Island of Wine

Lovely Waiheke is developing a name for itself as a wine island. The USA Today actually did a large write up about New Zealand wine and Cable Bay Vineyards was the one vineyard from our region mentioned. Wooo hoo! Last time I checked, you could get there by clicking here. (Let me know if the bookmark is not right.)

In keeping with the need to check out the ‘island of wine,’ I plotted a route. Before adventuring around the vineyards, I checked out Onetangi Beach. It’s fantastic. I started out by stopping by Saratoga Estate. I peeped my head around, they were busy harvesting. They weren’t open to the public, but I still enjoyed the view. I’ve sent them an email hoping to work out an appointment to stop in another day. We’ll see.

Second stop was Onetangi Road Vineyard. Onetangi Road was very different but still enjoyable. They have several merlot blends (which is what Waiheke Island grows best!) to sample. They also have a microbrewery on-site so I was able to sample all four of their microbrews. I’m glad I stopped in when I did because Onetangi Road has just been sold and is closing to the public. While I was there, the lady was not sure if they would continue to harvest the grapes and have a label or not.

Up third was Te Motu. Te Motu makes a very few Cabernet Merlot blends. Their “tasting” was simply trying ½ glasses. They were by far, the most expensive place I’ve visited. Their bottles of wine start at 45 dollars and go above 300. They have a nice little shed which has a laidback feel, but there was no one else around and so I felt a little lonesome. Oh well.

Moving right along, I finished my Friday evening with Stony Ridge Vineyards. Stony Ridge has a very laid-back and casual atmosphere. (Cable Bay and some of the other vineyards are more up-scale and straight-laced.) I’ve met Shauna twice, who’s an Californian girl doing the events at Stony Ridge. They had been closed all day for a private event and I was just hanging out with the laid back staff. I got to meet Steven, the owner, and he’s the fun type of guy that never really grew up. Apparently, he has a bit of a reputation …

Saturday being a new day, I took a totally different route. I stopped into Kennedy Point Vineyards, which has a lovely view over Kennedy Point. (I know you’d have never guessed.) Kennedy Point has a very lovely little building that juts out so you can see the point. They also make some olive oils at Kennedy Point which you’re able to snack on between the wines. It was very enjoyable!

Next stop, Goldwater Estate. Goldwater & Stony Ridge are the two oldest vineyards on Waiheke – dating back to the late 70s. (Waiheke is a young wine region.) Goldwater had a very robust groupings of wines and I enjoyed the tasting very much. It was also a free tasting (vs. about $8 on average at the others), which was spectacular. The lady working in the tasting room was also American and extremely friendly.

And the final vineyard for the lovely weekend was Peninsula Estate. They are the 3^rd oldest vineyard. They had a very lovely Rose that I enjoyed and the lady in the tasting room was extremely friendly. Another import – she’s from England – she was giving me lots of info about the area and what was going on. Overall, an extremely successful and fun weekend. I can’t wait to go out and try some more …

Onetangi Beach & a few Vineyards

St Patrick's Day on Waiheke

I had to go shopping for green. Being a lowly backpacker, I was without my traditional Irish green clothing, jewelry, and other accessories to accompany my outfit for St. Patrick’s Day. Luckily there are two “Op Shops” (aka thrifty stores) on the island. I was able to score a simple green T for $1.50. (Really breaking the bank….)

So I headed off to the Irish Pub (there is but one on Waiheke) called Malone’s. It was a bit of a steep cover -- $15. When I arrived mid-afternoon there was some musicians playing traditional Irish music (whiskey in the jar, Molly Malone, etc). They had some step dancers perform some snazzy face-paced Lord of the Dance style dancing for a bit. The second musician was a guitarist and he played mostly mellow covers by groups like U2. The final musicians of the evening were excellent! I haven’t a clue what their names where, but they were extremely enjoyable.

They offered pints of green beer (via food coloring) and had plenty of baileys and Guinness on hand for the drinking folks. Check in the pictures for the pie and pint competition. It was pretty much a riot. I hung out at Malones for most of the day and made many new friends along the way. There weren’t too many people for the afternoon, so I circulated around and me most of them. As it got busier in the evening, I had already made some friends and one of my co-workers, Vivy, joined in the party. I met an interesting Scot, who was pretty funny. I totally picked out a group of Americans (one was wearing a baseball hat ~ Indiana Colts and it was a dead giveaway) and made friends with them. One girl was actually from Missiouri, but the rural part southeast of KC in a town I’d never heard of. We still did a shot for good measure together. Overall, it was a very enjoyable St. Pat’s day and I can’t complain in the least bit. Slainte agus tainte! (Gaelic toast meaning Health & Wealth).

