22nd September
The alarm was set for 6.30am, and getting up and ready we were out of the house by 7.45.We just went and spoke to our neighbor joy, to let her know we would be out for the weekend – she thought we were going camping as we had our backpacks with us. Catching the bus to Brotomart, we bought the tickets for the 9am ferry to Wahiki island and waited to board.
The 9am ferry went via Devonport before sailing past Rangitoto island to the port on the western end of Wahiki. Arriving near 10, we caught the bus all the way to Onetangi, where we got picked up by Susan from the Nikau villa where we were staying (in a green box car). A short ride later up the hill we were shown to our apartment and made ourselves at home with a nice cup of tea, sitting in the sun and enjoying the views.
After a little rest we left to go get the bus, walking down to Onetangi. Just a little down the road we heard a hoot and Gus pulled up in the green car – he was going to get some paint from Ostend – offering a lift and a mini guided tour, which we gladly accepted. At Ostend while he bought the paint we paid a visit to the really small local market there, buying some ciabatta and olive oil. Getting in the car with Gus again, he dropped us of outside the Stonyridge Vineyard. The first vinyard on this stretch of road was the Topknot Hill which was a family affair with archery and laser pigeon shooting activities going on. We went for the tasting, having one wheat beer, one white and two reds. Well the wheat beer was quite nice, and the white passable, but the reds were awfull ! We left not that impressed.
Next was the Stonyridge which was a a little walk up a road. The vineyard seemed to be a little nicer and we ordered another tasting, this time two whites and two reds (Stonyridge Chardonnay , Fallen Angel Riesling, fallen Angel Sauvignon Blanc and Stonyridge Airfield) and sat outside with a lovely view over the vines. Wow what a difference, the wines were really much nicer and we sat and really enjoyed them.
Bhavni was getting a little hungry, so I ordered bread and olives and as we had already been recommended a red wine by the staff, the Stonyridge Luna Negra. A full plate of bread with olive oil and olives really hit the spot, before the wine arrived. Now that is an amazing wine, the colour was really ultra intense and the flavour was really nice (considering I dont really drink red wine).
The next stop was the neighbouring The Shed at Te Motu Vineyard. which sort of shares the road with Stonyridge. The design of the building really was like a shed, but the restaurant is supposed to be very good. We idled up to the bar and did our third wine testing. The man behind the bar had only been working there a couple of days (being a chef at another vineyard), but was friendly and explained what we should be looking out for on the pallet – Bhavni is better at this than me. We again had 2 whites and 2 reds, all of which were quite good. He explained that white wines – especially things like Rieslings that we were drinking for one of our whites, should always be drunk young (for most peoples tastes), unlike reds that age better. To finish of I ordered some vegetable crisps with lemon salt, which were good and crispy – though a little oily.
After leaving we took a short cut to the Saratoga estate, but when we went into the estate, there was not much going on, with the guy behind the “bar” in deep conversation. Bhavnis thought was that they were sharing life stories…. We left and as we had a little time before the next bus we popped across the road to the museum and talked to the ladies volunteering behind the counter.
The bus was a little late arriving, which took us to Onetangi, where we had a little walk on the beach. While climbing the hill back to the hotel it started to spit a little. Just before the home stretch, Gus pulled up behind – he had dropped one of his workers at the ferry and was on his way back to the hotel, so we got the lift back.
After freshening up Gus dropped us for dinner at Charly Farly, where we had a nice beetroot salad for starters. Bhavni having a risotto and a Mexican dish for me for mains. Desert was a creme brulee. All accompanied with a glass of wine each. We called Gus and got a lift back with him, after which we retired for the night.
23rd September
Although woken with the light streaming into the room, sleep pulled us back until just before 9am we got a phone call from Shelina, who was at Camilles house for dinner with Aruns house and Minul as well. Well after the usual birthday song (the slow one that makes me crazy), I got to say hello most of them.
For breakfast we had ciabatta that we bought yesterday from the market with olive oil and tea – alfresco, while admiring the view in the rain that kept on coming through. Eventually we checked out and got a lift with Susan to Onatangi, where we walked along the beach front and up the hill to Casita Miro, another vinyard. The heavens opened up on us just before we reached and turned into sunshine after we were through the door. Another friendly place, with one of the staff behind the counter from Germany having moved 2 years ago, and the other Spanish. We ordered another taste menu, with 2 whites, a rose, a red and an enriched red with brandy. Our favorite was the 2011 Rose, which most people including those behind the bar like. We had some fun asking about the ins and outs of wine making, and got a bit more of a feel into different techniques used.
We tried to go to the neighbouring vineyards, but they were closed to visitors, so we made our way back to Onatangi and Charley Farleys for lunch. It was heaving inside, so we braved the weather outside and had chips and holmium salad. It was amusing watching the bus loads of tourist coming for lunch.
Catching the bus at 2pm, we got Oneroa and had a wonder around the shops – I got some chocolate, but was disappointed that it was just chocolate covered hard caramel. Walking to the port, we caught the 4pm ferry back to downtown, where we caught the train for the first time in Auckland to home.
29th September
With Bhavni still at work on her night shift, I went to the gliding club – It had been 2 months since I last had been flying. It was quite quiet as there was an airshow at Ardmore and most had gone there. John B (the ex CFI) was there however and we went over the training syllabus for instructing and I had a couple of flights – one winch and one AT. I got home around 5 and being lazy ordered pizza from Dominos for dinner, before dropping Bhavni to work for her night shift.
30th September
I forgot that the time had changed – summer time – so that I ended up getting up closer to 9am. I started the day by doing some research into vacuum cleaners, before I picked Bhavni up from her night shift – I had found a vacuum which had reasonable reviews in the UK and there was a sale at Harvey Norman, so we headed to the one in Mt Wellington. They had sold out of the one we were looking for – but apparently the store in Manaku city had 34 left in stock, so we headed there – 15 minutes down the motorway. They indeed had the vacuum – not bad for 69 bucks. After we went to Briscos and got some items we were missing before heading home.
Bhavni being tired from her night shift started thinking about outside furniture and what was on offer at Briscos, so we went back to Mt Wellington and ended up purchasing a swing seat….
While Bhavni slept (night shift), I ran some errands going to Newmarket. We had pizza leftovers before I dropped Bhavni to work at night.
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