Emerging off the ferry at Matiatia Bay on Waiheke feels a little like entering another planet. With the city of sails in the rearview mirror, you switch onto island time, ready to take to the beaches, vineyards and restaurants with a renewed sense of vigour.
Unsurprisingly, as one of the country’s key wine destinations, Waiheke has established itself as a key culinary player too. Ki Māha is a shining light in the island’s restaurant crown, serving up seasonal fare in inarguably one of the most beautiful settings in the country, the shores of Onetangi Beach beaming in through the vaulted glass front.
Ki Māha has an elegant menu that takes advantage of the abundant natural larder on Waiheke. With food this good, it is intuitive that you pair it with fabulous wine, too, so it should come as no surprise that champagne heavyweights Veuve Clicquot are bringing their famed fizz to Waiheke’s northern shores for a Summer Sun pop-up.
Sunset savants will want to make a beeline for the restaurant between 3-5pm Monday to Saturday for Solaire Sunset Hour, which sees specially priced glasses of Veuve and, as a one-off, Veuve Clicquot Rosé by the glass — a rarity as this blush-hued bubbles is usually available by the bottle only.
To bring the best of Veuve to life, a special menu of canapés and snacks will be served, with dishes like delicate yellow fin tuna tartlets with caviar and lemon verbena, vindaloo fries with spiced mayo, and prawn toast with chipotle mayo, all designed to pair with Veuve’s structured, well-balanced palate.
Not ready to let the weekend go? Head to Ki Māha on Sundays between 3-6pm for Veuve Clicquot’s take on a Sunday session. Think seafood towers, roaming champagne trolleys, and DJs on the decks to keep the energy high.
Our pick of the bunch, though, is The Sunny Side Up Brunch. On the second Sunday of every month from December 14, there will be a multi-course feast featuring caviar on toast, crayfish omelettes and, of course, many glasses of Veuve Clicquot.
To celebrate, we’ve paired up with Ki Māha to give one reader the ultimate Sunny Side Up Brunch experience. Grab three friends, and you’ll get return ferry tickets with Island Direct, and be some of the first to experience the limited edition brunch — valued at $89pp — on December 14. Now that’s a good way to kick off summer.
