We spent the good part of a day in Waiheke Island. We caught the ferry from Auckland, which took about 45 minutes, and joined Ananda Tours vineyard tour. Waiheke Island was gorgeous, displaying spectacular views, superb scenery and white sandy beaches. We visited three vineyards and did our fair share of wine tasting and got a bit sloshed! I know, we’re not meant to swallow the wine but hey, who cares?!
Waiheke is also very unique. There is no reticulated water on the island, residents generally survive with tank water; some lucky islanders have bores, and if anyone runs out of water, there are 3 companies on the island that will deliver water by tanker at the cost of $10 per 100 litres. At the height of summer when the population swells, there can be waits of up to 3 days for water if not pre-booked. There is no public sewerage system on Waiheke – each home and business has a septic tank system. Because of the above two reasons, plus residents’ reticence, there are no big hotels or high rises on the Island. The population of Waiheke is 8000 and 1,300 people commute to Auckland on a daily basis. Interesting stuff eh?
We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves that day and had a great tour guide, Jenny. Jenny actually knew we were Deaf beforehand (and so did the rest of the tour guides) and produced written notes of what she would be saying on the commentary. She made an effort to ensure we were aware of what was what. Why can’t all tour guides be as accommodating? It obviously wasn’t that difficult. We completed our visit on the Island by eating at one of the restaurants. This was a funny experience because it was a rather fishy restaurant. Almost everything on the menu contained fish. Rob and I HATE seafood, so you can imagine our faces once we realised how fishy it was! After asking the waitress if it would be possible to have something that isn’t on the menu, she revealed the chef would be happy to give us a beef dish. Phew!
Tags: New Zealand