St Pat's 2007

Palm Beach Pad

It’s true, my new “pad” is in Palm Beach…. Waiheke Island. (Not quite the same as California). I have a pretty basic studio apartment, but I like it most of the time. There are lots of spiders and I hate spiders. I have all the necessities – bed, bathroom, small kitchenette, table and chairs, tv, and best of all ~ a view of the ocean. I still am a bit in disbelief that I actually live here, so waking up to the view every morning helps me to remember where I am and how fantastic it is. It’s about a 10-15 minute walk to Palm Beach from the apartment. I have to walk about 45 minutes to work each morning (and home again). I could take the bus, but its not the most convenient because the bus runs according to the ferry schedule and doesn’t circulate too much.

I am pretty sure there is not much I can do to get rid of the spiders because its in a woodsy area. I suffer from mild arachnophobia and feel the need to squash the spiders periodically. It generally takes me a long time, but I cannot get into the shower unless I’ve squashed each and everyone that I can see. I know the spiders are everywhere and they are generally harmless, but they really bother me in the shower.

The studio is attached to a house. Paul and Claire, true kiwis, own the house. They have two sons – Felix is about 2, the other son is about 7. So far, they are very friendly and I’m getting along with them well. Paul commutes to the city (Auckland) and works for the University of Auckland. They use part of their house as a bed and breakfast during the peak summer season (October – April) called Hauraki B&B . Claire runs the bed and breakfast part and works 2 days helping out somewhere else on the island. They are friendly kiwis and help to propagate the ideas that kiwis are green and eco-friendly. (Waiheke has a bit of a hippie reputation anyway.) They recycle, compost, buy organic foods…. It’s very interesting to hear what they have to say about America and Americans.

Palm Beach Pad

Grand Opening

Ta dah! The grand opening was a lovely evening and a fantastic party. We had a very large crowd gathered to celebrate. I believe the number was 160-175 or so guests. There was rounds and rounds of different finger foods and the wine flowed continually through the evening.

The guests arriving from Auckland came aboard the private, chartered ferry and a private bus from the ferry to Cable Bay. A majority of our guests arrived in this large swarm from the ferry, but there were several locals too. Everyone started upstairs in the restaurant, then was escorted via a guide through the Cable Bay facility. A group of actors were hired to play various roles throughout the facility. We had a couple getting engaged in the wine bar, a mad man scientist working on the perfect blend of wine in the tasting room, grumpy executives in our conference room, some fantastic tap dancers in the white cellar room, and a funny church-ish scene in the red cellar room. After the tour, the groups ended up in what will be the vineyard production facility. Cable Bay was unable to set up all of our barrels, casts, bottling, and such equipment yet. Therefore, our vineyard production facility is currently a very large open room. The main part of the party took place downstairs in the vineyard area. They also had hired a cover band for the music’s entertainment.

Overall, the evening was enjoyed by many. Working it was not quite as much fun as being a guest, but I was still able to enjoy some fine wine and nibble on the copious amounts of food.

CB Grand Opening

Raindrops ...

You never know what the day may bring. As I was leaving for work this morning, right after I had left the house and walked about a block, it started to rain. A very nice, light rain on a warm day. It’s getting to be fall here now and NZ has lots of rain in the fall and winter. As I had just left, I thought dubiously about whether or not to return to grab my umbrella. Thankfully, I returned, grabbed it, and kept on moving towards work. Of course, the sky opened up and poured. The strong winds blew and I just laughed as my legs got soaked. It was a wonderfully quick storm. It was intense and fierce with gusts of wind really pushing all the water around. It was just long enough to last most of my walk to work. There remain some clouds in the sky, but I’ve also seen quite a bit of sun today. Luckily I was wearing my teva sandals and a skirt, so most of the damage wasn’t too bad. In addition, we have a uniform to wear at work, so I changed as soon as I got here and my hair has eventually dried.

Until Friday of this week, I’m staying with a very nice lady named Alison. She’s a graphic designer, has a lovely house that is 15 minutes from work, and is renting me her “sleepout.” Unfortunately, it’s only available for 3 weeks – as much as I love the place and could see myself staying with her until I leave the island. To give you an idea, check out the album.

Alison's Sleep Out

The great news is that I’ve found a place for the longer run. I have to give them 2 weeks notice before I leave, but otherwise it’s a pretty flexible arrangement. It’s a bit far from work (probably a good 40 minute walk one-way) but it is in a decent enough spot. It has the basics – a bathroom, bed, table and chairs, kitchen & laundry access. Its certainly nothing flashy, but I don’t need that anyway. The couple that own the house (Paul & Claire) run a bed and breakfast out of the place during the peak season (roughly October – April). They take a “flatmate” during the winter and they have a sleep out off the side. I’ve rented the sleep out off the side of the house. I move in on Friday. Yippie!! It’s so exciting to be settling into a place.

