Wine Season is underway...

I am so excited I got a chance to stomp on grapes with my naked feet. Its more invigorating that I had ever fathomed. Imagine being surrounded by thousands of juicy, squishy, slimy beads that envelope your feet much like the sand might do at an ocean, but far more quickly. With each step the grapes suck you in and surround your legs. Its actually quite difficult to move around, although its obvious the we were achieving our goal of "human press", as underneath us a flood of grape juice was streaming out... all cloudy and delicious!

This opportunity was made extra special as it was performed soley by females! The winemaker, Summer Bell, had decided she only wanted the Chardonnay to be handled by women to give it a naturally sweeter taste. I am now even more curious about wine making. I find myself very much attracted to the idea of working close to plants to produce something so delicious, difficult and extremely fragile.

All in all today was really special and a wonderful way for me to wrap up my experiences on the island. "oh
waiheke"... one of my favorite phrases to whisper as I drive along the streets of this island that has no stop lights... "wonderful waiheke"