After we left Cape Kidnappers, we all headed back to Auckland on another teeny tiny plane, but we were able to check our bags this time!
When we got back, we got all 6 suitcases, 4 adults and miscellaneous bags into our Silver Bullet and then headed to the Peters' hotel (right next to our apartment, which was convenient!) We let them get unpacked and then picked them back up to show them a tour of the PwC building. Afterwards, we grabbed Sal's pizza and enjoyed a casual dinner at our apartment.
Monday morning Drew had to head back to work so I was on tour guide duty! Becky & Charlie started off their morning by coming to our place to do laundry--they were going to Hawaii after their visit here so packing for 3 full weeks was difficult! Anyway--we spent the morning here catching up on emails and TV before walking over to downtown to catch the ferry to Waiheke. It ended up being a beautiful, windy day which is perfect for some wine tasting! We rented a car and headed to my favorite spot...Mudbrick! We got to sit outside in the bright New Zealand sun, drink some wine and attempt to devour the platter we ordered for lunch. It said it was for 2 people but even the 3 of us couldn't finish everything--it was delicious though!
Then we just enjoyed a leisurely afternoon driving around the western side of Waiheke before heading back on the ferry. After Drew got home from work and everyone had had time to relax a bit, we met Becky & Charlie at their hotel for a drink and then dinner at the restaurant there called Lava. It was fun...as usual...and the food was really good!
Tuesday, we all got up rather early and Becky, Charlie and I headed down to Hobbiton for the day. They got to see lots of the countryside including sheep and cow farms. We again got lucky with the weather and had some people in our tour group that were from the US as well.
This time, the pub was actually open so we got to have a cider and cookies by the roaring fire--very cool!
Then it was back on the road for the 2-hour drive back to Auckland. That night, we headed down to Mission Bay to have dinner at Masala with a bunch of our friends. I love being able to blend my two worlds together :)
Wednesday was their last full day with us so we did a lot of tourist things! We went to the Auckland Museum to see the Maori cultural show, followed by lunch at Elliott Stables where we all loaded up on cajun chicken sliders and curly fries--yum!!
We finished up with a drive out to Mt. Eden and then they had to head back to pack up. That night we treated them to dinner at the Sky Tower and had a wonderful bon voyage dinner!
Thursday morning we headed off to the airport to say farewell :( Of course there were some tears shed, but it's nice to know that we'll be seeing them ( and everyone else) again in just a few short months!
Cheers!
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