Weekend On Waiheke

Well, I can cross off one goal on my list!

Waiheke was as beautiful as they say, but I also see now why most people tell you not to go on weekends in the summertime. I was drowning in tourists the whole time I was there! But even that couldn't dampen the beauty of the place.

On the ferry over I got a nice glimpse of the city from the water:

And I love ferries! On the ride back I was thinking how cool it would be to get a job on a ship after I get done throwing sheep around. We shall see!

The first thing I did when I got to Waiheke was take the bus to Hekerua Lodge, where I set up my campsite and said hello to the owners, who had apparently just purchased the place from an older couple just three days ago. I'm not at all exaggerating when I say that Thomas, the guy who now runs the place, could be Heath Ledger's twin brother. Julia, if you're reading this, just know that he has an Australian accent and looks JUST like Heath in 10 Things. It was a little bit eery. Anyway, I set up and set out across the island by bus, making it to Onetangi beach by the middle of the afternoon.


There I baptized myself in the waters of the South Pacific, and applied sunscreen like crazy, but still got burnt. Only my shoulders, though, which is of course what I need to carry my pack with. Such is life.

But you wouldn't believe the number and kinds of shells on this island! When Maddie and Julia and I go to the beach in California, we're lucky if we find a muscle shell unbroken, whereas here, there are tiny conch shells everywhere!


After a day of exploring I went back to the lodge and met Dominique, Frederika and David, from Switzerland, Germany and New Caledonia respectively. We got a couple bottles of New Zealand wine and headed out to a nearby park to watch the sun set. Only later did we realize the name of the park!

I'm so cool, they name things after me in foreign countries. This park also had some pretty cool Maori stones that I took multiple pictures of. You can see my new friends in the background there.
On the way back to camp we stopped in at a pub on the water I got a picture of all the boats in the dark.

This is what it looked like in the daytime.

Then, to bed. I woke up this morning, spent some more time on the beach, and then headed back to Auckland because my Stray bus leaves early tomorrow morning. We're headed for Hahei tomorrow, and then we'll get to Raglan the next night, which is where I'm going to learn to surf! Just crossing off those goals like nobody's business!

Anyway, here's a picture of me waiting for the ferry to go back to Auckland. I wanted to get it from my point of view so you could see what I'm seeing, but it may have come out a little strange as it seems to be framed between my legs...

And lastly, here's my goodbye to Auckland photo. I went for a walk in Albert Park this evening and found a crooked lantern. Reminded me of a tropical Narnia. And it gives you a sense of the way things are in New Zealand: a little topsey-turvey.