Wine touring and Stoney Batter
The weather held out on Waiheke Island, except for one good blow in the middle of the night. I left the window open a crack for air and was rewarded by rain drops in my face. The wind had to be going pretty good to get me through that little crack. I was at least 4 ft. away and level with the top of the window.
We were both up early and not a cup of coffee in sight. We both groaned because it was a walk down the stairs and a bus ride away. We stopped at a place called the Nourish Cafe. The place was bustling, there was some sort of Painter's Union meeting going, paint samples on every table. I did not think fast enough to grab one, not caffeine in my system yet.
We sat, got a couple Long Blacks and breakfast. We sipped our drinks as the painters slowly drifted out.
Bacon, that reminds me, I have been making a list of things that are not quite the same:
Light switches - still a switch but flatter
Beer - I miss my hops!
Coffee - no matter how much you water it down, it's still espresso
Faucets - we invented the single faucet tech years ago, two will never be retro
Cost of Living - clothing is crazy expensive here
Fashions - red & white diagonal stripes on a skirt?
Bacon - can be so much more than thinly sliced ham
A couple of female painters drift by, short hair, kinda cute. L caught my look, Waiheke Island is a gay stronghold apparently. We figured out from the day before that getting around by bus was going to limit our drinking, I mean, enjoying the whole island. And how would I know about Stony Batter. Ok, I have a dirty mind. An old military battery with stones in the landscape is not what came to mine.
The island is mostly unpopulated, perhaps a third of it is housing with the majority near the two ferry landings. We drove some winding, gravel roads for approximately 45 minutes to get there. L popped out and opted to stay with the car, I went hiking on my own. It was a wonderful, blustery day on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The cannons were built here just prior to WW2 to protect the bay going into Auckland. They were never fired on a ship. There were many rock outcroppings, which had grooves in them which dated from a time when there was a tropical forest here. Water dripping down through the canopy became more acidic and ate away the rock, thus the grooves.
Oh, and there were sheep and some cows everywhere. There were convenient steps or gates to get past the fences. While I was walking a sheep herder came by on his ATV whistling to his dogs herding a flock down the road. I did not want to keep L waiting too long, so I hustled back to the car.
We had our first stop at Stoneyridge Cafe and vineyard. I had a couple glasses of wine. Our nice hostess was originally from Chicago, or so she said, her accent was long gone. But nothing inspired me to buy, I stopped to snap a picture of the Croquet field next door. Down the road we stopped at another Winery, Kennedy Point Vineyard. It was a lovely location near the water and the ferry was just around the corner. Another kind hostess let us try a variety of wines. I say "let us", the reality is you pay for tastes here. I bought a bottle of their Cabernet Sauvignon, it compared to Bonnie Doons Le Cigar.
We finished the day shopping and making dinner back at the hostel, we split a bottle of wine and watched some tv. Terminator 3 was on. There was a gal from Scotland, she was hoping to get a job at a ski resort for the winter, not sure where the guy was from.
We were both up early and not a cup of coffee in sight. We both groaned because it was a walk down the stairs and a bus ride away. We stopped at a place called the Nourish Cafe. The place was bustling, there was some sort of Painter's Union meeting going, paint samples on every table. I did not think fast enough to grab one, not caffeine in my system yet.
We sat, got a couple Long Blacks and breakfast. We sipped our drinks as the painters slowly drifted out.
Bacon, that reminds me, I have been making a list of things that are not quite the same:
Light switches - still a switch but flatter
Beer - I miss my hops!
Coffee - no matter how much you water it down, it's still espresso
Faucets - we invented the single faucet tech years ago, two will never be retro
Cost of Living - clothing is crazy expensive here
Fashions - red & white diagonal stripes on a skirt?
Bacon - can be so much more than thinly sliced ham
A couple of female painters drift by, short hair, kinda cute. L caught my look, Waiheke Island is a gay stronghold apparently. We figured out from the day before that getting around by bus was going to limit our drinking, I mean, enjoying the whole island. And how would I know about Stony Batter. Ok, I have a dirty mind. An old military battery with stones in the landscape is not what came to mine.
The island is mostly unpopulated, perhaps a third of it is housing with the majority near the two ferry landings. We drove some winding, gravel roads for approximately 45 minutes to get there. L popped out and opted to stay with the car, I went hiking on my own. It was a wonderful, blustery day on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The cannons were built here just prior to WW2 to protect the bay going into Auckland. They were never fired on a ship. There were many rock outcroppings, which had grooves in them which dated from a time when there was a tropical forest here. Water dripping down through the canopy became more acidic and ate away the rock, thus the grooves.
Oh, and there were sheep and some cows everywhere. There were convenient steps or gates to get past the fences. While I was walking a sheep herder came by on his ATV whistling to his dogs herding a flock down the road. I did not want to keep L waiting too long, so I hustled back to the car.
We had our first stop at Stoneyridge Cafe and vineyard. I had a couple glasses of wine. Our nice hostess was originally from Chicago, or so she said, her accent was long gone. But nothing inspired me to buy, I stopped to snap a picture of the Croquet field next door. Down the road we stopped at another Winery, Kennedy Point Vineyard. It was a lovely location near the water and the ferry was just around the corner. Another kind hostess let us try a variety of wines. I say "let us", the reality is you pay for tastes here. I bought a bottle of their Cabernet Sauvignon, it compared to Bonnie Doons Le Cigar.
We finished the day shopping and making dinner back at the hostel, we split a bottle of wine and watched some tv. Terminator 3 was on. There was a gal from Scotland, she was hoping to get a job at a ski resort for the winter, not sure where the guy was from.