Chianti is not an area you want to get lost in. Don’t get me wrong, the views are spectacular and the drive is like a long stroll through a museum of italian art, but when you take a wrong turn things go very bad, very gradually; an ugly combination.
We drove our little two door up many daringly narrow, gravel-paved roads before deciding to turn around. Nevertheless the mistakes turned out to make some fun memory (since we made it out unscathed) and the stops on the side of the road to take it all in made it totally worth it.
If I had to sum it up I’d say Waiheke island was a cross between Sausalito, CA and OBX, VA. There are wineries, beautiful mountain views with glistening bays between. We really enjoyed our time here. To make the visit even more unique and special Jackie got us a Glamping tent on AirBnB for our stay.
We happened to have arrived during the Waiheke Jazz festival so most restaurants had bands playing. We strolled through the countryside and stopped at a few wineries. Our first was by far our favorite, Kennedy Point Vinyards. Not only was there a great selection of wine, but the staff was incredible helpful and fun.
The staff explaining a flight of Sarah from freshly picked grapes to aged ones.
Allie, one of the staff at Kennedy Point, saw us walking down the street later in the day and offered a ride home. Our feet were pretty tired so we took it! One conversation led to another and we ended up going to one of the Jazz show with her and her husband Felix. They were such a wonderful couple and we had a awesome time.
The other wineries we visited on Waiheke island were Stoney Ridge, which had an amazing view from it’s balcony, but it was a bit on the pricey side (shown below); and Wild on Waiheke, which didn’t have the friendliest staff and boasted archery and games on the vineyard but the came with an hour wait and around $30 price tag per person.
Sean Shadmand 