Saturday 24th- Wednesday 27th Christmas. 🎄🎅

Well! This was going to be a first for us, Christmas in the sun and what a magical place to be - Oneroa, Waiheke Island. A Christmas that will never be forgotten.
Shavari
We left the Hotel in Auckland at 9.20 and made our way to the port for the 10.15 ferry to Waiheke, a journey of an hour.
Christmas Day - Cheers
Another beautiful, sunny and warm day meant that we sat on the top deck to soak up all the views. What a Christmas Eve!! the AirBnB was a short drive from the ferry port and Wow and Wow again, what a place. The owner came to introduce herself and soon it was off for lunch before going to the Countdown supermarket to buy Christmas food and supplies which felt rather weird - not to be shopping on a cold dreary day as it usually can be. Caroline had a comprehensive list and all worked out perfectly. 
Lunch was next and sunscreen was brought to the table for us to use. Later in the afternoon we went to the beach and ventured in to the lovely warm clear water. After a buffet tea I stayed in leaving the others to go for a walk.

Christmas Day was a hot and sunny day and after a light breakfast it was off to the beach to celebrate. We took Champagne, Orange Juice and snacks and spent a few hours relaxing on the very quiet beach. What a contrast I thought, no spending the majority of the day in the kitchen cooking. We returned around 4.00 and after showering had a prawns, salads and Pavlova - not a piece of turkey, Christmas pudding or mince pie in sight. The film "Home Alone" was tonight's film choice. Many thanks must go to Jon & Caz for all their work in planning and making very special memories for us.
Air BnB nestling in the Olive Grove
Boxing Day was a "lazier" start, waking up at 10.50!!! After juice and yogurt we drove around nearby Bays and vineyards but returned to Oneroa for lunch. We stayed in town, whilst Jon & Caz returned the car to the apartment and went for a walk. We all met up at 5.00 and returned to have a supper of ham and jackets. After packing we settled down to watch "Elf". It all seemed surreal in some respects - watching films that were set in Winter when we were in Summer. Not to mention the concept of having a beach day on Christmas Day.

The alarm woke us at 7.45 so we could get ready for the 9.45 ferry to Auckland. Sadly, it was farewell to the magical Waiheke. We sat on the top deck once again and I got chatting to a chap that had left the UK 30 years ago and travels between Waiheke and Auckland for his job, I couldn't help but feel rather envious at this. Car duly returned, we caught a shuttle to the airport in Auckland for our return flight to Sydney on a NZ aircraft with a HiFly crew. We were late arriving into Sydney, caught a taxi back to the apartment where Christmas presents were opened before heading out to Blues Point. Temperature of 24deg. Fab!

A Christmas with a difference and a totally wonderful experience.     Farewell N.Z.

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