I’m learning just about everything at Cable Bay. I’ve been trained up in the restaurant so that I can help out when needed or if they get a big rush. I’m just this week learning the ways of the “wine celler” or the wine tasting room. I’ll be a regular in there on Mondays and Tuesdays because they generally are very slow and only have a few people coming in and the lady they had working in there just quit. I’m also helping to take the inventory and doing all the group functions. So I have quite a bit to do and I get to do different things all the time. It is very enjoyable. Most of my co-workers are quite friendly. Some of them commute from Auckland city, but most generally live on the island. I have Friday and Saturdays off for my “weekend” but most people work here on those days. I’m still on the hunt making friends as I go. All is well so far.

Our big grand opening is on Thursday night. I am somewhat excited. It shall be a very big and important party to get us started. Yet, I’m working the party so I’m not really sure how much fun that’s going to be….

More on Living on Waiheke

I am nearing the end of my second week of working at Cable Bay. Right now I’m munching on a delicious biscotti that has some chocolate moose on top. The kitchen brought it in to the office, so it was an experiment or a mistake. Either way, it’s yummy. So far, things have been going extremely well for me. I have learned how to do inventory (so exciting, I know!) and created a new inventory form since previously it was all calculated by hand.

I spent Thursday evening working my first shift in the restaurant. (But first we had dinner. It was very delicious ~ beef and potatoes and salad. Yummy!) I had three pairs of New Yorkers, which I found pretty humorous. We have a pretty decent sized staff for the amount of business that we do. We have a food runner, an expo person, and the manager is always helping to clear a table or bring them their wine. Some people do tip in New Zealand, although it is not customary or expected like it is in America. They are all surprised to hear that 20% is what servers expect to be tipped in America. The tips are all put into a tip pool which the manager than divides up among everyone. The kitchen staff is tipped out by the floor staff which is also different from home. I am also working a dinner shift tonight and they asked me to come in on Sunday. It has been a very busy week and thus the short blog update as I’ve only got a few minutes time.

Next week, on Monday and Tuesday I will be training in the wine tasting room or “wine cellar.” The lady who has been working in the cellar, just put her notice in and so they’ve asked if they could train me on it and have me help out on Mondays and Tuesdays because its not very busy. That way I can do tastings if we have people come through, but if there is no one I can just work in the office.

I have moved out of the hostel. Yeah! I really was hating it and was quite miserable. Unfortunately, I’ve only moved into another temporary situation. I met a very nice lady named Alison but her “sleep out” is only available for 3 weeks. A “sleep out” is a very common thing here on the island. I don’t know if its persistant throughout of New Zealand or not. It’s a detached room from the main house that works out to be about the size of a one simple bedroom. The one I’m currently renting has a nice queen sized bed, dresser, small table, and a lamp. Just the basics. I have access to the main house, kitchen, laundry, and TV in the family room. I’m happy to accept it for the time being. It’s close to work and extremely clean. (The backpackers was dirty and uncomfortable.) I’m on the hunt and looking forward to meeting some people and looking at places tomorrow afternoon. Ideally, one of them will work out for the longer-term. That’s my other trouble. I’m not staying long enough to “let” (aka rent) a place long-term, which is about 6 months, but I am also not planning on staying short term, for a month or less. Frustration … but hopefully it will all work out.

Wine Update: If anyone wants to order a case, I can get the California distributor to ship it to you. You will only have to pay trade price (so below retail) and shipping. Just email me and let me know which ones you’d like specifically and I will get you a price.

Mosquito Heaven

It’s heaven for the mosquitoes, hell for human beings. They attack you while you are sleeping, of course, the unsuspecting victim. But they don’t hesitate while you’re eating breakfast or supper, taking a quick "dip" in the shower, reading …. Anything really. My ripe skin has accumulated numerous bites from my toes to my neck and I’m contemplating the effectiveness of my industrial sized bottle of spray with DEET.

Currently, I’m living at the Hekerua Lodge Backpackers. I try not too be all that particular and picky, I’m a backpacker now afterall! But this place, is honestly quite miserable. It’s like camping with electricity, but worse because I don’t trust the cleanliness and the water, well, it has issues. One of my co-workers who has been living at Hekerua Lodge informed me that her room had a “bed bug infestation.” How lucky!

