Sunday, March 9, 2025



 Sunday, March 9, 2025

We woke to a beautiful sunrise on the plane. It is Sunday and we  lost Saturday due to being on the plane for 22+ hours and the time change. New Zealand is 18 hours ahead of us! We had opted for VIP Execujet Service. 2 men met us at the plane’s exit ramp. They walked us through the airport to get our luggage. Then they breezed us through customs and in a snap our driver was there to pick us up! He dropped us off at the Intercontinental Hotel on Queen Street. 

LOL

We had an easy early check in. We unpacked a bit, freshened up and then walked across the street to the boat ferry where we bought tickets to Waiheke Island. We were on the 10:00AM ferry. The ride was about 40 minutes. We had a beautiful view of The Auckland Harbor. The ferry ride was breathtaking…view wise and literally. There are several vineyards on Waiheke Island. Many overlook the water. They are mostly whites and some Pinot Noir. 






The New Zealand flag has a royal blue background with a Union Jack in the first quarter, to signify the relationship with the United Kingdom. The four five-pointed red stars with white borders is to signify the stars of the Southern Cross showing their place in the South Pacific Ocean.















We had a Hop on Hop off bus tour of the island. We decided to take the whole tour and then hop off at the central town of Oneroa. We asked where we could get oysters. The tour guide recommended the Oyster Inn. He said one of NZ’s  well known chefs, Josh Emmitt  owns it. I follow Josh on Instagram! We said that’s where we have to go. It didn’t disappoint. Since it was our first meal in NZ we had to have a fish tower! It was amazing! It tasted like the sea!







Back to the ferry for our ride back to the hotel. We are starting to fade. A short Safety nap and we’ll be ready to go tonight!

We went for a walk just outside our hotel. The concierge recommended a few restaurants within walking distance located  in Viaduct Harbor.  We saw the Auckland sign. 

There were so many beautiful boats in the harbor. We had a great dinner at Bivacco. We had a table outside and could see the sunset and after glo. The warm weather is such a treat after leaving Roscoe while it was snowing. 





We walked back to our hotel, We had a full day. Sleep is next on our schedule!💤💤💤💤





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