After a couple of nights downtime in Auckland, we caught the car ferry to  make the 40 minute crossing to Waiheke Island, an island in the Hauraki Gulf. We picked up a map of the island on the boat. We wanted to head to the Man O’War Winery to surprise our English friend, Sarah who works there. Wineries are probably the biggest attraction on Waiheke, drawing in visitors from Auckland and beyond. To get to the Man O’War Winery, we headed from the ferry to the other, less populated end of the island. We drove along an unmade road for several kilometres, gawping at the stunning views of the Hauraki Gulf. The land was beautiful – rolling fields full of cattle and sheep and of course, vines.

Arriving at the Man O’War, we discovered a perfectly proportioned, colonial style house with a fine shaded verandah looking over a beautiful, unspoilt beach. Sarah invited us to sample a selection of (very fine!) wines and we also tried a couple of their olive oils. Then we took our glasses and a couple of platters to sit out under the Pohutukawa trees overlooking the sea. It was a beautiful, sunny day. Apparently, the bay fills up with boats at weekends in the Summer but today we saw only one solitary yacht.

Sarah had a few hours of work left, so we decided to stay on the beach. David did a spot of fishing and I lay on the beach and read a book, then took a dip.  Back at Sarah’s place, we had a lovely dinner and then sat out looking at the stars. There’s very little light pollution and the stars were incredible. It was lovely to catch up with an old friend and quite a luxury to get out of the van and enjoy sleeping in a proper bed.

The next day, Sarah took us down to Onetangi Beach, a beautiful beach with white sand. There’s a great little bar/restaurant right on the beach called Charley Farley’s. It’s a popular local spot, especially during happy hour. Sarah has a friend on the beach, Blakey, who offered to take us out on his boat. Blakey has a ‘Sealegs’ which is a brilliant Kiwi developed amphibious craft. Looking along the beach at Onetangi, it seemed that almost every home had one. To set off, we just jumped aboard the boat, a RIB (rigid inflatable boat), which is mounted on wheels. Blakey started the engine and we trundled off down the beach towards the sea. As soon as we hit the water, the outboard engine kicked in and the wheels disappeared. We didn’t need to go very far out to start fishing. Blakey leant Sarah and I fishing rods and David used his own. Before long, we hit a shoal of Red Snapper. David caught a big one which Blakey sliced thinly. Sarah produced some wasabi and soya sauce and we experienced the freshest Sashimi I’ve ever tasted. We took the rest of the Snapper back to the house and Sarah cooked it up for lunch. Delicious!

In the afternoon, we went out again and this time did even better. First, we caught Red Snapper but then we started catching Kahawai. Sarah was off the boat at the time, enjoying a snorkel and diving with a sea urchin net. I’m not much of a fisherwoman, but for some reason, I was getting all the luck with the Kahawai. I pulled one up, and noticed an even bigger fish swimming up after it. This was a Yellow Tailed Kingfish, the most highly prized fish for eating, especially for Sashimi. Unfortunately, this was the one that got away – but fortunately, a friend of Blakey’s came by and offered us some of his Kingfish, which he’d just caught off Great Barrier, a neighbouring island. It was even more delicious than the Red Snapper!

Sarah came up with some Sea Urchins in her net, and so we had a chance to taste them, too. Sadly, neither David and I liked the taste but they’re reckoned to be a real delicacy.

The next day was Sarah’s birthday.  We headed out to celebrate in style at the Tantalus Estate, one of the newest wineries on the island. The setting was idyllic, and I could easily fancy myself in Tuscany as we were shown to our al fresco table with views of the vineyards. We were four at the table as Sarah had asked Ricky, another friend, to join us. Strangely, Ricky is also from Dorset and we met him last Summer up at our favourite Purbeck pub, the Square & Compass. It turns out there is a whole host of Purbeck people living on Waiheke – despite the geographical distance, there is some similarity between the two places which made me feel strangely at home there. The staff at Tantalus knew it was Sarah’s birthday and as a result showered us with extras such as a glass of bubbly and a special pudding for Sarah. It was a really memorable meal which showcased some of the wonderful foods (and wines!) produced on Waiheke island. I had to skip the locally produced Te Makutu oysters –  not an oyster person – but David pronounced them spectacular!

In the afternoon, Sarah drove us down to yet another beautiful beach – this one privately owned. Sarah and I had a peaceful swim in the crystal clear waters before heading off home for a low key evening in.

On our final day, Sarah had to go back to work so we set off on our own to check out the market at Ostend. We brought some delicious pies off an Argentinian food stall and some pretty little fruit tarts at Francos, a bakery with a French-Italian feel.

In the afternoon, we headed off for a walk at the Stony Batter Historical Reserve, taking the same unmade road which leads to the Man O’War winery. This site is littered with gun emplacements and tunnels which were constructed in the Second World War to defend Auckland against Japanese attack. Massive volcanic rocks lie scattered across the fields. Sadly the tunnels are closed to the public, so instead we followed a signpost for an energetic walk down to the coast and back. The walk was poorly signed and we couldn’t find a way down to the beach but the hills were very pretty, dotted with sheep and vines, and the views of the Bay and the nearby Coromandel Peninsula were outstanding.

Our stay on Waiheke was a real highlight of our trip to New Zealand – partly because we were staying with a local and had access to things we wouldn’t normally see, and partly because it’s so beautiful. On the way back from our walk we picked up a hitchhiker who said he’d just come from Great Barrier Island, which sounded amazing, too. A tour of the islands of Hauraki Gulf…hmmm…that would be quite a trip!