The Wine & Art Trails
- Feb 5, 2017
- 4 min read
Location:
Waiheke Island, Auckland, NI, New Zealand
There really are an array of places to visit and events to attend that we need to tick of our long list during our time in Auckland. And this next thing is simply a must! Not doing it, don’t bother telling anyone you lived in Auckland for a short while, because if you do, they will more than likely mention this place and you will ever so faintly admit that you never paid the place a visit. Then everyone will whisper, ‘Oh my God!’ No, I’m sorry, I can’t have that! There is only one thing that can resolve a faith like that!
A short ferry trip was all it took to reach ‘Waiheke Island.’ As the ferry approached the island, one couldn’t help but notice all the art enthusiasts enjoying all the sculptures along the coast. I shall look forward to dragging poor Jason along to every single one of them! One must appreciate art! That’s later, now though, time to jump in our hop on – hop off bus as we go to our first destination of the day, ‘Oneroa Village.’ It’s a quaint little village with lots of nice coffee shops and a little beach. We walked from one end of the village looking for somewhere decent to get a coffee and a little treat. The only problem was that it was a bank holiday, which meant there wasn’t too many amazing cakes and most places were taking full advantage of this by charging extra! In the end, we decided to check out a recommendation by our guide on the bus. A nice little outdoor coffee place that had the most amazing caramel slice. It went down very well! After our coffee, a leisurely stroll along the beach was required! From there we jumped back on the bus to our next stop!
This stop was more up Jason’s street, ‘The Vineyard Walking trail.’ His little face lit up! It was like watching a kid open their presents on Christmas morning. The first winery we stopped off at, ‘Stonyridge’ was nice, but I didn’t like the fact they were recommending a selection of wines that were not from the region. It kind of defeats the whole purpose of visiting a winery. I could have just stayed on the mainland and gone to a wine bar. While there was a nice atmosphere, it wasn’t for me. The second winery we visited certainly put the first place to shame. The walk to it was lovely. We traversed through remote country land that felt we were in the middle of nowhere. That is exactly how we felt when we reached ‘Obsidian Vineyard.’ A beautiful, quaint winery that felt it was part of the landscape. As I looked all around, all I could see was a beautiful landscape of grape vines and olive trees to name but a few. We left with a fancy bottle of wine for Valentine’s Day and a smile on our faces, as the whole experience was wonderful!
With all this wine drinking, it was time to get the bus for our next stop. However, we just missed the bus which meant we had to wait for the next one. Oh, well! What can you do? Let’s have lunch! Eventually it came and brought us to ‘Onetangai’ where we enjoyed another beach walk before swapping the sand for some tarmacadam as we went in search of a bird sanctuary which, at first, we couldn’t find. We ended up going way past it, and on the way back, when it was too late, we found it! By that stage, we had to make a run for the bus!
Before our last stop of the day, we had to try and get one more winery in, and this one had views you could only dream of. Welcome to ‘Cable Bay Vineyard.’ As wineries go, the first one was average, the second one was all about the wine and this one, well, this one is all about that stunning view. Bean bags laid out along the grass allowing everyone to enjoy a nice drink and the crowds just soaking in the atmosphere, but most importantly, that view!
We finished the day with something I was most looking forward to, ‘The Headland Sculpture on the Gulf’ art trail. Pieces of ‘Art’ commissioned by local artists for the public to enjoy. While some of the pieces didn’t make much sense, we had to remind ourselves that it is ‘Art’ and it is open to interpretation, which left me trying to answer, what does this mean? What is the reason behind it? Up further, there was more of an open space where we could enjoy the sun setting over some rather interesting pieces. Of course, it’s only natural that I would prefer some over others. It was a really, nice trail with a bit of an interesting twist!
A day out at Waiheke, does make for an enjoyable time. There is such an array of ways to spend a few hours here, with something for everyone! Yet again, we were so lucky with the weather, another perfect day on another beautiful island. The type of day I wanted while visiting such a stunning location. What really tops it off is a ferry service that runs throughout the evening. Beaches, wine and art, what more could you want?
By Andrew
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