Auckland Bookends

Auckland bookends-

Like the little cousin of Sydney, Auckland sits on an amazing harbor called Hauraki Gulf. There are several little islands in the surrounding area, but the blue ribbon winner is Waiheke. The island has a slightly similar history to the village Nimbin in Australia where a few generations back it was a refuge for alternative lifestylers, hippies and hermits. Sometime in the 80’s the, 40 minute by boat, unspoiled Auckland secret got out and the multimillion dollar cliff top vacation homes came in. There is definitely still an island pace and laid back vibe though which I loved. There are several great restaurants, a few small areas with cafe and boutique flanked streets as well as beautiful cove beaches, but the crowned jewel and main drawcard of Wahieke is the wine. For a tiny island there are an impressive 43 (and counting) vineyards to choose from, each VERY prideful of their cellar door selections. Specializing in Bordeaux, Cabernet and Syrah… It’s all red and all good by me!

I took out a 2 day rental on a bike and the massive hills on the island did the trick of keeping me into shape and balancing out my wine tasting sessions.The hostel I booked offered a once a week barbecue that happened to fall on the night of my stay. That, combined with the great people I met, there and an amazing view overlooking the ocean made it arguably (along with Port Lincoln, AU) the best hostel I’ve stayed in so far. Waiheke isn’t only a must do on your itinerary while in Auckland, it’s a reason TO visit Auckland.

On my bookend return to Auckland after my camper van trip I had 1 more day to kill in the city. Becoming a big fan of cultural festivals while living in Sydney I was happy to discover there were actually 2 different festival events for me to go check out. The first, Pacifika, was a celebration of all the different Pacific Islands and local indigenous tribes. Represented were Samoa, Fiji and Cook Islands with several smaller islands shown some love. It was like being at a daytime Hawaiian Luau on steroids that spanned an entire fairground. A whole lot of traditional song, dress, food and dance including, of course the Maori Hakka, made famous by the NZ National All Blacks rugby team, which was awesome… The food? Meh, not their strong suit.

The second event was called The Breath of the Volcano which is put on by a pyrotechnics company called Groupe F out of France. It was world premiere of this particular show and in town as a feature of the month long Auckland Arts Festival. I make no exaggeration by saying it was the most amazing production I have EVER seen! It was like Cirque Du Soleii, the Bellagio Fountains, Pink Floyd’s The Wall and Sydney’s NYE fireworks show all got together for and Eyes Wide Shut orgy and produced this super child. Every other show I’ve seen seems like a sock puppet act in comparison. There were massive light animations on buildings, performers that had fully illuminated body suits with oversized spinning sparkler wheels on their backs, choreographed spitting fire, overhead aerial acts and of course massive fireworks. I stood about 200 years back from stage and was still too close to see everything.

This blog entry is more giving of a few recommendations than entertaining road follies, but take it for what it’s worth… If going to NZ, Waiheke is worth a visit. If you are planning on being in Auckland try to make it happen during the arts festival month, or if you come across Groupe F touring somewhere around the world make it a point to check them out. You won’t be disappointed with any of it.

Bob