With a deep sense of euphoria, I climbed the stairs on the ferry. On top of the life rafts I stood, arms outstretched, tea bottle in hand, head high, breathing deeply. In my head I was screaming "I'm on top of the world!!!" For several minutes I just stood there motionless, taking in all the splendour of the ocean and various islands surrounding me. It's hard to not fall in love with the world more each day. Certainly I have on this journey. The weather today was absolutely brilliant and offered postcard views of Waitemata Harbour. For the past few days I've been staying with Erica, a lady I met in Brisbane years ago. Today I headed off to Waiheke to visit Roberta, a lady who I did some WWOOF work for a few years ago. Last time I spent nearly two weeks and I went to Stony Batter and met some awesome WWOOFers. I've always liked Roberta and her place, advertised in the WWOOF book as "The Sunflower Shack."
She has grapes and bananas growing on her property and there's a lovely veranda and a large yard. She's been my most enjoyable WWOOF host. On the ferry though I met a very lovely lady named Miri; I know, I'm raving about all these ladies! Miriana Rose was born and bred on Waiheke and is incredibly sweet and gorgeous. She has beautiful blue eyes, red curly hair, and a body full of tattoos. We clicked straight away and I got her number. She's moving to London soon but I'd love to meet her and get to know her better. Miri and I sat side by side on the ferry, snapped photos, and practiced our Maori. My name is "Kiritopa" and my age is "rua tekau ma iwa." Miri's age is "rua tekau ma tahi" (21). Upon exiting the ferry we got a nice photo together on the beach.
She caught the bus and I got a lift almost straight away to Roberta's house. It's really nice to see her again. When I was here last I was concerned about her health but we remained in contact, speaking about once a year or so. Now, I'm back, and I missed Waiheke. She cooked up a light tea of stir-fry whilst we watched the Australian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. For the next several days I'll be here and I'll be on "Waiheke Time."
