Welcome to Waiheke

So, on May 26 we busted out of prison for a week...and what an awesome week it was! 

After eating quick breakfast sammies on the bench outside the Mess Hall, we strapped on our big ass backpacks and headed down the hill to catch the Naked Bus. (And yes, we were fully clothed - get your minds out of the gutter!) The Naked Bus is so named because their slogan is "Stripping the cost of travel"...get it? Alright, now that we've cleared that up...

After a roughly eight-hour drive, we arrived in Auckland and had a pretty relaxing evening. We went out and wasted a bunch of coins at the arcade and then checked out Men in Black 3, which was pretty good actually. 

The next day (Sunday) we found out that our good prison buddy, Minnesota Bill, was also in Auckland while waiting to fly back home to the good ol' U S of A. (Bill left the prison in early April, and Napier not too long after, so we were pretty jazzed about seeing him again.) After a few texts back and forth, he met up with us just outside our hostel. Unfortunately, Bill had hurt his knee while at work and was hobbling around a bit, so we couldn't go very far - but we didn't care. We were just glad to be able to hang out with him again before he left for home. I christened him "Bum Knee Bill" and the name stuck like glue for the rest of the week (aren't I a good friend?). 

After grabbing a drink together, Jay and I said see ya later and went to the ASB Theatre to see Riverdance "The Farewell Tour." I saw Lord of the Dance years back and loved it (I can't get enough of the Irish dancing!), so when I found out that Riverdance was going to be in Auckland when we were there (and the last tour no less), I had to buy a ticket. I think the man near the first row who was jumping out of his seat and clapping and cheering, however, was just as entertaining as the dancers! 

The next day (Monday) was one that Jay and I had been waiting for for ages (and not because we got to have lunch and hang out with Bill again, though that was pretty awesome as well!). Back when we were in Newfoundland and contemplating whether to go to New Zealand this year or hold off for a bit longer, we heard that Florence + The Machine (one of our favourite artists) was going on tour and would be heading Down Under in the spring (fall in NZ). Once we had decided to head to NZ, we bought tickets to the concert right away (I joke that finding out that Flo was going to be in New Zealand is the main reason why we decided to go when we did...however, she definitely might've played a bit of a part. : ) 

I don't know if there's any words that'll justify how awesome it was to see Florence live. When someone sounds as good (or better) live than they do on their album, you know they've really got talent - and Florence has it bleeding out of her. She sang her guts out like an angel on fire, prancing around the stage barefoot in flowing black robes like a fairy. (Is there something wrong with me that I kinda wish she were my lil' cousin? : ) 

Anyway, instead of rambling on about how awesome Florence and the band were, here are some videos of them in action. (Click to watch.)

What the Water Gave Me

Dog Days Are Over


Dog Days continued w/crowd



The next morning (Tuesday, the 29th), Jay and I made our way to beautiful Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf - just a 35 minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland. This part probably deserves a bit of background.

So, earlier in May, the editor of Downhome forwarded me along an email from a guy named Peter Russell. Basically, Peter is a Downhome subscriber and follows my blog, so he knew I was living Down Under for the year. In the email, Peter explained that he was an expat Newfie who has been living in New Zealand for the past eight years. He also said that he manages a motel on Waiheke and invited me over to visit for a couple of days. So, since Jay and I were headed to Auckland for the concert, we figured what better time than now to take Peter up on his offer? And before we knew it, boom - we were on the boat heading over. 

Buh bye Auckland! 

*Sidenote: If you're interested in finding out how Peter ended up on Waiheke, you can check out this article that I wrote for Downhome here (PDF).

After we hopped off the ferry, we walked a few minutes into town to catch the bus over to Onetangi, the section of the island where Peter lives and where his motel, Onetangi Beach Apartments (OBA), is located. All it took from me was a quick "Helloooo" for the receptionist to know who I was. "Ah, you must be Linda," she says and with that, out pops Peter. We shook hands and had a chat and then he showed us to our apartment - quite the step up from our lil' cell at the prison! 

As is turns out, Peter is originally from Blaketown, which is just a 40 minute drive from my hometown. Within just a few minutes, we also found out that we have friends in common back home - it really is a small world! 

After Jay and I stashed our stuff and settled in, we ran over to Onetangi Beach, which is just across the road from the apartments and is Waiheke's longest beach. The two kilometre stretch of white sand is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful beaches in New Zealand. As soon as we step foot on it, we can see why. 

After a quick stroll on the sand we headed back over to our apartment where Peter picked us up for a "tiki tour" of the island. It was awesome having our very own personal tour guide! After stopping by the harbour to check out his dad's boat (proudly named "Trinity Bay" in honour of his home in Newfoundland), Peter drove us all around Waiheke's vineyards (they don't call this place the "Island of Wine" for nothing!). 

