The weekend in Waiheke

Hi,

Friday saw me have an iced latte with Rae - good to catch up with her and hew exciting news (new job in the NY).

Enjoying iced latte with Rae

Iced latte on Friday morning

What a weekend of non-stop activities.  Started the weekend with a mad dash home after work - only to find that Toby and Tessa had tidied up already and I really only needed to re-heat the dal.  Yay!

Yep - Nepal gathering time.  The team from our Nepal trip were catching up ahead of Christmas to look at photos and share what's been happening since Sept/Oct.

Hai arrived first, with his son, Brian (who is seven this week) - Brian was a mile a minute talker.  Lucky Toby kept him fairly entertained.

Making chai tea on Friday

Bharat brought a spicy potato curry.  Tim brought strawberries and ice cream.  We had lasagne, asparagus, stollen and mountains of food.  Barb didn't make it (she was flying in from Sydney - I hope we do get to see her at some stage soon) and Anita (some clash).  But the rest of our cohort was there.

Mike is our chai wallah

People stayed and chatted for ages.  So good to hear about Bharat's Mara trip after ours.

Flowering Pohutukawa

 Anyway, we got to bed quite late, and had to get up early for our flight to Auckland.  Woot!  Drove out to the airport at 6am and on our 7.15am flight without any hassles.  Landed in Auckland and Uber to the ferry.  Got a return ticket on our phone from the accommodation person Mike spoke to during the week and we were on the water by 9.30am.

We arrived on Waiheke by 10.30am I think.  Got a normal commuter bus (502) and it rambled through the streets until we got close to our motel.

Waiheke Island Motel.  I would stay there again.  Right next to the Ostend market (Sat morning to 1pm).  We checked in (even though we were super early - so friendly there!).  Our room had a single bed in the lounge and a separate bedroom for me and Mike.  Very nice and clean.  Nice view over a valley.  Saw a kotare in the power lines outside our lounge door.

We went to the market, briefly too.  But after abandoning Toby in the room (he was shattered) Mike and I walked around to the inlet on the other side of the island.  Saw a kotare there too. 

Intense selfie effort from Mike when he was supposed to be taking my pic

What are you doing?

Another angle?

Finally - a sensible shot

OMG...  He used zoom!

Back to the room to chill ahead of a taxi ride to Onetangi Beach.  We booked dinner at Charlie Farley's and had such a nice evening meal.  I had naked burrito - and apparently they served chicken to me.  But I was so interested in watching Toby tuck into his first steak since getting his braces removed that I didn't notice.  The waiter came scurrying back, apologising and taking it away.  I got my replacement fast - I think he just picked up the wrong plate.

Gilbert selfie

After dinner we walked along Onetangi beach.  We all love this place. 

I'm too short!  Toby thinks it's hilarious.

Happy Toby!

Checking a boat on the beach

Toby jumping on the swing

Walking along the beach at Onetangi

 Caught a local bus back to Ostend.  Fell into bed.  Mike got up early Sunday for a 5.2km run.  Wow!  He is amazing.

We checked out and bussed to Oneroa.  Had brunch at Oneroa Beach Club.  Walked down to the beach.  Decided to walk to the ferry via a track (great idea, Mike) and hopped back on at 12.30pm or so to head back to Auckland.

Ubered to the Sampson's new house.  Wow!  They are now enjoying inner city living in an old villa (4 bedrooms) and look to be settling in nicely.  So good to see them all (Chelsea is in Sydney visiting Hannah).

Lesley and Wally dropped us at the airport nice and early and we chilled there, eating dinner and waiting at the gate for our (delayed) flight.

Wild weather in the rest of NZ had caused a delay to our inbound plane.  We got on at 9.30pm (an hour late) and had an easy flight to WLG.  Picked up the car and drove home.

What a great weekend!

Have a good week.  It's Toby's birthday week!

Love,
Angela