Day #3. Waiheke cont.

EMBARRASSING!!!!

After my shower last night, I heard my new friend Alex the waitress banging on my hostel door down the hall.  So I stuck my head out and told her to give me one sec... and I closed the door but didn't lock it cuz it would only take me like 30 seconds to dry off... but 20 seconds into the drying off the door flies open and there is this gaping-mouthed Czech boy standing there.  The problem with this scenario was that I was totally, completely, nekked.  OMG so mortifying...

Moving on.  Had so much fun hanging out with Alex, her boyfriend, and their friends last night.  Her b/f Jake plays Rugby, or actually it's "touch" as he called it.  I guess they are slightly different styles.  Started the evening off with her boyfriend's mum's homemade lasagna, then went to the local hangout The Skinny Sardine.  After an hour there I had to take a taxi back to my hostel cuz I was just totally exhausted from the day.  Crazy thing was, the taxi was kind of free.  I was like, whaaa?  The couple driving the taxi van informed me that they are part of a group of parents who take turns doing weekend shifts taxiing kids all over the island, trying to prevent drunk driving.  Isn't that the coolest?!?!  They said they take donations, and sometimes the kids will give them a few bucks and other nights they have nothing.  I gave them 5 dollars and told them to keep up the great work, that it's really great of them to donate their time like that.

Today was absolutely amazing.  I did go and rent that scooter (sorry, mom).  Bumble Bee was a good little girl.  Until I murdered her.  We shall save that story for later.

I drove that scooter all over the freaking island!!!  So much fun!  Went to the Ostend farmer's market and delighted my taste buds with a french lemon tart.  Ohhh the butter.... absolutely decadent.  However, the piece of dog hair I found at the end was not so decadent.  After the market, I spent the entire day scooting all around the back roads, just exploring.  Lost my map, but that almost made it better! :)  Spent some time at several parks, bays, and trails.  Can't even begin to remember the names of all the places... they're really strange names, like "Awaawaroa Bay" was one that I especially liked and it was in the middle of nowhere!  Visited this super cool olive vinyard called Azzuro where they produce the most delicious olive oils.  Of course, I had to buy a bottle.  I've already used it twice today too.  They also have tons of alpacas (look like lamas).  All the alpacas have names.  If you go inside the store, the owner can tell you which sweater or scarf was made from the shearling of which alpaca.  Crazy.

Drove to a point where there was a vinyard with a gorgeous view of Auckland.  Wanted to eat lunch there so badly, but I decided one 50 dollar meal in 2 days was probably enough.  Instead I took my bottle of olive oil, purchased some ciabatta bread and olives, and had a picnic :)

I thought today was my lucky day.  I really did.  Scored some free cappuccino at an organic cafe, received a fat a discount on my ciabatta bread, was given a blueberry custard brioche d/t the baker "needed to get home and didn't want it to go to waste"...... yup.  I was feeling pretty good about myself.  Until Bumble Bee decided to fall over in a parking lot, shattering her brake lever.  The scooter owner was not so pleased with this.  I felt bad enough already, but he fussed and fumed and cussed until I seriously was depressed.  You would think a fellow Californian (he's from San Fran) would be more empathetic!  Of course, in addition I had to pay a fee for the repair/replacement.  Eventually he gave me a new scooter and I left to continue exploring, but this time not feeling nearly so happy and excited.  Not so lucky day :(  It all evened out in the end though.  When I returned the scooter that evening he apologized for his attitude, and only charged me $20 for the repair.

Oh shoot!! Almost forgot my fav part of the day.  I got sunburned horribly (even my feet are burned) and decided I'd better find a place inside to wait out the afternoon glare.  Boy did I find a neat place!!  Mom would have LOVED this.  Whittaker's Museum of Music.  Owned and operated by this adorable little old couple who perform duets together for guests on all the pianos in the museum.  They asked me if I play, and I said yes.  "Well get on up there and play for me" said Mr. Wittaker.  So I did.  A little Louis Armstrong on a grand old Berchstein.  I was really getting into it, when all of a sudden Mr. Whittaker started pounding away on the piano next to me.  Apparently he was trying to perform a "duet" with me.  Melly will laugh at this.  He was like Archer Livengood -- our church pianist with whom the congregation could never keep up with during the hymn singing.  Mr. Whittaker had his own rhythm, hahaha :)  We continued playing several songs together, most of which were pretty disastrous (as in, you wouldn't be able to tell what the heck song we were playing).  But on his own, Mr. W was a very accomplished pianist.  He and his wife were just cute as a button and I had the grandest time hanging out with them!  Btw, in 1975 they flew in their friend's cessna from Mammoth, California to Seattle.  Took them 2 1/2 days.

Feels good to sit down.  I just finished eating some bruschetta I made from my new olive oil, ciabatta bread, vine-ripened tomatoes (taste like they came straight out of the garden), sweet onion, and lemon.  With a fresh ripe avocado.  Everyone in the hostel kitchen is making fun of me... I'm too excited about my food, they say :)  The cute Spanish girl fried a potato omelette.  But the pan was "sheety" and she couldn't flip the omelette right.  She said it is the worst Spanish omelette she's ever made.  I have a sous chef from Wales sitting next to me.  His bro owns an Italian restaurant in Cardif.  He's trying to explain how to make risotto.  These kids at the hostel are so great.  There is a french girl staying here who works at a cafe down the road.  And a Mexican guy employed on a vinyard.  They're all really cool, friendly, easy to get along with.  It seems like many of them actually live here and work in the area on a work Visa.  Not too shabby.

It's 10 pm already... can't believe it.  Tomorrow morning I take the ferry back to Auckland.

Plan: spend the afternoon in Auckland... maybe see the Harbour Bridge and explore the Parnell district.

Budget:  $49 scooter rental, $20 scooter damage fee, $5 petrol, $20 olive oil, $18 lemon tart/bread/produce/ginger beer (so good!), $4 donation to the music museum