Day Five & Six: Flight to Auckland, New Zealand, Waiheke Island

Dear All,

Yesterday we had a an 8 1/2 flight from Honolulu to Auckland on New Zealand Air. Things to note:

• We overslept because Doug thought his iPad alarm at 6 AM was a dog barking. I didn’t hear it at all.
• We made it anyway, but without showers and no makeup for me. Yuk!
• I saw a girl in the Honolulu Airport who had stocking seams tattooed down the backs of her legs (see silk stockings with seams, circa WWII).
• Our flight attendant, Michael, had on a tag that said “Wine Specialist.” Totally a New Zealand thing, because there are so many vineyards and wineries here.

So, today. We took a ferry out to Waiheke Island this morning, which is about 30 minutes from the Auckland Pier. When we got there we rented a car and drove around the island. Wineries aplenty and gorgeous scenery, like this:

We stopped at the Man of War Winery for lunch. And just to prove Doug is really here:

So, we loved Waiheke Island, but the slightly disappointing thing about the Aukland Pier and waterfront is that they are busily readying the streets, buildings and so forth for the America’s Cup to be held in 2021. So, a bit of a mess and no pictures, except for the Queen Elizabeth, which is in port here: