Not Waikiki... but Waiheke, pronounced just about the same ... "wai hee kee". Ryan, Hadley (our coworker from Austin), and I hopped on a 30-minute ferry ride to Waiheke Island. It's beautiful. Everyone here will tell you that, and they are not lying.
The ticket for the ferry costs $30 NZD round trip. The first ferry out is around 7 AM and the last ferry back to Auckland is at 12:30 AM. So, you can make a full day out of it. The ferry drops you off at the far West side of the island. Most people recommend renting scooters to get around the island in, but since there was 3 of us, we rented a car, which costs $50 plus $0.60 per kilometer.
Our Kiwi coworkers recommended a couple of vineyards to visit... all with spectacular views and fine dining experience. Not wanting to be disappointed, I booked us a table at the Mudbrick Vineyard Cafe for lunch and the Te Whau (pronounced "te fa-ou") for dinner. In between our meals, we visited one of the many beaches on the island and Stony Batter Historic Reserve, which is on the far East side of the island.
Our food was incredible. We ate like kings. When I said fine dining, I meant it... fresh oysters, fish, the guys had lamb, goat, and steak. Mudbrick, due to its 'romatic' feel, is typically booked out for weddings and receptions. The Te Whau Restaurant has won awards and rated one of the top vineyard restaurants in the world. The wine from Mudbrick I prefer to Te Whau's, which is a dryer and more peppery taste. Both had wonderful views of the water and Auckland city at a distance.
It was a beautiful day, full of spectacular food and spectacular views. Here are the pictures: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=95reg1b.bdzsy3aj&x=0&y=-d0ayn7
Posted by oneray at October 7, 2006 11:58 PM