Auckland, New Zealand

Monday, January 5, 2015

The visit to Kauri Cliffs was SO worth it.  Nestled on 6000 acres of rolling hills with golf holes scattered amongst a working sheep farm and all of it over looking the Pacific Ocean and the Cavali Islands from steep cliffs, Kauri Cliffs is one of the most beautiful courses I've ever seen.  

Pricilla, "Muffy" and Don Miller at Kauri Cliffs

The breathtaking scenery is interrupted by tee boxes and greens.  I could sit on the grass and gaze out at the view for hours.  But alas ...  we're here for ... golf.  The course is beautiful and plays well, except for the ball eating grass that lines the fairways.  Jeff used to refer to this as "love grass," because if you get in it, you're screwed.    We were paired with two delightful folks from Palm Beach, Florida, Muffy and Don, also on the trip with the Vintage Club.  I lost 5 golf balls and found 2 which means I finished net 3 down.  We had to skip the last two holes because we had to get back to the airport to catch our flight back to Auckland.  

Cute little airport at KeriKeri.  No checking in an hour early, no TSA pre-check lines because there is no security.  Our driver, James, dropped us at the airport minutes before our flight, we hopped on board and took off right on time.  An uneventful flight for  a change, except we had to circle a few times as the airport in Auckland wasn't ready for us.  But Stu was waiting for us at the Auckland airport and promptly returned us to the Hilton at the wharf where in only a few hours, we will board our ship.  

After studying the room service menu at the Hilton, we determined that a walk to the marina area would be a better idea for dinner.  We checked out Euro, a spot recommended by Stu, but the fancy smancy menu was wasted on me.  

Soul in Auckland

I just wanted a good piece of fish.  So we went for the sure thing, Soul.  Stevie and I found this spot last year and loved it.  Though it's very difficult to get a reservation, we managed to walk right in and had a perfect table overlooking the marina and the hanging petunia gardens.  My fish was a scrumptious combination of flavors mingling fish with chorizo sausage and white wine caper sauce.  Jess's strawberry salad was incredible.  I was expecting a pile of greens with a few strawberries scattered about.  Rather it was a plate of strawberries with goat cheese, poached pears, cucumbers, balsamic vinegar and a few mint leaves.    The presentation was colorful, interesting, beautiful and mouthwatering!  

After dinner, we walked back to the Hilton to pack our gear for an early departure in the morning.  On a whim, I checked the web for Zest tours, a company that does gourmet food tours.  Stevie and I went on a Zest Tour in Wellington last year and it was one of the highlights of our trip.  Sure enough, Zest had a food tour in Auckland.   So I signed up that evening.