After a much needed full night of sleep we ventured into Auckland with no plans, on foot, headed a few blocks toward the city’s waterfront. The day was supposed to be rainy, but turned out to just be cloudy and cool, perfect jeans & sweatshirt weather right about 60 degrees.
What an awesome city! Talk about bike friendly, nearly every street we walked down had a separated bike path fully protected from traffic. After some French pastries and coffee we had the “happy accident” of wandering right up to a surprise playground in the middle of the city. It was small but awesome, with two tunnel slides, one was massive but closed so Reef was happy as can be just doing countless laps on the smaller slide - and taking River down a few times - until we finally managed to extract him.
From the playground we walked out to the large pedestrian waterfront area which appears to encompass at least a couple miles of shoreline including a pedestrian bridge with excellent views of the Auckland SkyTower. Soon after crossing that bridge we stumbled across a random but really cool set of shipping containers in the waterfront pedestrian area, one of which was set up as a little reading nook with a small selection of lending books that anyone can just pop into to relax and read with a full view of the boats.
You gotta love a place that prioritizes safe biking, playgrounds, and reading. Not to mention I didn't see any litter anywhere - I have no doubt there are places in Auckland that are not as clean, but the main downtown waterfront is spick and span.
As we walked along the waterfront Sharyl spotted a restaurant with a pretty cool name - Saint Alice!
With the weather still holding up despite forecasts we decided to take a Ferry over to Waiheke Island, one of several islands easily reachable by a brief Ferry from downtown Auckland. Some of the islands are nature preserves, some are populated, Waiheke is the largest of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf, and it has numerous vineyards.
After a quick 40 minute boat ride we landed on the beautiful Waiheke island. From the Maitiatia Bay Ferry terminal it was just a 15 minute stroll into Oneroa village.
As we walked into the town, and were passed by the island’s 100% electric public buses it was hard to not be impressed with the easy incorporation of sustainability into New Zealand life. For instance every trash can in the city and in businesses is flanked by an equal sized compost bin and recycling bin. And their care for native species is really something to experience, at the Ferry terminal they provide public shoe cleaning stations so passengers don’t unintentionally transport invasive species to the islands in the Hauraki Gulf.
As we arrived into Oneroa the first stop, of course, was for gelato. This is probably as good of a time as any to make clear that Reef is on assignment to find the best Ice Cream in New Zealand and he takes his task seriously. He had received a tip from a friend of ours that he needs to try Hokey Pokey - a particular flavor that is apparently unique to New Zealand, but pretty widely available from most ice cream shops and ice cream makers. The Island Gelatto Company had recently rotated Hokey Pokey out of their current line-up so Reef settled for Mint Chocolate Chip . . . it passed the taste test. River had no interest on being left out as an ice cream judge, so he enjoyed a sizable portion of Sharyl's ice cream - which happened to be the first ice cream he has eaten - but clearly will not be the last. It wasn't immediately obvious if River preferred the Blueberry crumble ice cream or the "darkest chocolate", he is a child of diverse tastes.
After polishing off our gelato we walked over to Cable Bay vineyards. The winery had actually come recommended from Adam and Yoko who visited Waiheke a few years back and had a great time at the vineyard. It did not disappoint. Cable Bay has a truly beautiful setting with views out over the ocean and off shore islands. They whipped up a mean charcuterie board for us, and killer wood fired pizza for the boys all a great compliment to their various wines.
From there it was back to the Ferry for the return voyage to Auckland. The Ferry though only maybe twice the size of the Lanai Expeditions Ferry has a coffee bar which makes a truly top tier Mocha. I can't say I'd typically expect much from a barista based on a commuter Ferry, but these guys have a full set-up, including an onboard espresso machine.
Back in Auckland, and the rain long predicted finally arrived. It wasn't anything too heavy, but it did make for a bit of a wet walk back to the hotel as the sun went down.
What a great first day in New Zealand!
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