We invited our friend Kara (Kiwi) and her friend Emma (Scot), who is visiting from Scotland, for a weekend onboard Sugar Shack and boy did we have fun! These two lovelies have been friends for decades and are simply a joy to be around. They bring delight to all those around them!
Kara and Emma drove 2.5 hours from Whangarei to Maratae (just south of Auckland) to meet us. We dropped the hook on a very exposed, shallow beach for a quick day stop. We grabbed some provisions and headed back to the boat. Our first stop was West Bay on Ponui Island. We had visited Ponui a few days prior (blog post on Ponui with their rare donkeys) but this time we anchored on the other side of the island. The first thing the girls did was jump in the water which was a nice 23C! Nature was showing off with a gorgeous sunset and we took full advantage!
A truly beautiful sunset
Man O War Vineyard
The next day we headed to Man O War Bay as we planned to visit the beautiful vineyard for their Summer Happy Hour events. It was going to be a “rose all day” event for us. It started out with just Matt, Emma, Kara and I and then our friends on Yum Yum (Daniela and Mirko) joined us. Later in the afternoon some more friends came for the tail end of our celebration.
We tried to take a photo after each bottle was finished but that did not exactly happen the way we planned. Not sure what Matt and I were thinking…we could not keep up with the Kiwi and the Scot!
Things got a little crazy and silly at times. Our new friends Adam and Sarah showed up with some Award Winning Texas BBQ guys towards the end of the day. Probably not the best first impression we’ve made, but we sure did have fun hanging out with them.
Two Americans, Swiss, Austria, Kiwi, and a Scot – an international table!
Owhiti Bay (Waiheke Island)
The next day we had a lovely motor sail over to Owhiti Bay. We wanted to show our Kiwi and Scot our beautiful sails but the wind was not fully cooperating. We were able to sail for a bit which was lovely but soon the noise makers came on to get us to our destination.
Drinks were served on the lido deck.
We took an excursion to Garden Cove and Carey Bay by dinghy to explore some beaches and do some shelling. Emma had the luck of the Scot and found tons of treasures. Kara is showing off her “Kiwi” feet by walking barefoot on the rocks!
I just love this old tree with all of its bends and curves growing out of sand and rocks.
The beaches are so very beautiful and unspoiled on Waiheke Island.
Celebratory Dinner
We invited Daniela and Mirko over for dinner. Matt made his famous pulled pork and Emma made a tasty Spanish rice. Super delicious.
And we were blessed with another beautiful sunset.
Events may be out of order as a wee bit of wine was consumed during the visit. Overall it was a spectacular weekend. The next day we had a beautiful sun halo to lead us back to Maraetai.
So grateful for our friends – what a blessing they are! Thank you for playing onboard Sugar Shack Kara and Emma!
Events from this blog occurred mid February. Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events. Did you catch our last blog where we take you to the drunk island?