how engaging!

OK, as promised, here’s the update:

Turbulent times, they were. Victoria went overseas on business for a couple of weeks, and I finally realised that I couldn’t stand to be apart from her. So when she arrived back in the country, I had organized a special weekend away to Waiheke Island.

We stayed at Villa Pacifica at the east end of the island. Although it was quite a long way from the main built up areas of Waiheke, the views and tranquility more thjan made up for the remoteness. Our room overlooked three small bays, with Auckland city as just a hazy shadow in the background. We were treated to the best of Auckland autumn weather all weekend – beautifully sunny, but crisp in the morning and not too hot during the day.

On Saturday (the 7^th of May), we had a lazy morning, but managed to make it to lunch at Te Whau vineyard, where we were treated to the most divine food I have ever tasted. The chef was on loan from O’Connell Street Brasserie for a couple of weekends, and I knew that Victoria had wanted to go there for years. We ordered Tempura Squid and a Wild Mushroom Risotto as an entrée; the squid was beautifully fragrant, and melted in your mouth, and the risotto (with which I have had bad experiences in the past) was perfectly cooked. We both chose Papardelle of Wild Hare as a main course, which tasted absolutely sensational. What could possibly be better than the spectacular views from Te Whau coupled with amazing food and superb wine!

After lunch we drove to Onetangi beach, and decided to take a walk along the beach to help digest the fabulous (and somewhat rich) food. As we walked, I realised that there would never be a better time than this, so I dropped to one knee, and as the waves lapped around us, I proposed. The rest of the weekend was a bit of a blur, but needless to say, I sit here writing this as a happily engaged man.