Well this is confusing. Woke up in Tahiti on April 1, arrived in New Zealand at 2:30 the “same” day but it was now April 2nd. Cathy and I argued about whether our trip just lost a day. I think the way you should count is “how many sleeps” (thank you Erin Lasser for the vernacular). Since we missed a night, it means our trip is really only 100 days, even though if you count from March 2nd , when we left, to June 10th, our expected return date, it is 101 days.
Anyway, nothing we can do it about it we must soldier on.
Our flight from Tahiti was scheduled for 9:00. The car picked us up at 7 for what was supposed to be a 10-minute drive to the airport. Unfortunately, there was unusual traffic and we fretted about getting there too late. Fortunately, our driver was very creative in the way he navigated the traffic patterns and did get us there in plenty of time. Who would have thought there would be traffic in this island paradise?
The flight, 5 hours, was a bit bumpy at times, but other than that, uneventful. After a 30-minute drive from the airport we arrived at our hotel in Auckland. The location was amazing, right on the harbor and our suite had views of the bay and the yachts, what our guide on our wine tour (more about that later) called “floating real-estate”. I could only think of the reality TV show “Below Decks”, look it up (again, thank you niece Erin).
We might be able to afford the one in front.
After settling in we walked along the harbor, looking at the boats, and drooling. There were a couple for sale! Did not make an offer. We headed to the Ferry Terminal building to check out where we were scheduled to meet our guide the next morning, just to be sure we knew where we were going. The area is filled with restaurants and bars all modern and upscale. We found the Irish pub Cathy’s cousin Brian was in just the day before. Sorry we missed him and Tammy.
Ferry Terminal 
Where’s Brian? 
In Auckland
We found a place serving fresh oysters and of course I insisted that my bride have some of her favorites.
After our snack we headed back to the hotel and got ready for dinner. We got back to the hotel to a wonderful surprise, Brian and Tammy had arranged to have a bottle of wine delivered to our room, and our wonderful children, Ben, Chole, Elyse and Megan, had arranged for a cheese plate as well! Thank you to our wonderful family!!
April 3 Wine!
I always say, I enjoy learning about wine, because in order to learn you have to taste, and there is so much I don’t know. I have not been a fan of New Zealand wines, so I did not have very high expectations, but it is always a fun day to visit new vineyards and wineries.
We met our guide at the ferry terminal. We thought it was going to be a group but turned out to be just the two of us and our guide. We boarded a ferry to Waiheke island. A small island across the bay from Auckland. The ferry ride took about 40 minutes. Waiheke has about 9-10,000 inhabitants. I think I recall Phil our guide telling us there were about 30 wineries on the island. Our plan was to visit two before lunch, have a lunch at one of the wineries and then visit a third before heading back to the mainland. On the way to the first winery we stopped for some views of the bay.
The first winery was Mudbrick vineyard and restaurant. This is a beautiful property overlooking the Hauraki Gulf with lovely gardens. The wines were, to my surprise, quite good. We tasted a chardonnay and then several of their reds. I was not impressed by the Pinot Nior, but then again, I am not a fan of pinots (except for Burgundies). But the Bordeaux blends were quite good.
After tasting at Mudbrick we moved on to Peacock Sky. Since we were still a bit early, we stopped at a local beach for some more views.
Here at one of the highest peaks on Waiheke we tasted some marvelous wines, served with some food parings (see the recipe page for recipes of some of the pairings). We started with a sparkling wine that was interesting. I thought it was rather sweet, but Cathy did not think so. We moved on to some rather good reds. The upshot is that we ended up purchasing a case for shipment home. Some more comparisons to do when we get back!
Peacock Sky 
The winery 
The Vineyards
We then returned to Mudbrick for lunch. After which we headed for the last tasting of the day at Kennedy Point winery. Very small boutique winery. Extremely limited production but some fine wines particularly their Syrah. They also produce Olive and Avocado Oils and honey.
Olive Trees 
The Vineyard at Kennedy Point
My conclusion about New Zealand wines, at least the ones from this area, is that it is very good. The problem is that it is such limited production very little actually gets exported. What we get in the states is certainly not the best they have to offer. If you happen to come to Auckland I do recommend you check out the wine scene and I highly recommend you contact Phil Parker, phil.parker@xtra.co.nz . He is very knowledgeable and apparently has access to the best places and he “has been driving people to drink since 2001”.
Then back to the ferry and back to the hotel. We were too tired, worn out and not so hungry we needed a full dinner, so we decided to finish the wine and cheese our kids and cousins were kind enough to send. After that we finished off the cognac Tim and Cynthia, friends from our cruise had given us. Then off to sleep and prepare for the next part of our adventure; Hong Kong!