WAIHEKE ISLE...IS IT PARADISE?

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2011 – HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY TO EVERYONE READING THIS BLOG - I have decided to blog once a week here on Waiheke—more if there is a reason to do so!

Weather – Sun every day even when it starts out cloudy.  Sometimes too much humidity for our taste!  Beautiful sunsets! 

Cottage – It’s a square 2 bedroom, 1 bath former small home (now a holiday cottage) 2 houses away from Surfdale beach in one direction and 2 houses Cottage is a new rental and is clean but I would do some “beachy” decorating and take a very sterile looking cottage and make it so much more!  (Just me!)

Island – It’s not big and we have walked to Little Oneroa Beach...:   

and Ostend:

Signage – Geoff always spots an appropriate sign!   (Even if the picture is crappy of you-know-who! J ) 

Geoff – Happy as a dog rolling in a pile of shite!  Pouring his own Guinness (on “Guinness Happy Hour” Malone’s Irish Pub around the corner from us—apparently it is the custom to “pull” your own): 

Sue – Who me???   Not much to say ‘cept I found another “Home of the Rams” down the street:  

Mosquitos – Or, as Geoff calls them, “Mossies”—my name is not nearly as polite.  We have many of them around here and since they don’t seem to believe in screens on their windows here (and no A/C), we purchased some screening and duct taped it to the bedroom windows to get air in there.   We also bought this gizmo that you plug into an electrical socket and it has some crap in it (made by Raid) that keeps the mosquitoes away.   We use that in the living room area until we go to bed then plug it into the socket in the bedroom—for any sneaky little bastards that make their way into the room!    Sleep has been a whole lot better since those two additions!

V-Day – He is making me some sort of “surprise dinner” tonight, a good bottle of wine and a DVD movie!  I found this cute VW tin at the Saturday Market in Ostend and put chocolate covered raisins inside it for Geoff!  (He has a real vintage VW camper back in UK!) 

Surfdale Beach – It could be called “Shelley Beach” with all the little clam type shells on it.   I noticed where there is erosion where you can see there are layers upon layers of shells in the earth!    There is a small park down by the beach and it has a children’s play area along with toilets (you won’t find me going in THEM, however!).    I do love our beach! 

WHAT’S UP NEXT - We plan to rent a car for a day and go to the very end of the island where the bus doesn’t run and see it all.   There are several vineyards within walking distance and others beyond that the bus can haul us to and from.   We will be trying out all the vineyards and investigating all the beaches!

SURFDATE ITSELF - Has a “Dairy” (convenience store), Irish Pub (Malone’s), Pizzeria, 2 places that offer “takeaways” (food you order and carry home), 2 coffee shops, a small hardware store and a diamond cutting/design business (that I have yet to see open) along with some other assorted businesses on our street.  

JUST FOR LARISA – We haven’t been to the local Surfdale coffee shops yet but the one near the grocery store in Ostend is nice—my cappuccino:

SUE BAILEY NOTE – I bbq’d hamburgers on the grill last night and Geoff said they were the best!  (I grilled the buns on it along with slabs of onion!) I haven’t lost my “touch” even if he likes to do the cooking!  J J

That’s it for our first week on Waiheke Island…time is flying but we are living it slowly and enjoying every minute!    Love, Sue & Geoff xo    Here we are in Auckland (Feb 6) with Geoff’s friends from Nelson, NZ, Mike and Heather along with the giant Auckland "rubber ducky"!: