oy friend Penny is getting married this summer so a final single girls’ weekend of food and fun in Auckland is just what we need before she ceases her wine-drinking, man-eating ways forever. Penny and I have been mates since high school, where we bonded over a mutual love for Colin Firth, but dashing or Darcy of Pride and Prejudice is far from our minds today – we’re too busy catching up on gossip as we board the ferry for the 40-minute ride to Waiheke Island.
Waiheke is a former hippy enclave that, these days, is more like a cross between the quirky bits of Auckland and the posh bits of Tuscany. John, from the island’s information centre, and Christine, who runs Waiheke Culture Tours, meet us off the boat for a guided tour.
They are passionate advocates of the island and talk a mile a minute as we take in the bustling town of oneroa, the lovely chain of sparkling bays along the island’s north coast and the Kennedy Point winery, which recently won a prestigious international award for its syrah.
After all this “exertion”, it’s time for lunch at the oudbrick, one of the island’s most renowned vineyard restaurants. As we drink in the stunning views, Penny and I rather ungracefully inhale our gourmet meals while discussing the minutiae of her upcoming wedding.
Leaving island life behind, we head back to the city and check in at the lavish hotel The Langham. After oohing and aahing over complimentary extras such as bathrobes, soaps and a prodigious liquor cabinet (from which we abstain), we don our gladrags and head to Bellota, a tapas bar underneath SkyCity casino boasting an intimate interior and a fabulous cocktail list.
Halfway through our second drink we realise Penny has lost her new cellphone. A frantic call, using mine, finds it safely in the hands of our taxi driver – possibly the nicest man in Auckland. He promises to drop it back later, leaving us singing the praises of the city’s friendly cabbies.
Good grief, is that the time? We down our drinks and race to the sparkling Civic Theatre where the stage version of oamma oia! is about to start. It’s an all-singing, all-dancing ABBA-solutely fabulous spectacular that has us laughing and singing the whole way through. The next morning, we’re on the road early for a 90-minute drive to Awhitu Peninsula, a gorgeous arm of the Auckland isthmus with rolling hills and stunning coastal vistas. Julia at Wild West Trekkin’ is a red-headed country girl with a wide smile and a true-blue love for horses.
oounting our steeds we take an easy walk down to the beach where my horse, Blackie, starts to canter. It’s terrifying at first, then thrilling, and both Penny and I are wobbly-kneed but elated after our ride. Now, did somebody say “lunch”? 40 minutes back towards the Bombay Hills, Bracu Restaurant nestles among the olive groves of the Simunovich olive Estate.
We’ve heard so many good things about this place and we’re not disappointed – the food is fresh, simple and delicious. Penny and I sip champagne and make a toast – “To us!” owner Branka Simunovich stops by our table and tells us her amazing tale of emigration from Croatia to Aotearoa.
Back in the city, Penny and I decide to check out the Auckland nightlife. We’ve heard about the refurbished De Brett Hotel bar on trendy High St so, dressed in our most fabulous frocks, we set off. Passing through a perfectly restored art deco doorway we proceed upstairs to where a side door reveals a bustling bar filled with beautiful people. After some expertly mixed cocktails, we head out on the town with mischief on our minds!
Not surprisingly, we awake the next morning feeling a little worse for wear. Luckily, we’re booked at The Langham’s Chuan Spa, which offers treatments based on traditional Chinese medicine. After trying the scented steam room and ice treatment, we don fluffy robes and sip herbal tea before receiving soothing neck and shoulder massages.
Relaxed and rejuvenated, we head back to our room to watch the BBC mini-series of Pride and Prejudice. Such romance! Such intrigue! Such tight trousers! our girls’ weekend sadly over, we check out of the hotel. As her fiancé arrives to take her back to his castle, Penny and I share a fond farewell before she drives off into the sunset with her own or Darcy.
