Our second day in Auckland dawned with sunshine and blue skies.
The terrace by the restaurant was lovely.
After my breakfast that included mushrooms doused in hollandaise sauce (never put a bowl of extra hollandaise sauce next to the steamer of Eggs Benedict, I should tell the kitchen of the Sky City Grand….) croissants, and fresh kiwijuice, our intrepid sextet walked down to the ferry and took it to Waiheke Island to visit wineries. But THAT is the next blog post. It really deserves its own.
At the harbor, whom should we see?
Our girl, Crystal Serenity, had arrived and was taking on bunker.
The 45 minute ferry ride to the island was lovely, if crowded.
Auckland from the ferry- what a pretty sight!
We learned that these quite interesting pine trees are Norfolk pines.
We made it back by 3pm, which gave a little time for a rest before dinner. We wanted seafood, and the concierge at the hotel sent us to Hammerheads. With the sun setting on the horizon, we were served by a delicious waiter who is in his first year of law school. Oh, yeah, and the food was great too.
We shared an appetizer of crispy pork belly. Pork belly seems to be all the rage right now. This came with a cube of silken tofu that had been marinated in mirin and soy sauce—it was delicious— so delicious that I asked about the preparation. Then I had Thai-inspired Salmon, with lemongrass and Thai red curry sauce. Merrill and Bill put their heads together and came up with more yummy Sauvignon Blanc to try (as if we had not had enough earlier). It is nice to rely on such competent decision makers.
Back at the hotel, Mama and I had a glass of wine as we repacked our bags, ready to head to our beloved Crystal Serenity in the morning!
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