Immersed in NZ Culture

Last Thursday, our free, 4 day weekend began. A group of 11 of us, decided to venture to the island of Waiheke. We rented a house overlooking the beach and a vineyard. Our house was something you would see in a brochure for a vacation to the island. We had trees with fresh fruit growing in the backyard, a front deck overlooking the water, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, barbeque, and patio. We arrived Thursday at around 4:00 p.m. We bought some beer, and groceries, and barbequed steaks, potatoes, corn, and vegetables. It was a good night.
On Friday, we walked over to one of the vineyards for some wine tasting. After, we hung out on the beach. That night, we went out into town to a few of the bars. Saturday, we invited the elderly couple living next door out to dinner with us, to an Indian restaurant. Boyd and Colleen had been living on the island for many years. Boyd is a former British colonel, and Colleen has lived in New Zealand her entire life. They were the nicest people, and extended much hospitality and generosity to us. We had drinks and appetizers at their home before dinner, and after, had traditional New Zealand deserts, tea, and coffee. We learned a lot from Boyd and Colleen about living on the island, and New Zealand culture and lifestyles. Sunday, 7 of us decided to check out a few of the vineyards for wine tasting. The first one we went to was called Onetangi Vineyard. We sampled several New Zealand beers, and wines, in addition to olive, cheese, and fruit platters. Just next door, was Stonyridge Vineyard. Here, we sampled several wines, and were lucky enough to meet the owner, who joined us, along with several of his friends from France, who also own vineyards. We indulged in a non-stop supply of wine. The owner, Steven, told us all about his twenty-five year old vineyard, and how he runs his business. He had servers bring out giant platters of steaks and potatoes for us to eat. At around 4:00 p.m. we returned to our house to collect our belongings, and turn in the key.
Four of us decided to go back to the vineyard. We hung out with students from Sydney, and several of Steven’s friends. He gave us a tour of the vineyard, and then let Karen and I fix up platters of salmon, olives, cheese, bread, and ham in the kitchen for everyone to eat. The vineyard closed at 6, but we kept the party going. We drank tons of wine, and then went swimming in one of the hot tubs. It was so awesome. The four of us, Karen, Jon, Nate, and I, slept outside on couches under a gazebo in the middle of the vineyard. We woke up the next day at around 6:00, and began our journey back to Hamilton. Between spending time on the island, hanging out with our neighbors, and spending many hours at Stonyridge Vineyard, I truly felt that I was able to experience the culture of New Zealand. I learned a lot of interesting things about the land, the people, and the ways of life. Best weekend ever!