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msconductThank you to all the people who sent vibes for my summer holiday, as there was no cyclone this year! Not even a little one! In fact, the weather was perfect - no rain and hot enough to swim but not hot enough to get heatstroke.
When we go to Waiheke, an island about 45 minutes away from Auckland by car ferry, each year, we always stay at the same place. It's a battered old house with beds which were terrible when we first started going more than fifteen years ago and haven't been replaced in the interim (we take mattresses with us now - the sole reason I bought a decent-sized car). So it's not exactly luxurious, but what is luxurious is the view. We're right across the road from what I think is one of the most stunning beaches in the world. Despite the house being pretty basic, I feel so lucky to be able to rent it. A few weeks ago a house further up the beach sold for $11 million.
Waiheke's busy in January, but in February all the kids have gone back to school. The beach is more than a mile long, and most days when we were swimming we had the water to ourselves.
We spend a lot of our time here just swimming, reading on the deck and watching the twice-daily parade of people walking their dogs (it's a leash-free beach in the early morning and late afternoon, and the dogs absolutely love it). But it's worth getting up the motivation to leave the house, because as well as the beaches and gorgeous scenery in general, Waiheke has some great restaurants. We had terrific cocktails...
...and great food.
And sometimes we got to mix the scenery with the cocktails. This place is a gin distillery perched on a cliff at one end of the island, and the scenery is absolutely jaw-dropping. Photos can't do it justice, but I had to try.
We even got to watch the sunset sipping Waiheke's famous wine.
(I know I sound like a complete lush here, but the rest of the year I rarely drink at all, so I figure I can get away with it once a year.)
It was a great relief to have such a relaxing holiday, especially after last year's cyclone which pretty much wrecked it plus a difficult and stressful year. By the end I felt I'd unwound more than I have since 2019, and I've never needed it more.
When we go to Waiheke, an island about 45 minutes away from Auckland by car ferry, each year, we always stay at the same place. It's a battered old house with beds which were terrible when we first started going more than fifteen years ago and haven't been replaced in the interim (we take mattresses with us now - the sole reason I bought a decent-sized car). So it's not exactly luxurious, but what is luxurious is the view. We're right across the road from what I think is one of the most stunning beaches in the world. Despite the house being pretty basic, I feel so lucky to be able to rent it. A few weeks ago a house further up the beach sold for $11 million.
Waiheke's busy in January, but in February all the kids have gone back to school. The beach is more than a mile long, and most days when we were swimming we had the water to ourselves.
We spend a lot of our time here just swimming, reading on the deck and watching the twice-daily parade of people walking their dogs (it's a leash-free beach in the early morning and late afternoon, and the dogs absolutely love it). But it's worth getting up the motivation to leave the house, because as well as the beaches and gorgeous scenery in general, Waiheke has some great restaurants. We had terrific cocktails...
...and great food.
And sometimes we got to mix the scenery with the cocktails. This place is a gin distillery perched on a cliff at one end of the island, and the scenery is absolutely jaw-dropping. Photos can't do it justice, but I had to try.
We even got to watch the sunset sipping Waiheke's famous wine.
(I know I sound like a complete lush here, but the rest of the year I rarely drink at all, so I figure I can get away with it once a year.)
It was a great relief to have such a relaxing holiday, especially after last year's cyclone which pretty much wrecked it plus a difficult and stressful year. By the end I felt I'd unwound more than I have since 2019, and I've never needed it more.
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Date: 2024-03-02 06:13 pm (UTC)That is so stunning. What do they say, location, location... and you two sure found one, wowza!!
The food and drinks look amazing too. And how great to get there after the kids go back to school. :)