In 2015 I made a deal with Chris, I will show him England and one day whenever possible he will show me New Zealand. I took this deal seriously so for his first trip to London I planned the ultimate day (click here for full details)
We had gin in front of Buckingham palace, a cocktail in the Walkie talkie Tower over looking the city, a trip to the underground world of Brixton and we even went on a boat.
Now it was Chris’ turn to show me the wonders of his home town Auckland, and I couldn’t hold in my excitement for what he had in store for me.
So the morning of our first full day I asked the question:
“What are we going to do today?”
“ I was thinking we could have sushi from this fantastic sushi place followed by a trip in the city.”
Sounds great!
So off we went on a bus, on the way he pointed out his old school, old football pitch, number of places he crashed his bike as a teenager and after a 30 min ride, we got dropped off at a …car park.
“O Yes Rebel sport!”
He pointed with glee at a large sport shop next to a giant homeware shop.
“No I am not going to the sport shop, lets get that sushi”
As we walked on It seemed there was a lot of shops and not much else.
“where’s the beach?”
“Not near here”
“o”
“Here we are-sushi!”
There it was, a mini sushi take away bar which pretty much was the same as Itsu but more basic. I picked up my $10 salmon rolls and turned to my very happy boyfriend who was thrilled with the avocado and tuna option.
“Chris have you taken me to a shopping centre for take away sushi?”
We stood in silence holding our boxes of raw fish.
I think he was hurt by my reaction.
The silence continued as we ate our sushi in front of McDonalds with toddlers running around us.
“I guess it is like if you took me to Westfield when I first came to London…”
Later that day
I told his Dad and Step Mum (Tammy) that evening about my first day in Auckland. Horrified, they stepped in right away and suggested I go and visit Waiheke Island.
Day 2 of my tourist adventure
So day two began a lot better- a bus ride now to the ferry port, a ferry over to a little tropical island where we had a twenty min walk
Then found this little Gem of a restaurant, Cove :
After lunch, I was keen to visit one of the many vineyards that the island was famous for.
“Let’s bus it to the nearest one!”
But Chris had other ideas- he had seen a scooter hire place.
After his little old ‘crash sight –seeing tour’ I wasn’t too keen to get on the back of one but he was very very keen.
So we had another deal.
We can go to a vineyard on a scooter.
Off we drove around the empty roads of the island
…meanwhile passing vineyard after vineyard
“There’s one Chris!” I would yell.
But he ‘didn’t hear me’ (apparently) or say something like “think that’s just someone’s house’
It wasn’t. He just didn’t want to stop and it soon came apparent that again I had been tricked.
Before I knew it the sun was setting and it was time to go home.
What I did learn
Chris never sticks to deals.
What I didn’t learn
The taste of wine in Waiheke.
That Bloody Mary 