20 November 2024 -New Zealand-Waiheke Island- Man of War Bay & Vineyard.
What a difference a day makes. We woke to a grey cold morning and it was chilly. We were facing a different way due to the change in wind and in the distance we could rain coming.
However, with a positive attitude Keith made some banana pancakes which cheered and warmed us up with a good cup of coffee. I went online to the Man of War Vineyard (Man O’ War) which has a restaurant and tasting rooms just off Man of War Beach some 4.5 nm North of us. We had hoped to go yesterday but it was closed. I booked a table for 12.45pm. After breakfast we got ourselves ready. The drizzle had arrived and we thought it best to get there and then we can go ashore when ready. We therefore upped the anchor in the rain and headed out of our bay and up the Waiheke Channel. It was not worth sailing as the wind was on the nose or too close to be able to sail.
We motored up in the drizzle and rain mist past the fish farms and entered Man of War Bay and as we came in we could see the beach and some buildings behind the trees lining the beach. This must be the vineyard etc. There were a number of boats anchored off to our right and no one in the bay off the beach apart from a motorboat.
We anchored in about 8m of water with a drop of about 2m of tide to come. The rain came and went and so we headed ashore in drizzle and landed on the beach and pulled the dinghy up a bit and tied the painter to tree roots at the top of the beach. The winery was only about 50 yards away and we walked up and got our reserved table in the restaurant. It was a good job I had booked and inside as the rain continued for some time and those under umbrellas outside were getting a little damp. We had an enjoyable lunch and could have had a tasting at the table but this would have been without a guide so we opted for a bottle of their Valhalla Chardonnay. This was delicious and decided we would do the tasting after lunch.
Man O’ War Bay is steeped in history dating back to early Polynesian adventurers. The protected cove has provided safe harbour during many rough seas. The bay was named by navigators in the late 1700s. The magnificent Kauri trees were noted in the early shipping journals, they made ideal masts for the naval Man O’ War warships, and thus the name Man O’ War was bestowed upon this special bay.
The Man O’ War Vineyard is a 4,500-acre Family Farm, vineyard & winery. In addition to vineyards, they have orchards, olive groves, restored native forests and beehives.
The owners planted their first vines in 1993. Over the next two decades they say they have explored the farm and analysed the ground that lies beneath in search of the best single vineyard locations to one day make world-class wine.
Today they have no less than 76 vineyards across the island and quite spread out and a few they have abandoned along the way and have about one fifth or all the vineyards in Waiheke. They have become well known for their Syrah (called Ironclad), Chardonnay (called Valhalla -which comes from the Norse mythology which is a hall where all the souls of the warriors who die in battle go) and Waiheke’s signature Bordeaux Blends – one called Dreadnought. They also produce a distinctly different Sauvignon Blanc ( called Sidewinder) a seriously drinkable Pinot Gris (called Exiled) and their (infamous) Rose.
After lunch we went to do some tasting and opted for 4 main wines. They have an upmarket collection but each of those wines are about 150 NZ$ each which is about £70 a bottle. We tried the Sauvignon Blanc, a Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon Mix called Gravestone for the whites and the Ironclad (Syrah) and Dreadnought (Bordeaux Blend). The Sauvignon Blanc was good, the Gravestone – a little too chardonnay and the reds were good but only to have with food and each were over £25 a bottle so not cheap. We met an English guy working here who said yes they seem expensive but the wines are better here and you will find other vineyards in Waiheke more expensive. This was our first visit to a Waiheke vineyard and although very enjoyable I am not sure we need to pay those prices. We will see when we visit some more.
We returned to Stormbird and had to drag the dinghy quite a way down the beach with the tide having dropped. The wind was stronger and quite chilly although the sun was out. We read and rested and Keith made a Banana Loaf and some bread.
We had cheese and biscuits for supper. It had been enjoyable to have a lazy day and visit one of the best vineyards in Waiheke and easy access from the beach. The picture of the day is the beach which the vineyard overlooks.
The wind is expected to pick up further to about 14-20 kts but with gusts of up to 32 kts so we will see what we do.
Opportunity Year Two
In year two I will be going from New Zealand in early January 2025 across to Sydney and up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and then through Bali, Singapore and on to Thailand to end year two about the end of November 2025. I will need some more crew.
If there is any interest do email me at hine.nick9@gmail.com
The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com