Ferry to Waiheke Island, followed by a coastal trek: steep up, steep down, repeat. Revived by a fine mid-afternoon lunch of grilled fish overlooking the water. Waiheke’s own Passage Rock Pinot Gris made the revival complete.
Category: Place
Tiny bananas and grand dames
Our urban walk took us to a different community center today, where we stocked up on veggies at the Sunday farmers market. A truck served a decent flat white and a long black, which we sipped while nibbling those tiny bananas you only find near where they’re grown. At lunch, the cafe seemed to be attracting characters straight out of British sitcom archives: namely, Mrs. Slocombe (Are You Being Served?) and Violet (Vicious).
Saturday in Auckland
A goal of our month in Auckland is to live like the locals do. Today, we walked a large loop that took us past a lively community center. In one room, there was a flower show; in another, a cake social. A cake social! We opted for a long black and a flat white served from a coffee truck. Later, at our neighborhood French cafe, the server asked if we had moved into the area. Their food is so good, we keep going back.
A Waitangi Day outing
We didn’t need to line up for the ferry from Hobsonville back to Auckland. Earlier today, we’d traveled to Hobsonville by city bus and, after a delicious lunch, hiked the trail that circles the town. William Hobson, the town’s namesake, was the first governor of New Zealand and a co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi, which he and several Māori chiefs signed on February 6, 1840. Today is Waitangi Day, a public holiday.
A landscape reframed
A massive cruise ship dwarfed the Island Direct Waiheke Island ferry. With 5,000 passengers suddenly in town for the day and a long holiday weekend approaching, the ferry lines were daunting. We quickly abandoned our plan to hike on Waiheke and instead trekked several miles back home, following the coastline for much of the way. Next week will be much quieter for our Waiheke hike.
Where the road ends
Our dead-end road leads to a coastal path, but high tide had other plans for us. We detoured a few blocks over to pick up the trail through parks and urban stretches. A few miles later, we looped back to the start via train and bus.
Tracking down a supplier for the daily fix
Our rental only has a pod machine, so today we went searching for a pour-over cone, our preferred way to brew. It turns out pour-overs aren’t really a “thing” here, so we pivoted to a French press. Tracking one down required a fruitless trip downtown followed by a trek into suburbia, but we finally snagged one at a big-box store. Between Google Maps, tap-to-pay transit, and a fine lunch, it turned out to be an excellent day.
Auckland staycation
High tide at our Auckland home for the next month. We plan to just relax here, doing things that locals do at the weekend. We’ll manage easily without a car, relying on our feet, public transit, and the occasional Uber. Today we stocked up at the local Woolworths supermarket, a step up from the dingy Woolworths I remember from my childhood.
Scramble, chaps
Arrival of the inbound kite, a sturdy ATR 72 turboprop, for our wizard flight to Auckland from Marlborough Airport (BHE). Hoping for no flak (turbulence) en route. (Word choices inspired by Biggles, fictional WW1 and WW2 British pilot.)
The final stretch
The Cougar Line boat arrived to collect us for our return to Picton after the final section of our hike. It was another day of lovely wooded trails that sheltered us from the sun, offering views of coves, mossy rocks, and vegetation indigenous to New Zealand. Whenever we encountered other hikers, they were invariably in a good mood, and so were we.