Paul and I dec
ided to leave our darling, grateful and delightfully pleasant teenagers at home so that they could have some peace and quiet, and we left for two days to Waiheke Island. The trip takes about an hour by ferry, and once you're on the island you commute by one of the many buses.I must admit, the bus trips were not my favourite part of the weekend. We kept landing up with the same grumpy, young hell-raiser of a busdriver. He zooms around the corners, zips up and down the narrow lanes, and misses the many pedestrians and scooters by inches. Scary stuff!
Whenever I'm on Waiheke I rediscover my inner hippie. I invariably come back with some new bag, scarf or beaded, wrap-around skirt in muted, root-dyed hues. People on the island are super-laid back. The local women wear long, flowing dresses, scarves around their heads, and leather shoes. The men have long hair, tied back with a leather thong, and beaded waistcoats. My kinda place!
Paul and I had so much fun. On Saturday afternoon we rented two sea kayaks and spent the afternoon paddling in the bay. It was sublime. At times it was quite windy, and the waves a bit choppy, but it was so exhilarating!
Today we rented two scooters and explored as much of the island as we could in four hours.We had lunch at one of the vineyards, and sampled their estate wine.
Back home, we found the kids sweet, accomodating and happy. The kitchen was sparkling, and they had prepared a wonderful, tasty meal for us. Yeah, right!The weather was fantastic - I have the sunburn to prove it - and the island vibe, as always, was great. So ends our two days in paradise...
Yes, this is me, doing my kayaking thing. (The kayak photos were taken from Paul's cellphone, so they're not terribly clear!)
Paul on the little scooter we rented. 
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