Kind of reminded me of Seattle; pan-Pacific multiculturalism, with a ferry to an island full of wine, delicious shellfish, good art with plenty of coffee shops and friendly people.
Thursday
5:30 pm
The plan was to grab a cocktail and a nice view at the HI-SO Rooftop Bar, but unfortunately it was closed for a private event. The manager Raymundo, who was from New Jersey (Exit 12 in da house!) mentioned that we might find the Queens Rooftop Bar atop the InterContinental Auckland a suitable alternative.
To get to the express elevator to the place, you go through a wine store which all gives off a whole speakeasy vibe, but when it dumps you out onto the 21st floor you are greeted with a mass of people and a din that says "you aren't the only one that had this idea." The Missus went with a (watery) Negroni and I the Bud Light of New Zealand, a Steinlager. It left me with nice views of Auckland Harbour and the thought "Am I starting to get too old for this shit?"
6:43 pm
We decided to head back to the hotel, do no internet research and let fate be our guide for dinner. Well apparently fate made me book a hotel located in an Asian neighborhood, which was fine with me. Unfortunately without the benefit of the internet everything looked like a fast food joint. One place looked promising as no one spoke English (can't get more authentic than that). Unfortunately no one knew the word "beer" and I really wanted one. It left me a little confused as I always though it was international, like "ok," "huh?" and giving "the middle finger."
6:59 pm
So we pushed on to a place called Saigon Chill, which won by default. I asked our Vietnamese server what I should order, and after confirming that I liked noodles, recommended . . . phở. So that's what I had. Not bad, and considering I was still suffering from a case of the Fiji Trots, quite medicinal. Though the can of Saigon Lager¹ was cold.
Friday
9:45 am
Kompass Coffee did an excellent job with a long black, cappuccino and ham, cheese croissant. No, that's not a misspelling, it's a Korean joint. The place is so new that at press time it didn't even have a TripAdvisor review.
11:00 am
En-route Waiheke Island on the Fullers360 Ferry ($55 NZD/$33 USD - roundtrip).
Waiheke Island is New Zealand wine ground zero, as the latitude and all of the surrounding water helps moderate the weather, making it of course excellent for Bordeaux, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. We decided to visit some of the wineries on a Friday before the weekend rush of vinophilistines.
For an additional $34 NZD, the ferry runs a hop on hop off winery bus, but I previously made a promise before God and Tony Bourdain I would never set foot on one again. So we took the the chariot of the people, the Waiheke public bus.
12:31 pm
The 50A let us off at Onetangi Beach, which is but 0.5 miles from Casita Miro Vineyard. The issue: about 0.1 of that was up a steep and very narrow stairway that some vinophiles might find upsetting. Either way, about 20 minutes after that my spicey Moroccan soup was being washed down by a delightful 2019 The Miro Cabernet/Merlot/Franc, Malbec, Waiheke while overlooking the vineyard and Pacific Ocean. Our server was from Argentina, which made the wine taste that much better.
It all reminded me² that great wine requires a mad man to grow the vine, a wise man to watch over it, a lucid poet to make it, and a lover to drink it.
2:32 pm
Now most people who visit the island may use the internet to determine which winery best meets their oenological, gastronomical, and aesthetical requirements. I instead used it to review logistics and hours of operation while relying on Mrs. AAR to interview fellow ferry passengers (and their dogs). One mentioned that due to the combination of wine, food and facility, the best winery was Tantalus.
After riding the 50A back from whence we came for 15 minutes, we found ourselves at the Tantalus Estate Vineyard. Mrs. AAR wanted to do a wine tasting while I just wanted a glass of red. You see, I've discovered that appreciating wine is like appreciating women, you get better results by focusing your efforts on just one.
After discussion with my server Sally, I confirmed that a red was definitely in order. She then spoke to me about two of them, but when she got to the Tantalus Estate Merlot Cabernets, Waiheke Island, 2020 she become very excited, kissing he fingertips while going "Mwhah!!!!!" like she was an Italian chef talking about the delizioso spaghetti bolognaise. And she wasn't wrong. Complimented nicely by the slinkiest of stinky cheeses.