Along the way, we stopped in for a wine tasting at Mudbrick Vineyard & Restaurant, where Peter used to work as head chef (and where he met his wife). The wine, needless to say, was awesome - so much so that we didn't think too hard about dropping a fair chunk of change on one of the vineyard's nicest reds (and hey, we figured since we didn't have to pay for the tasting, or for a place to stay, why not splurge a little?). 

Mudbrick vineyard

Scenery around Mudbrick

Tasty, tasty wine!

On the way back, Peter brought us to the grocery store where we stocked up on olives, cheese and bread - the perfect foods for enjoying that bottle to the very last drop! After a quick stop by his house to meet his lovely wife Tanya, Peter brought us back to our pad for the next couple of days, where we hung out on the deck and breathed back the fresh, ocean air. 

That evening, Peter took us out to dinner to Charlie Farley's, a restaurant (located just a hop, skip and a jump away from the beach apartments) named after Tanya's grandfather that Peter and a friend opened in 2007. (Peter has since left the business to focus on running OBA.) We enjoyed a good ol' Kiwi/Newfie family dinner, complete with Peter's wife and their two little girls (Grace, 4, and Aurora, almost 1), his in-laws Phil and Gailene, and sister-in-law Stacey (who are some of the nicest people you will ever meet)...along with lots and lots of wine! The waitress seemed pretty excited to meet us as well, exclaiming, "It's the Newfies!" and saying that she had heard all about us (as if we were something special, haha). 

The Kiwi/Newfie gang! From left: Stacey, Grace, Jay, Me, Gailene, Tanya, Aurora and Peter. Phil played photographer on this one. 

After I drank 'till I thought I couldn't drink anymore (albeit, I am a bit of a lightweight), we all went back to Phil and Gailene's house, just up the road, where Phil kept pouring us glass after glass of port and other assorted liqueur. Phil, as we say in Newfoundland, is a bit of a case and is a real salt of the earth kinda guy (as I said in my article, picture a cross between the Crocodile Hunter and Captain High Liner and you get the idea. Phil even throws the occasional "CRIKEY!" into conversations when he gets excited...which is pretty frequently). As we slammed back the port, Phil showed us a video of him out in his boat feeding a bunch of sharks and petting them as if they were puppies (crazy guy!). Once everything had dried up, Peter brought us back to the apartments, where I passed out in a liqueur-dazed sleep...and it was one of the best sleeps I've had in a while. 

The next day, after a nice, light lunch, Peter and a barefoot Phil (in true Kiwi style) collected us for our fishing adventure! Phil is a boat-builder by trade and used to be a commercial fisherman before starting his own business, Adventure Fishing Charters. You could say saltwater runs through his veins and he's obviously very passionate about his work. After Peter told him that I get seasick and that Jay's a vegetarian, however, I think Phil thought that the fishing trip would be a bust...but we had such an awesome time - definitely one of the highlights of our trip to New Zealand so far!

After launching us out into the open water by the ferry terminal, Phil hopped aboard, slipping into what he calls his "safety shoes" (which are actually mismatched flip-flops, haha). 

We circled the entire island as Phil pointed out some of its unique features and shared stories of its history. 

One of Waiheke's million-dollar properties. 

At one point, Phil (being the case he is) revved up the boat's engine and sent us flying straight towards some jagged rocks that were jutting out of the water. As I was getting ready to kiss my bum goodbye, he pulled a quick left turn at the last minute and expertly maneuvered us straight through an opening in between the rocks that he knew was there (but we surely didn't!). Shortly after, we also had an up close and personal encounter with some sea caves, which was very cool. I imagine that no fishing trip with Phil could ever be dull!

After finding a good spot to cast our lines, Phil baited our hooks and showed us the proper techniques. I was probably around 10 or so the last time I went fishing, so to say my technique was a bit rusty would be a bit of an understatement. But with the ever-enthusiatic (and patient) Phil guiding us, we were catching snappers like pros in no time. Jay actually caught the first fish, which was a fair size; but the one I caught not too long after blew his right out of the water, so to speak. Waiting for those fish to take the bait and feeling the tug on the line was one of the most thrilling parts of the day! (I can definitely understand how sport fisherman get such a rise out of this.) By the end of it, Jay had caught four fish and I caught three - not too shabby for a usually green-faced sea goer and a vegetarian, haha. 

