A little bit about Waiheke Island

Who went to Waiheke and didn't take their DSLR? -.-

But it wasn't as bed as I imagined, I hate the feeling of forgetting your camera and itching to take a photo of the scenery. Luckily the 5MP camera on the iPod Touch 5 was sufficient for the 3 day trip.

I had just returned from a fantastic first-time-ever-Parachute with my Student Life siblings, hadn't had enough of the intense sun (I have tanlines from my watch, the AWOP wrist band, jandals and crisscross top) so I joined my mum who was already in Waiheke for more sun.

Bye Auckland... on the ferry

I hadn't been to Waiheke before, I just heard that it's an island of vineyards and lifestyle houses, and my friend Mr Bond lives there (I still don't understand how he commutes by ferry everyday to uni)

Waiheke is an island 40 minutes by ferry, it is part of Auckland, which I thought was funny, I just couldn't grasp the fact that an island separate to Auckland is still Auckland... It was even stranger thinking about people living on an island that isn't its own country... Anyway
You can also take your car from Half Moon Bay wharf.

Cruise ship I saw on the way

We stayed right in front of Oneroa beach

Oneroa in the evening

We visited some vineyards. This one was called Mudbrick Vineyard

I think it would be such a lovely place for a wedding reception...

I mean, look at these romantic stairs...

My mum told me that someone had booked it for a wedding in 2015.
Lol has he even proposed yet?

I was inventing scenarios for this.
Maybe they're a long distance couple and she lives in Switzerland, and she's going to visit him in 2 years time and when she does BOOM he proposes that they get married right there and then.

Maybe the couple are doing a pre-wedding honeymoon and sailing to New Zealand from Turkey, and by the time they get here, which will be in 2015, they're going to get married.

Maybe the girl is waiting to grow her hair so she can have it in a plait bun on the day.

Maybe they're waiting for the flower girl to be old enough to walk down the aisle.

Maybe they're shipping the wedding gown garment from Egypt and the cotton hasn't grown yet.

Maybe he's still saving up for the ring.

The vineyards

I really like the French style building and the gardens surrounding it

Being on a hill, it held a bewitching view of Rangitoto Island.

(It was weird thinking you're seeing the other side of Rangitoto)

Mudbrick is also a restaurant. There is indoor seating if you order meals, but we sat outside on the couches under the umbrella and ordered foccacia bread with homemade dips: cream cheese dip and hummus.

Salt & pepper squid

Another popular wedding location, they even had brochures by the door, is Cable Bay vineyards

Wouldn't it make a stunning venue !

Nearby is a Mediterranean style house which we visited to view the artworks of the artist who resides there

This is the view from the from the house :o

Waiheke is so nautical.

Down a little walkway at Kennedy Point, we arrived on a little secluded rocky beach

With water as clear as diamonds on a ring

Such an idyllic little place for a swim...

Oh and I had some food.
Calzone from Dragonfired, they sell woodfired pizzas in a van on Little Oneroa beach. Yum

And to conclude,

I played chess with my brother and I was down to my queen and king and then he ate my queen. Lauren is going to provide me with some training at CSL retreat...

Signed,
Elisa

A little about holiday food

Well I haven't written in a while. So here is a post before I go to Parachute for the long weekend of all sorts of interesting food I've had during my holidays so far!

Let's start with Christmas...

My mum teaches Sunday School at the Indonesian church and she asked me to make the kids cookies with a Christmas Tree Cookie Set she got me.

Using standard sugar cookie recipe, I made plain vanilla

And chocolate!

"and when he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will 

make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night 

and pay no worship to the garish sun." Romeo and Juliet, Act 3 Scene 2

I had leftover dough and got creative :P

Stack them up in size order and hopefully it looks like a Christmas tree...

Not quite, but the kids liked them!

And then on Christmas day, we were invited to have lunch with family friends

It was my first ever Kiwi/ European Christmas and I was in awe at how much food there was

Now I understand why there is so much food hype during Christmas! We had like 5 different types of meat; roast chicken, ham, lamb, beef, bacon... And all sorts of salads...

Must have Christmas like that again this year.

At Lucy's 21st, she had a candy buffet!! oh my goodness it was so much fun and the display was superb and those little scoops are cute!

We had fun with dracula teeth lollies... So much fun.

Crepes at Torchon in Elliot Stables in the CBD with my guurl Wally

Dessert night at Calci's (who is now enjoying bridges in chch. Where are those photos Calci?!) I made banoffee cake :D I used to not know whether banoffee was banana-toffee or banana-coffee, so I decided to make banofee-ofee. Mocha cake with bananas and toffee :)

For Calci's birthday dinner we went to Dee Jai Thai restaurant in Newmarket

Delicious chicken cashew stir fry

There is a little cafe in Epsom called the Florentine Tea Room, which sells the nicest roast beef sandwich I've ever had. But the day I went with my mum, they didn't have any, so I had the chicken crepes.
So delicious but so overpriced. $9 for the above :/

Another unique place that is jsut as delicious and not quite so overpriced is Little & Friday in Newmarket.
Walnut, pesto and haloumi galette :)

When Zi Shan came over we made hazelnut slice for Curtis' farewell party!

We got given a box of amazing chocolate for Christmas, but my mum accidentaly threw out the booklet of flavours. So it turned into a game of 'avoid the turkish delight'.

Another thing I've been doing (thanks to Lyds for being my teacher) is learning how to play the guitar! I can play Taylor Swift!! Once I learn bar chords, then I can play ALL her songs :D

And to conclude,

I downloaded Bridge Constructor in my new iPod Touch 5, but I can't get past bridge 7 ?!! Help.

Signed,
Elisa