Now the bus system in Auckland, like all the transit systems in this world relies on an electronic fare card. Though in this case the AT Hop Card is the most obtuse one I've ever used, allowing one to add money via the internet, but requiring an hour for it to arrive. So at this point in our wine wanderings I was little concerned about having enough money (and time) to take the bus to our next destination(s). Like most travelers I am reluctant to put too much money on any transit fare card for fear of leaving even a nickel stranded when I blow town.
As always my parsimony paid off, as if we would wait in the downstairs Alibi Brewer's Lounge, and drink a glass of West Coast Pilsner, Sally would then take us to Mudbrick Vineyard in her car. The fact that this vineyard was located a mile up a hill from the nearest bus stop made her offer that much sweeter. Not that I couldn't have hoofed it, but Mrs. AAR would have killed me before it killed her.
5:04 pm
Mudbrick Vineyard offered us stunning views of Auckland as well as the best damn Sauvignon Blanc I ever tasted. The grapes though weren't from Waiheke but from Marlborough on the South Island. If you ever get a chance to get a glass of Mudbrick Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Marlborough, New Zealand, do not pass it up.
Sally is a South African native who earned her wine chops in the Stellenbosch region. She has led an eventful life that much like myself has been buffered by a positive attitude, a deep caring about the human condition and some psychic ability.
She so enjoyed our company that she took us to the ferry landing to catch . . .
7:00 pm
The ferry from Waiheke Ferry Terminal back to Auckland was uneventful until I met five young fresh faced New Zealand gents who looked like brothers who all went to the same barber. They had, as they would say in the Corps a "motivated" haircut. I thought they might be military, but actually they were Christian fundamentalists who just happened to be (very) (ardent) supporters of the 45th president of the United States. The ensuing political discussion was friendly and somewhat civil until I had to go outside to get some fresh air and view of the Auckland skyline, as one of them said something that was just too offensive . . . something about me being "60 years old."
Saturday
9:30 am
Coffee at Melba Vulcan. A salmon bagel is always a risk outside of NYC. The salmon was quite tasty, though the bagel was quite toasty
10:00 am
The Auckland Free Walking Tour covered a lot of ground in two hours: everything from how the indigenous Māori settled the area, the ensuing settlement by and conflict with the British, to the second tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere, of course some murals, and a visit to the Albert Park, with the most interesting being . . .
In 1893 New Zealand was the first country to grant women the right to vote and those that helped make this happen are celebrated by the Auckland Women’s Suffrage Memorial. A little underwhelming. I think this accomplishment is rather a big deal and wish the memorial was a little grander and more artistic.
12:17 pm
Darcy, our tour guide, recommend a place called the Daily Bread for that quintessential Kiwi food, the meat pie. I took a pass as the place looked like a giant Pret A Manger, though it might be a good place to get a loaf of bread every day.
12:20 pm
Darcy also mentioned getting the New Zealand green-lipped muscles at the Occidental, which was a capital idea until we arrived and found it was closed for renovation.
12:30 pm
It just so happened that next door was the oldest bar in Auckland, The Queen's Ferry. And whilst they didn't serve muscles they did serve pork bao buns and a pint of McLeod's Longeboarder Lager, and in a way you cant get any more New Zealand than that.
There was a sign that stated "Temporary Manager Michael Haynes" and when I met the man, I let him know that I was pulling for him. He thanked me, but mentioned it was a legal term as the place was waiting for a permanent liquor license and not to worry as he was the owner.
4:00 pm
Whilst doing some reconnaissance for tonight's rugby match, I ducked into Ghost Donkey to get out of the rain and obtain refreshment. Nothing to see here except a view of the Auckland Ferry Terminal which is based on the one in San Francisco.
7:00 pm
Arrived at the Right Track Sports Cafe just in time to catch the singing of the national anthem prior to the round two match of the 2024 The Rugby Championship: Argentina vs the New Zealand All Blacks. A number of patrons stood and sang along which was a little heartwarming . . . and something I've never seen in the States.
