KEY POINTS:
How would you like to spend Sunday lunchtime? At home with anklebiters and Vegemite sandwiches or maybe, as a treat, fighting the crowds at the supermarket? Or flying to Waiheke Island for a sumptuous three-course lunch at a vineyard? Tough choice.
As a slightly frazzled mum of two under 2, I wrestled with the decision for, oh, a nanosecond and headed for the skies.
Avoiding hassles with parking, ferries and buses, the journey started at Helilink's pad at Mechanics Bay, where we boarded our chopper, donned lifejackets and headsets, and headed out over the sparkling Waitemata.
Helilink's Dining Experience Package includes a sightseeing journey over Auckland, across the Ports of Auckland, over the cone of Mt Eden, a sweep around SkyTower, over Bastion Pt, Mission Bay and then on direct route to the islands before Waiheke.
From up here what strikes you most is that Auckland is far greener than it appears from the ground and that we really are the City of Sails.
By now I'm in love. This is the way to travel. We may be doing 200km/h but it's as smooth as magic carpet ride.
It's also a great way to see your hometown. Over the islands of the Hauraki Gulf we skim, across Matiatia at the gateway to Waiheke, a brief circle around Cable Bay Vineyards, a gentle touch and we've arrived.
This style of transport shouldn't be reserved only for the rich and famous. Other diners looked at me to see if I was someone they should recognise. Sadly there was no time for autographs because our table was waiting.
Most wineries on Waiheke enjoy stunning vistas, but Cable Bay Vineyards' views over Church Bay to Motuihe Island and then onward to Auckland are unbeatable.
The dining room is warm and inviting, and buzzing with happy patrons, all enjoying the views and soaking up the sun on such a divine day (though it would be equally enjoyable on a bad day and, noticing the huge fireplace, I envisaged coming back for a pinot on winter's night).
The service here is fantastic, the staff obviously want to see the the place succeed, and this comes through in their attention to customers, welcoming manner and extensive knowledge of the menu and wines.
The menu is gorgeous and lends well to us pescatarians (seafood eaters), with a daily special dependent on the whims of the sea. I opted for the locally caught hapuka, with green beans, pesto and a gremolta crust, and the other half had lamb with mashed potatoes and green beans. Both were sensational, my fish was melt-in-the-mouth fresh and the husband exclaimed how tender the lamb was.
We teamed our meals up with a 2007 Cable Bay Vineyards sauvignon blanc, slightly tart, crisp and fresh, which proved the perfect choice.
Now for dessert. Salivating, I decided on the creme brulee with roasted nectarines. Spot on - a toffee, caramelised crust on a wonderful creamy base with the nectarines as an interval to break up the sweetness, accompanied by an excellent latte (had to save room for more wine in the tasting room).
Whether you want to dine in style or take a more casual approach, Cable Bay Vineyards is a great place to come. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Sunday, or you can enjoy a nice glass of wine with tapas or simply savour the vineyards wines in their tasting room.
Our experience included a tour of the tasting room. Unfortunately, thanks to our lack of time management, caused by excessive enjoyment of our meal and each other's company, we had to cut our tasting session short but we did manage to sneak in their chardonnay and pinot noir.
Again, the staff were knowledgeable and able to display a bit of flair and individuality. This is their explanation of the pinot noir: "This has great get-up-and-go, good before heading out for a night of dancing." (Of course we had to make a purchase.)
Before we knew it, the home time bell was a ringing - in the shape of a man in a loud Hawaiian shirt; our cabbie to take us back to Matiatia Ferry terminal for our Fullers' ferry to Auckland.
And so we reluctantly boarded the ferry, along with the holidaymakers, at the end of a wonderful day. I sat back and started to feel a nice snooze coming on.
At first I daydreamed how nice it would have been to return home by helicopter, as well.
But then decided that the ferry's gentle bobbing was a better way to draw out the grieving process of leaving island life.
* More information: To find out about the Helilink dining experience ring 0800 HELILINK or see www.helilink.co.nz.
