Something About Auckland …

Right now I'm in Auckland, which is New Zealand's largest city and built on an isthmus between two harbours, the deep water Waitemata in the east and the large but much shallower Manukau in the west. Beyond the Waitemata is the Hauraki Gulf, which features a number of quite special islands, not least of which is Waiheke, which is an easy 45 minutes ferry ride from the downtown CBD. (Don't entirely believe the weblink though—Waiheke isn't "tropical"; "semi-tropical" would be more correct.) Needless to say, quite  a number of people now live on Waiheke Island (including writers and artists) and commute to Auckland. There are also vineyards (almost ubiquitous in NZ these days) and restaurants where one may, if so minded, enjoy a long leisurely lunch.

Yesterday, I did just that, together with a number of other friends and visitors who are here for the same wedding. We caught the ferry and got to enjoy sunshine and sea air, as well as the views out to the other islands of the Gulf and the wonderful shades of blue, from sunlit aquamarine to deep cobalt, of the Gulf waters. We then enjoyed that long leisurely lunch at a vineyard and restaurant called Te Whau, which I can thoroughly recommend, both for the location, the service and the food. Needless to say, a good time was had by all, including wedding guests from the UK, Italy and Spain. And while waiting for the ferry on our way back, we got to see a stingray cruising the (sorry, it's  cliche, but …) clear-as-crystal waters beside the wharf—just 45 minutes from the downtown CBD. Wonderful.

A few years back I wrote  a poem called Something About Auckland, which I hope to share with you later in the day, together with a few photos. And if not today, tomorrow—but meanwhile, I hope the links are interesting.