boarding and check the time. I can make the 16h30 if I run, but decide to take my time and look for rocks to skip out into the bay.

On the ferry, they tell us that the seas have become a bit rough and we’ll be taking another route back to the city. I sit outside, watching the islands go by. There’s weather on the horizon, but the crossing isn’t so bad.

Back in Auckland, I prepare for the week I’m to spend before heading to Dunedin. I shop for groceries and prepare a load of laundry, not having had a washing machine in Dubai. I’m amazed I’m on this side of the world, so far from everywhere I’ve been, and I’m eager to see what’s next. 🇳🇿