Anyway...back to the visit! The family's flight got cancelled on Sunday night, so they had to stay in a hotel and wait until the next morning to fly out of LAX. Needless to say, none of us were happy but you just have to deal with those kinds of things. They managed to get here about 9pm Monday night and it was so great to be able to hug them all in person! We all crashed pretty early that night in order to get geared up for our adventures...
DAY 1: we walked down to Mission Bay to have a yummy brekkie outside before heading out to explore Auckland. We checked out the lookout point in St. Heliers, MJ Savage Park in Mission Bay, the Parnell Rose Garden, Mt. Eden and One Tree Hill. Then we dropped Drew at work to take care of a few things and the rest of us strolled through the Viaduct. We all met up for lunch again at a new American joint called Johnny Barr's before heading home to relax.
Then it was time to meet up with some friends for a yummy dinner at Sale St. My parents love getting to meet the people we always tell them about and I think our friends liked getting to meet my family, too.
DAY 2: We ate breakfast at home before grabbing some Starbucks and heading downtown to catch the ferry out to Waiheke. This is definitely one of our favorite things to do--especially with visitors! The weather was perfect and we had a great time! We picked up our rental car and headed out to Peacock Sky. We had a private tasting outside along with food pairings and I think everyone was a little buzzed after our first stop.
Then, we stopped at Stonyridge which was a first for all of us. We had a delicious platter and yummy chips and homemade guacamole for lunch while overlooking the vineyard. Our last stop, as usual, was Mudbrick--it never disappoints! We ordered an array of desserts including petit fours, chocolate creme brûlée, and homemade gelatos. Add that to the stunning scenery of downtown Auckland and you've got yourself a good afternoon.
That night was complete with eating Sal's pizza (my dad's favorite) on the rooftop and relaxing with everyone.
DAY 3: The fam joined me for my last American Women's Club meeting where they gave me a beautiful NZ book as a going away present. Then, we met Drew for lunch at Jack Tar, stopped at the store and then set off up north to Paihia in the Bay of Islands.
Everyone enjoyed the scenic drive (quintessential New Zealand landscape) and we were all impressed with the beautiful bach that we rented. Leigh & Dad walked down to the beach while the rest of us unpacked, set out happy hour and started working on a homemade pasta dinner. We ended with dessert and some card games before calling it a night.
DAY 4: We made breakfast at the house and then headed about 45 minutes north to the impeccable Kauri Cliffs resort. We had a private lunch outside in the beautiful sunshine before Leigh & Dad played 9 holes. Mom, Drew and I rented extra carts and drove the course with them. It. Was. Spectacular. The golfers in our group said the course was extremely hard--which was made evident when they ran out of balls just before the final hole...oh well! It was a very special day and I hope the two of them enjoyed their round of golf at one of the best courses in the world.
That night, we got ready and caught the ferry across to Russell to have dinner at The Duke of Marlborough Inn. Some of us tried lamb, others had filet and Drew had a delicious mushroom pasta. We headed back to our side of the bay and rounded out the night with local ice cream.
DAY 5: We were originally planning to drive up to the far north to see Cape Reinga and the Te Paki sand dunes, but we vetoed that on account of WAY too much driving. Instead, we did the tour and cultural performance at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds--mom finally got to see the Maoris perform!
We had lunch back at the house before everyone went into town for some souvenir shopping and Leigh & mom when on a helicopter tour. That night we had dinner at a local restaurant in town--my dinner was sub-par at best so I got a takeaway pizza on the way home :)
DAY 6: We packed, cleaned, had a great breakfast on the water and then headed back to Auckland. There was a bike race going on that we got stuck behind and it added a solid 45 minutes to our trip--lame! We stopped at PwC once we got home to show the family where Drew works, grabbed a quick bite at the mall and did some more souvenir shopping.
That night we treated them to our favorite dive restaurant downtown called Tanuki's Cave. I'm pretty sure it was everyone's favorite meal--so good!
DAY 7: Dad & Leigh woke up early to take a bus tour down to Hobbiton for the day. Mom and I relaxed and then did some fun shopping--for ourselves and for gifts--at Sylvia Park Mall. We had a great Mexican lunch at Mama Loco before picking up Drew and our little hobbits downtown mid-afternoon. Then, sadly, it was time for everyone else to come home and pack up before we went to our last dinner at the Sky Tower. That is also a favorite last-night activity for guests because they get to see a bird's eye view of all the places we've been during their visit--and you get to watch an amazing sunset.
DAY 8: We all got up and headed to Ponsonby to have breakfast and walk around. We decided on Cafe Cezanne and we were not disappointed! The portions were huge and relatively cheap and it was all delish! We walked up the street and found a nursery that sells packaged seeds of NZ plants that can be taken back to the States. We got some pohutokawas and silver ferns--so excited!
We had enough time for one final round of souvenir shopping before heading back to our flat to load up. Then it was off to the airport--sad face. The good news is, neither my mom nor I had to cry this time because we get to see each other in less than a week!!
(Note: at the time of writing this, I can confirm that all three of them made it home safely which is always music to my ears!)
Be on the lookout for a Five on Friday post from me tomorrow and a final farewell next week!
Cheers,
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