The All Blacks perform a haka before every match; which is a Māori challenge dance aimed at the opposing players. I'd seen it on tv³ before, but watching it in a New Zealand bar made it a little more real, with some of the patrons even acting it out.
I tried to discuss some of the rules with an adjacent fan, but he was equally confused by it all. It could make an American wonder if it was all a bunch of rather thick-thighed men running around just bashing and grabbing each other. Either way, by half time the lads had it well in hand at 35-3, so we were off to . . .
9:07 pm
Oyster & Chop for some kingfish and lamb rump. Delicious. We had chatted with the two couples at an adjacent table about our New Zealand itinerary for quite a while before I noticed something was up. The guys were dressed for the pub and the ladies for the club . . . and then it dawned on me, the ladies were escorts. It's legal in New Zealand, but then again what do I care . . . as they gave me some good ideas.
Sunday
10:00 am
The plan was to have coffee at a place called Chuffed, which is supposed to mean "pleased" in the British vernacular, but in this case meant "oven without any natural light," so we popped out across the street to The Coffee Club for that elusive meat pie (a steak and cheese), which has now been definitively checked off the New Zealand to do list.
11:00 am
The Auckland Art Gallery for some culture and free admission. The best piece being . . .
Julian Robertson, founder of one of the first and most profitable hedge funds (Tiger Management) gave his collection of modern art to the museum. The cynic in me, might think that this had less to do with his connection to New Zealand and more to do with if he had given his Picassos, Matisse, Degas, Cezanne, et al. to the Met in New York City, they might have thanked him with a form letter, but this place gave him the entire top floor and had him knighted.
He also included a 2009 photo of the best stuff hanging in his "lofty New York City residence" to let us know "about the formation of the . . . collection" and that he lived in a very well-appointed and spacious co-op.
Out of all the pieces he parted with, I liked this rather small and simple work by Ben Nicholson . . . maybe because of the DIY aspect?
2:30 pm
Executive Time
8:11 pm
After an extended Executive Time and maybe a short nap, it was getting kind of late and pickin's were gettin' kind of slim, so after a couple of false starts we eventually found ourselves outside Kingi. We were in luck as they were still open and they served green-lipped mussels.
Through a miscommunication, we were actually served "Blackfoot paua tagliatelle, squid, diamond shell clams, chilli (Tora Bay)" for what was the finest meal we had in Auckland. The clams and squid had the perfect chew and the freshly made tagliatelle perfectly complimented the chilli. We were then served the "green-lipped mussels, nduja" as compensation for the mix-up. Possibly the best, though definitely the largest mussels I ever ate.
And a great way to say goodbye to Auckland and hello North Island Road Trip.
Lodgings
The Avani Metropolis Residences ($120 USD/night, tax inc.) was a perfect booking.com. Great location just off High Street in the Central Business District. It even had a kitchenette for added flexibility. It was so nice that we extended an extra day.
Endnotes: I wanted to provide some very specific details that while vaguely interesting did not contribute to the overall narrative. Perhaps just wait until the end to read.
¹ The name on the can was "BẬT NẮP LAGER – TRÚNG NGAY LỘC RỒNG" which certainly sounds more authentic than Saigon Lager.
² It all might have also reminded Salvador Dali.
³ Kiwis call it "tv" or "television" and thankfully not "the telly."
This is a wonderful read!
Okay, I guess I did something right. Here goes (as best I remember):
Glad you corrected "muscles" to "mussels," though not until the very end, when I had my correction comment mentally prepared.
Glad the walk up the steep, narrow stairway was "going to" rather than "leaving from." If you had enough wine, you could have maybe just slid down.
I'm wondering how you managed to savor the red wine accompanied by "spicy Moroccan soup"? Maybe you skipped the traditional Harissa paste.
I like your comment about "getting better results by focusing your attention on just one" (wine and women).
I thought it was nice of the "pub guys" to take the "club girls" out for what sounded like a…
Had a comment all written, but wasn't able to publish it, then it was erased, so I'm trying again.