On the way back to shore, we noticed something splashing in the water just up ahead. As Phil turned off the engine  and we stood there, gently bobbing up and down, the theme music from "Jaws" started playing in my mind as all manner of horrifying thoughts crept in. Daaa Duh...Daaa Duh...DaDuhDaDuhDaDuhDaDuhDa...HOLY CRAP, ORCAS! While killer whales do visit Newfoundland from time to time, I've never actually seen one in real life - so to see a whole pod before me, playing right beside and underneath the boat, was incredible. (Speaking of which, have any of you ever seen the wonderfully awful "Orca: The Killer Whale," starring Bo Derek and filmed in none other than Petty Harbour, Newfoundland in the '70s? Do yourselves a delightful disservice and check it out.) Phil (who said he's never seen so many whales in one spot, acting in such a way) was just as excited as we were And, as if the moment couldn't handle any more awesome, as soon as the orcas came out to play, a rainbow appeared above them. The only thing that could've topped that was if Santa flew down from the sky riding a unicorn whilst blowing bubbles....or something like that anyway. (Click the image below to see the video.) 

Once the whales grew tired of us, Phil fired up the engine again and it was homeward bound. As he cleaned the day's catch, a gorgeous sunset played out before us, the deep hues of orange and red dancing off the water with the boats sitting silently in the background. It very much reminded me of home. 

Phil gettin' fishy. 

That evening, everyone (with the exception of Stacey) headed to Peter's house to enjoy the fruits (or I guess I should say, the fish) of our labour. The smell of fresh fish wafted throughout the house as Newfoundland musicians Sherman Downey and Graham Wells (Peter has quite a few Newfie CDs in his collection) provided the soundtrack. I definitely felt like I was back home! For dessert, Tanya (who happens to be a pastry chef, and a very talented one at that) made pavlova, which is a mouthwatering, meringue-based treat. Pavlova is a somewhat contentious point between Kiwis and Aussies, as each fight to hold claim to the famous dessert. Whoever invented it, it's freakin' delicious. Tanya topped hers with golden kiwi and little juicy passionfruit - a perfectly sweet way to cap off the perfect day.  

After Jay and I had seconds (and p'raps thirds) of the pavlova, we chatted the evening away. I could just sit and listen to the Kiwi accent all day long. "Hello Tigha," Phil cooed to his little granddaughter as he bounced her on his knee. It's obvious that Phil's love for his family, and the seafaring way of life, run as deep as the ocean itself. "You don't take anymore than what you need and make sure there's lots left for people like her," he says, smiling at Grace.

After Phil and Gailene left, Peter, Tanya, Jay and I continued chatting over tea. Around 11 or so, Jay and I had a nice, quiet stroll back down to the beach apartments. Like last night, it didn't take long for the Sandman to come. Something about the salty sea air just does that to you. 

The next morning, Peter visited us at our apartment where we had another nice chat over a cup of tea and I got some more information for my Downhome story. Later that afternoon, after Jay and I managed to haul ourselves away from the beach, Peter gave us a lift back to the ferry. In true Newfie fashion, handshakes turned into hugs and it felt more like we were saying goodbye to a long-lost cousin rather than a guy we just met a couple of days ago. Peter and his whole family treated us like we were the King and Queen of England (or something to that affect), but more importantly, they made us feel so at home when we were so very far away - and that's something that I'll always remember. 

As we sailed back to Auckland, a rainbow spread across the sky - a fitting end to our two days on an island paradise. 

Once we got back to the hustle and bustle of the city, we booked a room at BASE, the same hostel Bill was staying at, so that we could all hang out together. Later, Bill (who was sporting a pair of crutches at this point) came to our room and we sat down and looked through our pictures and video of Waiheke. That evening, we shared a meal, and some more drinks together, before chilling out in the hostel's lounge. 

Early Friday morning, it was back on the Naked Bus - but not before having breakfast with Bill at Ronnie's Cafe. Again, we gave each other big hugs and said goodbye. I'm sure we'll see ol' Bum Knee again in the future...and hopefully then, his bum knee won't be any more. 

Everyone was pretty happy to see us again back at the prison. You would've thought we were gone a month or something. And even though our time with Peter and his family (and the beach!) was awesome, I was happy to see them too -  especially Basil!

That night, we all went out to the Rose, an Irish bar (there are quite a few of them here in NZ) for a proper sendoff for Tilman, our latest German inmate. There was a Kiwi guy there who kept buying drinks for everyone. He told us that he works in construction and, knowing that backpackers are often pinched for cash, likes to buy them drinks whenever they're around. Nice guy. So, a Newfie, a Kiwi and a German walk into a bar (sounds like the perfect setup for a corny joke), and...this happened!

The kind Kiwi (middle) helps me to defeat the German!

*A huge, heartfelt thanks again to Peter and Tanya Russell and Phil and Gailene Scott for taking such good care of us! If any of you guys ever find yourselves on Waiheke, do yourselves a favour and check out Onetangi Beach Apartments and Adventure Fishing Charters. You won't be disappointed. (I don't want this to come across as shameless promotion - these guys really do run a tight and top-notch ship!)