Wine Tasting at Waiheke Island

Enjoying CabSav with my nephew Neeko.

If you like drinking wine or want to learn about it in Auckland, you can go wine tasting at nearby Waiheke Island. My friends and I went on a half-day wine tour, which included wine tastings at three vineyards, last November 2014. We got a discounted coupon from Around Waiheke Tours on GrabOne for NZ$59 each (from published rate of NZ$119). 

We bought separate tickets for the ferry ride from Auckland to Waiheke and back. You can choose between Fullers or Explore. We chose Explore because it also had a special rate on GrabOne. We got our roundtrip tickets for only NZ$18 each (regular fare is NZ$36).

We rode the 9:30am ferry at Auckland Ferry Terminal. The trip to Waiheke took roughly 40 minutes. When we arrived at the Matiatia Ferry Terminal, we transferred to the Around Waiheke Tours bus.

Our first winery stop was Peacock Sky Vineyard.

This was my first wine tasting ever so I was both amused and intrigued with the table setting. Apart from the wines, they provide water to cleanse your palate after each tasting. They also prepared food to pair with each glass of wine.

At Peacock Sky, we tasted their Pinot Gris--a white wine, which was paired with a white creamy soup. Next, we sampled their Rose--a pink colored wine. This was paired with a sausage. Our third wine was a traditional Merlot, which they paired with chicken. The last wine we tasted was their Cabernet Sauvignon, and they paired it with chocolate. This was my personal favorite because it really tasted like a liquid black forest cake, which was exactly what the sommelier described it to be. Anyway, after a few minutes, the alcohol kicked in and I was woozy boarding the tour bus.

The next vineyard we visited was Te Motu. This time, the setting for the wine tasting was outdoors. We were blessed with sunny weather that day, and so Te Motu's cool white wines tasted refreshing. Unlike Peacock Sky, there were no food pairings. Instead, we washed our palate with glasses of water.

Wine tasting at Te Motu with other tourists.

At the vineyard with Grace and Lara.

The vineyard at Te Motu.

Our last stop for the wine tasting tour was The Batch Vineyard. 

This difference with this vineyard was the sommelier took us around the winery while we tasted the different wines. He showed us the vats, tanks and presses where the grapes undergo the fermentation process.

Once fermentation has finished, the wines are placed in oak barrels to complete their maturation.

By the end of the tour, I had drank 12 glasses of various red and white wines, that I must admit made me a bit tipsy right after. But our group just scratched the surface, in terms of wineries. Waiheke is home to over a dozen vineyards. They say New Zealand is better know for its white wines, especially their pinot gris, but what do I know. I prefer reds anyway. One thing is for sure though, if you enjoy wines and are staying in Auckland, you must make a trip to Waiheke Island.

PS: You don't have to take the wine tasting bus tour if you don't want to. You can bring your car or bike on the ferry, or to make it easy, you can rent a car or bike when you get there. A lot of people also spend the whole weekend in Waiheke and stay in baches. For more information about the island, visit Waiheke.co.nz.

Finished with my postgraduate degrees at the University of Auckland

I recently received my diploma for my master of public policy, capping off my two year academic stint in New Zealand. I can't believe time flew by so fast. It seemed like only yesterday when I applied for postgraduate studies at the University of Auckland and scholarship with the New Zealand Embassy. Today, I have my Post-Graduate Diploma in Arts with Merit on Development Studies and a Master of Public Policy with Second Class Honours First Division.

I'm thankful to my wife Ria and daughter Bea for allowing me to pursue postgraduate studies abroad. I am extremely lucky to have a partner who supported me 100% of the way and sacrificed so much by taking care of our daughter and running our household, all by herself. I hope I can return their love and affection. I am grateful as well to my mom Aileen and dad Roque for their support, and to the rest of my family for their encouragement. 

Thanks are also due to my policy professor, boss, and dissertation supervisor, Dr. Julie MacArthur, for her guidance and support. I really appreciate how she gave me the freedom to work on my dissertation at my own pace, and at the same time be there for me to check on my progress, review my drafts, and give sound advice on how to improve my paper.

Lastly, I am extremely grateful to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and all who make up the New Zealand-ASEAN Scholarships Programme (NZAS) for giving me this great opportunity to obtain a post-graduate diploma and a master's degree at the University of Auckland. Rest assured that I will use all that I learned in New Zealand to help my home country of the Philippines.

My write-up in the University of Auckland website

If you are reading this post while taking your postgraduate studies in New Zealand, and feel depressed, burdened and/or stressed with all the academic obligations, let me reassure you that this too will pass. You can make it! Good luck and God bless!

#parasabayan #parasaPilipinas