We picked up some of our favorite intrepids in Auckland for a amphibious assault on the scenic waters and byways of the North and South Islands.  Zak & Kim flew in from Los Angeles looking fresh as daisies.  They met us on a rainy Monday morning at West Haven Marina, jumped aboard, and we were quickly on our way.

The clouds fled as they unpacked the California sunshine they’d stowed in their luggage.  With Kim skillfully manning the helm, our first task was to navigate out of the fluky winds and ferry traffic of Auckland Harbor.

Our first destination was Waiheke Island, 14 miles east of Auckland where we anchored in the peaceful waters of Huruhi Bay.

The next morning after one of Zak’s signature spectacular breakfasts,

we went ashore and took an easy half-hour hike up the hill to the vineyards.  Waiheke Island is covered in vineyards, olive orchards, and sheep and horse pastures, with a spattering of houses and small villages….

Cable Bay Vineyards was the first stop. The grounds had a spectacular view of Auckland across the Hauraki Gulf…

and some crazy art (available for 50k USD per piece) on the grounds

Some of the juice is trucked in from island and mainland vineyards but Cable Bay has a few vines (and olives) of its own.

Niki, a native New Zealander, was pouring in the tasting room and provided interesting information about the wines and lots of pointers about places to see on the island.  The wines we tasted were fantastic.  We especially liked their whites: the sauvingnon blanc (made with juice from the Marlborough region of the South Island) and the pinot gris, made from Waiheke grapes.

Vineyards, great wine, and art are all well and good but Mudbrick Vineyard, just up the road, also had horses…

The girls quickly quickly became fast friends with this handsome specimen.

Z helped break the ice with grassy treats after S showed him her horse whispering secret: drainage ditch grass.

Z had to work a bit for it.

In addition to horses, Mudbrick had a fellow Pennsylvanian behind the bar.  Lark is a university student originally from Mercer, PA.

It was very refreshing to have a sniff of the bourgeois life after months of isolation and thrifty living in the islands.