Promote the development of a coastal walkway system (Falmouth Public Access Study)

Okay, okay, one of the places we went in New Zealand was an island, so perhaps I should've grouped Waiheke Island with the others in my previous post. But the country, including Waiheke, made such a positive impression on me that I felt I should give it extra attention. I mean, the place is just so darn charming.

Waiheke is close enough to Auckland that some people commute from there daily. As such, the island is full of designer houses built by people who can afford to commute every day. But in a former life, Waiheke was a weekend getaway full of baches, or handmade holiday houses built up to livability over many years. We stayed in the cutely named Little Red Bach (left), which as built in the 1930s out of Model T shipping containers (a holiday renter who happened to be the son of the builder revealed the bach's history to the owners). The hillside hut has come a long way since. There is now electricity, running water, and even an indoor toilet, made private by only the piece of plywood behind the microwave (right). But as other plumbing goes, there is only a sun shower, which I highly advise not using at dusk, when all the mosquitos are looking for dinner.

Accommodation might have come a long way, but transportation has not. The main pasttime on Waiheke, when it's too cold to get in the water, is tramping. There are over two-dozen official "Waiheke Walkways." We did #4 Hekerua Bay to Palm Beach from our bach and #5 Rocky Bay's Te Whau Loop (left). On the loop, we had to hike up and down a lot of hills, but it was worth the views of the blue water below and the city skyline beyond (right). Plenty of unofficial paths have popped up, too. For example, we often used a less well-marked walkway through Nelson Reserve, one of many reserves on the island, to get home.

Tramping is one of those hobbies in which you'd better enjoy the journey more than the destination, and I did. I particularly loved the flowers, such as these purples ones at Sandy Bay Beach (left) and these red ones above Oneroa Beach (right); sorry, but a botanist I am not. Indeed, the flowers, even if I didn't know their names, were more interesting than the destinations, which were often lacking rest stops to reward our efforts. We relied on a convenience store for some sodas in Palm Beach, whose only excitement is Little Palm Beach, a clothing-optional section of sand hidden behind a large rock. In Onetangi, we were at least able to enjoy the view from the patio of Charlie Farley's.

 

The lack of oceanside patios was surprising, considering that another popular pasttime on the island is drinking wine. The one chardonnay-soaked spot we found was at Ricky's Cafe in Oneroa (left), which we left before trivia started, a lesson learned from our visit to Wellington (more about that in another post). For the most part, though, if you wanted your vintage with a view, you needed to head to the vineyards themselves. The vista from Te Whau Vineyard toward Dead Dog Bay was like looking at a Guadalupe Valley with water (right).

I'm not much for researching flowers, but I don't mind researching bouquets, the oenological kind at least. At Te Whau, TJ and I shared a flight of traditional Bourdeaux mixes of -- in order of appearance, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec -- from four years: 2008-2011; all were called The Point, except the most recent year, which was named Le Petit Point because of a drought-induced low yield that season (top). At Mudbrick Vineyard, we skipped the set flight and opted to enjoy its patio with a couple of refreshing suggestions from the staff: a 2012 Chardonnay and a 2013 Pinot Gris (bottom left). Down the road at Cable Bay Vineyards, we did double duty. First, we had the set flight of the 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, with grapes from the Marlborough wine region; the 2011 Chardonnay; the 2013 Rose; the 2012 Syrah, with 2% Viognier; and the 2012 Five Hills, a 67% Merlot and 33% Malbec blend. But then we each got full glasses with which to drink in the view of Auckland from the winery's lawn (bottom right).

Unfortunately, not every winery has an amazing view, so some places have come up with other ways to draw in tasters. At Wild on Waiheke, home of Waiheke Island Brewery and Topknot Hill Vineyard, you can get tipsy then play chess or petanque (left) and shoot lasers at clay pigeons or arrows at targets (right). With closing time near, TJ and I opted for the more traditional pursuit of tasting: He had a beer flight of Onetangi Dark Ale, Baroono Original Pale Ale, Matiata Malt Beer, and Waiheke Island Cider while I had a wine flight of Chardonnay, Rose, and Syrah.

The winery's "Island Paradize" pizza -- covered with salami, olives, feta, basil, and carmelized onions -- was actually the best meal we had on the island (top). Coming in a close second was an indoor picnic at our bach consisting of salami, cheese, crackers, wine, and chocolate. The day before, we had a posher plate of pate at Ricky's (bottom left) then planned to eat dinner at the Oyster Inn, but it was closed for what seemed to be a rehearsal dinner. Instead, we got takeaway from Oneroa Fish & Chips for a picnic by the beach (bottom right). Unfortunately, a bunch of loud and drunken bridesmaids, from the aforementioned rehearsal dinner, rained on our parade when they wouldn't walk back to the inn because of a sudden yet light shower.

I don't think it's a coincidence that two, count 'em two, rainbows appeared when the giggly gaggle of girls finally left (left), rewarding our patience, particularly my bitten lip. To be fair, nature was pretty generous our entire time on the island, particularly during sunsets (right). It got windy only as we were waiting for the Fullers Ferry while sipping a beer at The Bay, and the rain even held off until right before we got off the boat in Auckland.