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What I Did On My Holidays
For the last eight months or so, when our overseas relatives have asked "So, what have you been up to?" New Zealanders have answered "Oh, um....nothing much....". It's seemed a bit off to throw the details of our normal lives into the faces of people still struggling with the pandemic. However, happily with vaccinations things are moving on, and we're looking forward to our overseas friends joining us here in the #zeroCovid future soon. That being the case, and with an eye to future tourism, here are some pictures from my February holiday on Waiheke Island.
Although I'm happy to give our tourist industry a little plug, Waiheke doesn't really need any help from me: ever since Lonely Planet named it the fifth best destination in the world the tourists have been flocking. And with good reason: it's only a half-hour ferry ride from the city, the beaches are fantastic, the restaurants are great, and it's goddamned gorgeous. Wherever else I go, I always go to Waiheke once a year, because New Zealand is basically one big beach and it just feels weird to Kiwis not to have a beach holiday.
The place I stay in is nothing special: it's a crappy old holiday house (called "bach" here, pronounced "batch") thrown together in the 1970s and feeling its age. What is special, though, is the location. It's on Waiheke's best beach, and as a result the property is worth around $3.5-4 million. Since I can't afford to chuck down a few million on a bach, I'm grateful they rent it out. Here's the view up one side of the beach from my balcony. Note the typically crowded NZ beach.
When you drive off the car ferry on Waiheke, there's a sign that says "Slow Down. You're Here". That pretty much sums up the laidback Waiheke life. On my first night on the island, I always like to go to this restaurant, Archive at Mudbrick Winery, because you can see Auckland city in the distance and be happy you're not there.
Where there are beaches on Waiheke, there are restaurants and cafes with amazing views of those beaches. This is a new one we went to this year:
But there are also inland restaurants that are equally stunning (serving, of course, amazing Waiheke wine):
And while Waiheke's deservedly known for its wine, it's not the only thing it can do. It also produces fantastic oysters, smoked fish, olive oil, and this year, gin. Gin, what's more, in one of the most beautiful spots on the island. When we got to the top of the hill from the carpark, we literally gasped at the view. This photo doesn't begin to do it justice:
The gin was just as lovely as the view. Waiheke Distillers' flagship gin, the Red Ruby, has cherries infused in it. If that sounds good, it tasted even better. A bottle may have found its way into my suitcase.
It was nice to be there this year without overseas tourists, but our tourist industry does need them. Hopefully, the rest of the world will soon be like New Zealand where this is the only corona you have to concern yourself with.
And we will be delighted to welcome you back.
Although I'm happy to give our tourist industry a little plug, Waiheke doesn't really need any help from me: ever since Lonely Planet named it the fifth best destination in the world the tourists have been flocking. And with good reason: it's only a half-hour ferry ride from the city, the beaches are fantastic, the restaurants are great, and it's goddamned gorgeous. Wherever else I go, I always go to Waiheke once a year, because New Zealand is basically one big beach and it just feels weird to Kiwis not to have a beach holiday.
The place I stay in is nothing special: it's a crappy old holiday house (called "bach" here, pronounced "batch") thrown together in the 1970s and feeling its age. What is special, though, is the location. It's on Waiheke's best beach, and as a result the property is worth around $3.5-4 million. Since I can't afford to chuck down a few million on a bach, I'm grateful they rent it out. Here's the view up one side of the beach from my balcony. Note the typically crowded NZ beach.
When you drive off the car ferry on Waiheke, there's a sign that says "Slow Down. You're Here". That pretty much sums up the laidback Waiheke life. On my first night on the island, I always like to go to this restaurant, Archive at Mudbrick Winery, because you can see Auckland city in the distance and be happy you're not there.
Where there are beaches on Waiheke, there are restaurants and cafes with amazing views of those beaches. This is a new one we went to this year:
But there are also inland restaurants that are equally stunning (serving, of course, amazing Waiheke wine):
And while Waiheke's deservedly known for its wine, it's not the only thing it can do. It also produces fantastic oysters, smoked fish, olive oil, and this year, gin. Gin, what's more, in one of the most beautiful spots on the island. When we got to the top of the hill from the carpark, we literally gasped at the view. This photo doesn't begin to do it justice:
The gin was just as lovely as the view. Waiheke Distillers' flagship gin, the Red Ruby, has cherries infused in it. If that sounds good, it tasted even better. A bottle may have found its way into my suitcase.
It was nice to be there this year without overseas tourists, but our tourist industry does need them. Hopefully, the rest of the world will soon be like New Zealand where this is the only corona you have to concern yourself with.
And we will be delighted to welcome you back.