I think I am in love.
The fact that my love is for a 28 km land mass is inconsequential of course. That land mass is Waiheke Island, the locale I spent almost my entire second day at.
Waiheke reminds me of what Hawaii would look like if it had a lovechild with Cinque Terre in Italy. It is a marvelous place filled with enough character and charm to make me want to live there right now! (seriously, who is coming with me?!)
The island connects 8 different small townships, many of which are beachfront locations, into a truly unique and natural feeling place. It may be an hour away from Auckland but it feels like a while different world.
Every town seems to have a little niche of their own, but my favorites were Oneroa and Onatangi. Both I had phenomenal dining experiences in as well gorgeous beach ventures.
The former's restaurant of choice was the Lazy Lounge, a vivacious cafe with tons of coffee, beer and liquor choices as well as a menu that bridged the gap between meat fearing hippies and seafood craving doodies. Plus, they had a collage on their counter of various famous people, including a section that appeared to only be famous people wearing Hawaiian shirts (which I found to be spectacular).
Sadly, Oneroa also had an awful dining experience, as a recommended Turkish joint named Delight served mediocre and over priced Lamb Kebab while pairing it with villainous service (I was told I could not eat in because they had reservations...when there was literally no one else in the restaurant).
Salt Seafood Restaurant and Art Bar was a charming place that I had a lovely plate of breads with assorted sauces and dips along with some ridiculously good wine for a reasonable price. Throw in a super cool waiter, great tunes and free wifi from a neighboring restaurant (as well as an Oceanside view) and you have a pitch perfect snack place.
While this network of villages would be worth a visit just with the artistic vibe and foodie culture that proliferates it, I would say the thing that made the day standout so much are the residents of the island. I met two people - Carol and Syd - who offered me a place to stay and a ride separately after only a short time of knowingn them. They also walked me through the political, geographical and social history of the island, and it made the experience as a whole so much more special.
To me, Waiheke Island is the New Zealand I always wanted, quite like Cinque Terre was the Italy I always wanted. To have found it on my second day was a remarkable thing indeed, and I was truly sad to leave at the end of the day.
Of course, my day concluded at a table in my hostel, drinking Duvel and eating Borsch and befriending three Brits, a French girl, a Ukrainian man, and two Germans over topics ranging from Black Swan to the pairing of Ugg Boots and micro skirts to the visitation of dingoes in their natural setting.
If anything can be learned from my second day, it is this: going into a situation with expectations can lead to disappointment, but going into one open to anything can lead to magic. Did I expect to spend my day with a frail woman from Waiheke talking big businesses invasion of their land or to spend it with a Borsch pushing, beefy Ukrainian man? No way.
But I would never want it to be any different than it turned out.
Music of the day: The Pixies - Doolittle
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