We docked in Auckland on December 30th – but didn’t stay there long! We got off the ship and made our way over to a high speed ferry that was taking us to Waiheke Island.
We were set to wine taste again that day. On the ferry ride over, we unfortunately ended up sitting in front of quite possibly the world’s grumpiest woman. She complained about the ship – then the spa – the fact that the ship had installed new handrails but hadn’t been varnished. You might call her… Karen.
I sent a silent prayer up that she didn’t end up on our bus. But as luck would have it, she was in our group. These tours can get kind of big, so sometimes you can avoid annoying people. That wasn’t the case.
When we had booked the tour, the first thing that I had noticed was that at our first stop we were supposed to get tea. It stood out to me, because why would I want tea if I was scheduled for wine tasting?!
Well Karen, she wanted that tea. She made a big stink when the winery didn’t have it. They tried to make it right by giving her a glass of her favorite varietal in addition to her tasting flight. Some people just can’t be reasoned with.
Once Karen quieted down – we began our tasting. The wine was good, but unfortunately the set up wasn’t great. Most of us were standing (even though there was a perfectly good restaurant and patio behind us) – but I don’t think anyone wanted to complain after we all witnessed Karen’s outburst. It was a beautiful area – and it was one of the more tropical stops so far on our trip!
We even got to see not one, but TWO helicopters take off and land to drop off some of the more wealthy folks who wanted to wine taste.
We made our way to our next winery that was on the highest point of the island. Andy and I really didn’t like the varietals they tasted for us – but we got a glass of their Shiraz which was nice and the view was great.
Before we knew it we were already on our way back to Auckland. It had been pretty humid, so we made our way back to the ship to take advantage of the ships amenities. (Pool, proper AC, etc!)
We ended the night with another show in the ship’s theater. The entertainment on the ship was truly top notch!
Up Next:
- Bay of Islands (Glow worm caves)
- New Year’s Eve
Scribbles and Snapshots 