We had out first visitor! My Dad had some meetings in Sydney for work next week, so he came early and visited us this weekend. I took friday afternoon off from work, and we wandered around town, visiting the Auckland Domain and the Sky Tower. Eric and I took Dad out for a belated birthday dinner at Cafe Limon down on the water - great food and water views (and we heard UMD actually won a game in the ACC tourney so that improved our moods!)
On saturday we took the ferry over to Waiheke Island, known for its beautiful beaches and excellent wineries. Unfortunately, it was pretty chilly and rained on and off, but we made the best of it! We went on a short hike in the morning along Church Bay on the west side of the island, with great views of downtown Auckland in the distance and Rangitoto Island (a volcanic island formed about 600 yrs ago, you can see it in the background below).
We had lunch along Onetangi Bay and then drove around the east side of the island. The rain let up again in the afternoon and we went to Te Whau Winery, one of the best wineries on the island, and had a tasting.
Before catching the ferry back to Auckland, we did another short hike in the Whakanewha Regional Park, and explored Half Moon Bay at low tide - you could walk out over 100m from the shore.
Sunday was Dad's last day, and luckily we woke up to clear blue skies! We decided to take him to one of our new favorite beaches, Phia Beach on the west coast.
It is a steep and windy beach to get to but well worth it. The waves are huge and the sand is soft and black. They were having a surfing competition and we saw a lot of great rides. However, I think the bigger entertainment was watching the lifeguard club training for kids as young as 5. Not sure what leap frog has to do with life saving but some of it was pretty amusing.
Here's Eric and I with Lion Rock in the background. You can hike about halfway up Lion Rock for some great views.
We dropped Dad off at the airport that afternoon. We were glad he got at least one day of sunshine, but we wish he could have stayed longer! It was great to see a familiar face and we can't wait for more visitors!
On saturday we took the ferry over to Waiheke Island, known for its beautiful beaches and excellent wineries. Unfortunately, it was pretty chilly and rained on and off, but we made the best of it! We went on a short hike in the morning along Church Bay on the west side of the island, with great views of downtown Auckland in the distance and Rangitoto Island (a volcanic island formed about 600 yrs ago, you can see it in the background below).
We had lunch along Onetangi Bay and then drove around the east side of the island. The rain let up again in the afternoon and we went to Te Whau Winery, one of the best wineries on the island, and had a tasting.
Before catching the ferry back to Auckland, we did another short hike in the Whakanewha Regional Park, and explored Half Moon Bay at low tide - you could walk out over 100m from the shore.
Sunday was Dad's last day, and luckily we woke up to clear blue skies! We decided to take him to one of our new favorite beaches, Phia Beach on the west coast.
It is a steep and windy beach to get to but well worth it. The waves are huge and the sand is soft and black. They were having a surfing competition and we saw a lot of great rides. However, I think the bigger entertainment was watching the lifeguard club training for kids as young as 5. Not sure what leap frog has to do with life saving but some of it was pretty amusing.
Here's Eric and I with Lion Rock in the background. You can hike about halfway up Lion Rock for some great views. 
We dropped Dad off at the airport that afternoon. We were glad he got at least one day of sunshine, but we wish he could have stayed longer! It was great to see a familiar face and we can't wait for more visitors!
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