Day 12
Ahhhh....The Westin. Big lovely room, marble bathroom, slippers, soft pillows... I slept about 10 hours last night. It was wonderful. We got going this morning about 10 and went downstairs to the cafe. The little restaurant is called Toast, so guess what we had to eat? Yep, you got it. But it really was a wonderful egg and cheese sandwich on toast. :) We walked to the ferry and got on board right before it pulled away. The sun was out, but there were a few pesky clouds that had some rain drops in them. They didn't last long so we enjoyed the 40 minute ride to Waiheke Island. It is known for its wineries. When we got there we walked to the city center (up hill about 20 minutes) and did a bit of shopping. Not much there, but we had a wonderful lunch at a restaurant called Vino Vino. We had the best table in the house that looked right out over the little bay area. There were some really nice boats out there and some people swimming and Kayaking. Guy had scallops and I had the beer battered Monk fish. REALLY good. Mine was better than Guy's. We can't get used to the scallops over here. They have the one part still attached to it. I'm not sure what it is, but for some reason I think it is its intestines. I told Guy that and of course neither one of us eats that part now. I really should google it. It is probably some delicacy and we are avoiding it.
After lunch we took a taxi to one of the wineries. I took a few pictures and it really was beautiful. It looked like an old italian winery. After we were there for a bit we walked to the next winery to have dessert. It was supposed to the be best one. It was nice, but very modern. The view from the restaurant was amazing and the green grass was nice to see. We ordered dessert and mine was so pretty I took a picture. One of the servers was from Philly but her mom was a New Zealander. So after highschool and a year abroad, she moved to NZ. She says she doesn't miss the states at all. I can see why. Over the course of the trip we have come across lots of 20 somethings that are just there for a short time to work and explore the country. I'm so impressed with people that age that can make such a bold life decision. Most of them there by themselves. I was never mature enough at 20 to go to another country to work. - Anyway, after our yummy dessert, we asked how far it was back to the ferry dock. The waitress said it is a 15 minute walk if you take the "path". Guy asked her if the path was a difficult walk and she said "you aren't on crutches are you?" So we headed for the "path". It was pretty interesting and we were in some serious forest area, but since I know for sure there are no snakes in NZ, it made it a much more enjoyable walk. It was a bit more than 15 minutes but we got to the boat with 10 minutes to spare. The boat ride back was a bit choppier than the way there, but it was fun just to look out at the sailboats around us. The boats that race in like the Americas Cup were everywhere and they just look like they are going to fall over right there. One boat had about 8 people all sitting on the one side while the other side is dragging the water. I'd be scared.
When we got back to the hotel I tried to call Rhondda (my friend from work's friend) and some man answered and said there was no Rhondda there. So I called her cell and she said on her message to call her home phone. Well the number she gave me in the email was a 9 instead of a 0. So therefore I had called the wrong number this morning. We were back in our room by 6 and I left a message that we'd love to take her to dinner. She called back and said she'd just got in and she had been working all day and was exhausted. She was going to rest tonight, but was off work tomorrow and said she'd come by in the morning, show us some sights, take us to lunch and then to the airport. I told her that was nice of her but certainly not necessary. She insisted because we were friends of Pam. So I accepted her offer and she will be here at the Westin at 10:30. She sounds lovely.
After a wonderful hot shower, we walked to a restaurant in the marina area for supper. Neither one of us were really that hungry, so we got a pizza and it was just right. I got chilly walking back, but once again the weather has just been perfect. I've been on the phone with the internet people because I had to buy internet here at the Westin and it is so slow my pictures won't load. The guy said he thinks he has fixed it, but if not better in a half hour to call back. Hopefully the pictures from today will be up before we leave tomorrow for Tahiti. I'm not sure our "hut" will have wireless. :)
Well, goodbye New Zealand. What an amazing place. Guy and I both said today that we were sad it was already over. It has been such a positive experience. Even tho we are not really the adventurous type, this place is a haven for hikers, boaters, hunters, campers, etc. But even us Westin Hotel lovers still enjoyed the solitude of the South Island and the unspoiled land was a joy to explore. I think we'll be back.