When Kim and Jeanette Goldwater planted their first tiny vineyard on a couple of hillside acres on the magical little island of Waiheke in 1978, just 15 miles East of Auckland City, all the leading experts warned them that grapes would not grow in that salt laden island environment. The Goldwaters, both 4th generation New Zealanders, had no experience of winemaking but doggedly persisted with their island experiment eventually proving the sceptics wrong by winning numerous international awards for their wines. This success encouraged them to expand their enterprise, first into Marlborough and then into the Hawkes Bay, to eventually become one New Zealand's largest and most prestigious winegrowers. In this story, Kim Goldwater relates just how this couple of ingenuous but passionate Kiwi battlers succeeded in creating a world renowned pioneer winegrowing enterprise on that remote little antipodean island. He captures the passion, optimism and determination in overcoming the numerous obstacles thrown in their path, not only by the vagaries of the weather but also by the experts and the bureaucracy. Not only did they succeed in their endeavour but flourished -- against all odds -- the reality of their enterprise far exceeding their dream.

Author Biography

Kim and Jeanette Goldwater are foremost among New Zealand's wine producers. After graduating from Auckland University with a degree in Civil Engineering and working internationally for several years, Kim's passion for wine, intitially stimulated by living and working in Spain, caused him to change careers and establish a fine wine enterprise which soon gained world-wide recognition. After transferring their iconic Waiheke Island vineyard to the University of Auckland for their Wine Science Program, the Goldwaters, at 76 years of age, are now retired from active participation in the wine industry. Kim has spent the past couple of years writing his memoir which is really an adventure story involving wine.