Auckland -- Day 2

Today we took a ferry to Waiheke Island.  The ferry terminal is conveniently located next to where the ship is docked.  Waiheke, which means "cascading waters" in Maori, is 13 miles from Auckland and famous for its vineyards and wineries.  The island's population is about 10,000, but it is a popular tourist destination, often getting 60,000 visitors per day.

Waiheke has no public water system; residents catch and store rainwater to use for cooking, drinking and bathing.  Like Auckland, houses are very expensive, with an average home costing $1 million. The location and topography of the island provides an excellent climate for growing about 10 different varieties of grapes.  They specialize in red wines such as Malbec and Pinot Noir. The main harvest time is April.

Before visiting 2 wineries. we stopped off for coffee, tea and scones at a cute restaurant along the beach. Several island residents were swimming in the warm water.  Rick and I took our shoes off and walked into the water for some photos.  There was a very interesting boat parked near the beach called "Sealegs".  It had 3 hydraulically driven retractable wheels that allowed it to drive on the road and beach, then retract the wheels when it got into the water.  It is very popular on Waiheke, but costs about $100,000!

We visited Stonyridge and Batch wineries.  At Stonyridge, we tasted one red and one white (sauvignon blanc).  Bottles of wine there cost $55-350.  Stonyridge also has a grove of olive trees which were planted at the same time as the vineyard.   Batch winery is located near the top of the island and offers excellent views of the surrounding area.  There is a small airport next to the winery, so we watched a plane land as we were sampling 4 different wines.  Batch is the only winery on Waiheke that makes sparkling (carbonated) wine, which was excellent.

A view of Auckland harbor from the ferry

Little birds nibbling on a scone left at the beach side restaurant.

The "sealegs" boat with attached hydraulic wheels parked on the road.

Driving the boat onto the beach.

Wheels lift up once the boat is in the water!

Arriving at Stonyridge Winery.

Vineyards at Stonyridge

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Grapes on the vines

A view of the ocean from Batch winery at the top of Waiheke island.

Batch winery is next to a small airport.  See plane landing.

Boats in the tidal basin at low tide.