Waiheke for a free weekend

For our free weekend, I travelled to Waiheke island with 10 other people. I was surprised at how easily we made it to the island. It only took a bus ride and a ferry ride over to the island. People here are so willing to help, it makes travelling very relaxed. We rented a house for the weekend, and honestly, I was not expecting anything too nice. To my surprise, the house was gorgeous. When we walked up to it, we thought we had the wrong address. The house was located on the top of a hill, overlooking Oneroa beach, a spectacular view. Several of the rooms were made almost entirely of glass, so the view could be with you from just about anywhere in the house. Our first night, we decided to go food shopping for dinner. After we had already completely prepared everything to go on the grill, we realized that the propane tank was empty. Evan and Mike decided to go next door and ask the neighbors where we could go to fill it up. Boyd, the nice man next door not only gave them directions, but drove them to the gas station to fill up the tank. I could not believe that the neighbors were so nice to a bunch of college kids.
The hospitality of our neighbors did not stop there. They offered to drive some of us to see a comet that was visible from higher ground, and drive us to an art festival that was taking place on the island over the weekend. Boyd, was a Colonel in the British military, and his wife, Colleen has lived in New Zealand her entire life. We decided it might be nice to take Boyd and Colleen out to dinner, to one of their favorite restaurants on the island. Before dinner, their hospitality continued when they invited us over for drinks and appetizers. Colleen showed us pictures of her grandchildren, and talked about life on the island. After dinner, we returned to their home for dessert-Pavlova, a popular New Zealand dessert consisting almost entirely of sugar! We could not have been luckier to have such wonderful people as neighbors for our weekend. They truly embodied the kiwi spirit.
Although I had an excellent weekend, full of beach going, vineyards, and shopping, I had my heart set on skydiving, which unfortunately got cancelled. The first day we tried to go, it was too cloudy, and the second day it was too windy. I was glad that the skydiving company was so cautious about the weather conditions, but still disappointed. Hopefully I get the opportunity to go in Wellington.
My weekend on Waiheke island was one I will never forget. The view from the house, company of my friends, and hospitality of our neighbors were all experiences that I will think back on when I relive my trip to New Zealand.