Every year, on the 25th of April, a day of remembrance is commemorated in honour of the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). As a result, everything is closed in New Zealand until 1PM. Therefore, I decided to book a ferry ticket to Waiheke Island and bike all day in paradise. My friend and I met with Jonathan, a true kiwi (he was barefoot), at the Waiheke port where we got our bicycles for the day. He told us we looked fit and suggested we go for the 30 kilometers journey. Great. However, Waiheke Island is the remains of a volcano which means it’s uphill and downhill, but we only realized that when our legs didn’t want to walk anymore. The landscape was stunning: turquoise water, trees that look like broccoli, never ending rolling hills and tiny colorful houses. We ended our route in a vineyard, which was, you guessed it, closed.
The main building was pink with vine all around it; impossible for our eyes to resist! So, we illegally crossed the fence and went in. It was well worth the unauthorized crossing: the vineyards on the downhill rolling hills, the horses far away, the sunset behind the hill. For dinner, we ate our packed sandwich on a porch of an abandoned red house with a view over the harbour. We slept well that night.
Two days after, my hostel people and I took the ferry, at 9 AM, over to Rangitoto Island. We hiked quite rapidly the volcano and had stunning views of the ocean on the summit. On our way down it started pouring rain. We were all drenched from head to toes but all smiles. Memorable.
My next blog will transport you to Rotorua, the geothermal activity and Māori culture renowned town!
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