All of the water on the island is generated from rainwater and individuals collect it in tanks and filter it. Therefore “water is precious on Waiheke” especially during summer when there is very little rain. There is no washing machine for me to clean my clothes which is quite depressing. I have a very limited supply of clothing and I suppose I shall have to hand wash them in the sink? Showering is also quite a tease, I don’t know how much cleaner I am really getting. There are two temperatures of water: second-degree-burn-scolding-hot or Antarctica-ice-cold. The second-degree-burn temp actually has decent water pressure. Ice cold is more like a slowly running tap. You really can’t get enough water to cover you, let alone rinse my long hair. They have signs everywhere reminding you how precious the water is and encouraging you to take 5 minute showers, but seriously, how am I supposed to shower that quickly if there is no water pressure?

After my glowing report, why are you not all rushing to move into Hekerua Lodge?? Hmm?? Thus, my weekend will be primarily consumed with looking for a place to live. Maybe if I’m lucky I’ll get around to laying on the beach or going for a swim in the pool at the lodge. I have made two appointments thus far and I’m crossing my fingers that one of the people looking for a “flatmate” will work out quickly and soon. I don’t want to stay at the backpackers more than another week.

Waiheke Island First Impressions

My First Week at Cable Bay

I’ve been working at Cable Bay Vineyards for almost a full work-week. I started this previous Monday afternoon, on the 26^th of February. So far, everything has been going extremely well. Cable Bay is on the scenic and very laid-back island of Waiheke. It is a 35 minute ferry ride from the “CBD” (Central Business District) of Auckland. I have not had the chance to explore around yet, but as soon as I get settled into a place, I am sure that is how I will focus my energies in my off-work hours. Waiheke is a rather concentrated wine-growing region of New Zealand, and nicknamed itself “Waiheke Island of Wine.” I just missed the annual wine festival and there are 26 other vineyards on the Isle. Cabernet and Merlot blends are what this region is known for in the wines.

This week, I started by consolidating all of the miscellaneous scraps of paper and logs of bookings. I then created a system of putting them all in one place and worked on an intake form to track all of the information. I know it sounds like loads of fun, doesn’t it? Next week, I’m going to learn how to do all the stock inventory. I’m also developing a packet of info about our vineyard with open hours, pricing, the various sculptures and artwork on display, menus, directions, etc. that I’ll deliver to various nodes of info. I’m also going to work on inviting all types of people out to introduce them to Cable Bay and offer them a tour and a glass of wine. I got a rough list of places that I need to make contact with: all of the 4 and 5 star hotels in downtown Auckland, the resorts and nicer accommodations on the island, the tourism/info people, and so on. In addition to that, I need to figure out the arrangements with the helicopter company. We have an area that has been designated a “land pad” for the helicopters coming from Auckland City. (I’m sure that’s the most exclusive way to get over to the island and I think it only takes about 6-7 minutes vs. 35 minutes on the ferry.) Needless to say, I have my work cut out for me in the coming time.

I have had several questions about Cable Bay wine and where you can get it in the states. Our sales representative has been traveling and hasn’t given me all the full details yet. Currently, Cable Bay is distributed in California, NYC, Illinois, and Florida. He is going over to the US in April and meeting with distributors in Boston and Georgia. I don’t yet know how much it retails for in the US. Our wine tasting room sells the bottles from $19.90NZ - $33.00NZ. In the restaurant it sells from $42 - $55NZ. (exchange rate is roughly $1NZ = $1.40US). SO, for all of you wishing to sample one of Cable Bay’s wines (we currently have seven on the market), let me know and I will talk to our sales rep about getting them to you.

Perks: So far this is a very laid back and enjoyable work environment. I have done one tasting of all the wines. I haven’t found out yet about if I get a discount on wine or whatnot. I do get lunch everyday at 11:30 and it’s delicious. Today we had a nice potato cake, chips made with something other than plain potatoes, beans, and fresh salmon. Too bad I don’t eat salmon. They also always have bread and some of the Cable Bay olive oil to go with lunch. However, missing lunch is not too bad either. On Wednesday I missed lunch (you have to get it before 12 when the restaurant opens for lunch) and so when I went in Will (our chef) had one of his guys make me up a plate. I got a nice plate of greens with yummy veggies and bits of salmon with a large slice of potato cake on the side… with bread and olive oil, of course. Delicious! I can also have any of the fancy fresh coffees we have (the machine is so pretty and does everything from “regular” coffee to cappuccinos and such), yummy hot chocolate, or mineral water (both still and sparkling available!).

I think those are the highlights of my first work week. I'm lame and having to re-adjust to working a day job -- something I haven't done since November. I am avidly searching for a "flatmate" or place to rent. A few pictures are connected to the next post on Mosquitoes.