怀赫科岛和另一位远方亲戚- Waiheke Island and another relative

11/14/2025 星期五 Friday, The 13th day of our Down Under to Eastern Delight trip

今天早上又有阳光。我们昨天提前买好了怀赫科岛的渡轮+随上随下巴士套票。怀赫科岛位于豪拉基湾，以葡萄园、海滩和度假氛围闻名，从奥克兰市中心搭渡轮约 45 分钟即可抵达。

This morning, the sun was out again. Yesterday, we bought our ferry and hop-on-hop-off bus combo tickets in advance for Waiheke Island (pronounced WHY-heck-ee). Located in the Hauraki Gulf, Waiheke is known for its vineyards, beaches, and relaxed holiday vibe. It takes about 45 minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland.

岛上有三十多家精品酒庄和酒窖，因此被称作“新西兰的葡萄酒之岛”。直到 20 世纪七八十年代，一批酿酒师发现这里温暖的小气候加上遍布丘陵的地形极适合葡萄生长，岛上的酒庄才陆续兴起，并形成如今的葡萄酒文化。

The island is home to more than thirty boutique wineries, earning it the nickname “New Zealand’s Island of Wine.” It wasn’t until the 1970s and 1980s that a group of winemakers discovered that the island’s warm microclimate and rolling hills were ideal for growing grapes. Since then, vineyards have gradually flourished, shaping the wine culture that defines Waiheke today.

我们买的套票每人 99 新元，包含往返渡轮以及岛上随上随下巴士。抵达码头后，只要到指定站点等车，就可以轻松在各个酒庄、海滩和景点之间穿梭。到了岛上，游客们通常从一个酒庄跳到下一个，在海风和葡萄藤之间品酒、看海、发呆，节奏非常悠闲。

The combo ticket we bought cost 99 NZD per person and included the round-trip ferry and the hop-on-hop-off island bus. After arriving at the pier, all you have to do is wait at the designated stops to easily travel between wineries, beaches, and attractions. Once on the island, visitors usually hop from one winery to the next, sipping wine, gazing at the sea, and relaxing among the vines and ocean breeze — all at a wonderfully unhurried pace.

今天中午我们去了一个名叫 Wild Estate 的酒庄用餐，点了他们的品酒套餐，包含一款玫瑰红和三款红酒。虽然我不算懂酒，但每一款都口感顺滑，香气宜人，是一次非常愉快的体验。

At noon, we had lunch at a winery called Wild Estate and ordered their wine tasting set, which included one rosé and three reds. I’m no wine expert, but each one was smooth and pleasantly aromatic.

有人在那边玩射箭，可惜这个项目都已经预约到下午三点以后了，我们只好作罢。- Some people were doing archery here, but unfortunately, all the sessions were booked until after 3 p.m., so we had to pass.

午饭后，我们赶着巴士时间返回车站，但岛上的巴士并不算准时，等了好一会儿才来。接着我们去了欧尼罗阿小镇，应该是岛上最热闹的小镇。2020年，在美国圣克鲁斯举办的 码头到码头公里赛中，在抽奖环节，Matthew非常幸运地被抽中了一等奖——5000美元的奖金，用于前往新西兰参加Ta们的马拉松比赛。我们找到了他五年前拍照的地点，成功复刻了那张照片，算是“父亲追随儿子的脚步”吧。😂

After lunch, we caught the bus back to the next place, but the island buses weren’t very punctual — we waited quite a while before one finally arrived. We then went to Oneroa Village, which is probably the busiest little town on the island. In 2020, at the Wharf-to-Wharf race in Santa Cruz, Matthew was super lucky and won the $5000 first prize to come to New Zealand for their marathon. We found the exact spot where he took his photo five years ago and successfully recreated it — a moment that felt like “a father following in his son’s footsteps.” 😂

儿子和父亲 – The young racer and the out-of-breath father

原本计划再去下一家酒庄，但考虑到巴士间隔以及渡轮每小时一班，我们最终作罢，选择提前返回市区。下午 4 点左右回到奥克兰，回民宿休息一下，再到海滨喝了两杯冰啤酒放松。

We had originally planned to visit another winery, but considering the bus intervals and the fact that the ferry runs only once an hour, we decided to skip it and head back to the city. We returned to Auckland around 4 p.m., rested a bit at our AirBNB, then went to the waterfront for a couple of cold beers to unwind.

晚餐则是与某人的远房亲戚见面——也就是在墨尔本那位的妹妹。她同样对家族谱研究非常着迷，过去几年她与 PJG 一直通过邮件交流，分享彼此的发现与研究成果。今天是他们第一次真正见面，对他们来说应该是难得且特别的时刻。

Dinner was a meeting with someone’s distant relative — the sister of the man we met in Melbourne. She’s equally passionate about family genealogy as PJG, and over the past few years, they have been corresponding by email, sharing their discoveries and research. Today was their first time meeting in person — a rare and special moment for both of them.

晚饭有很多新西兰牛肉！Lots of beef for dinner!

这位远房亲戚名叫 Julia，她的曾曾祖父正是 PJG 的曾祖父。她性格开朗、健谈，晚餐时两人终于有机会面对面聊起家族的历史。PJG 说，他对此感到非常开心。虽然我们没有合影，但 Julia 的丈夫 Andy 也在场——一位性格随和、谈吐风趣的英国绅士，与他交谈十分愉快。

This distant relative, Julia, is the great-great-granddaughter of PJG’s great-grandfather. Warm and engaging, she and PJG finally had the chance to talk about their shared family history over dinner—a moment he said made him genuinely happy. Though we didn’t take a photo, Julia’s husband, Andy, an english gentleman, was there too—easy going and a pleasure to talk with.

The bear got frustrated today … 小熊今天有点生气…