Auckland

We returned to Ewen and Antonia's flat in Auckland as some of us had night shifts in ED, some had appraisals, some had interviews and some old git had a birthday.
We had a lovely relaxed few days exploring locally on foot and by bike. We caught up with Nicola and Chris Coombes who had generously hosted us on each of our previous trips. I had a birthday surprise trip to the All Blacks experience: the skills stations suggested the only thing I have in common with the All Blacks is being a bad loser. Next day Hels and I borrowed the bikes again and headed over to Waiheke on the ferry. What a wonderful place- coffee, vineyards and lovely food, linked by hilly wiggly roads perfect for biking ( apart from some particularly steep hills). We ended up at Batch winery sharing a lovely tasting platter and a Merlot straight from the vines. What a lovely day out rounded off perfectly with dinner at Ragtag and a drink or two dodging the trombone player .
A bit of Christmas shopping a haircut or two, a bit of life-min and we're ready for South Island adventures🙂Leia mais