Waiheke Island is one of the biggest island in the Gulf of New Zealand but also one of the most beautiful to visit. It is connected with a regular ferry service from Auckland and the trip takes aprox 45 minutes.
It is a very naturalistic island with very high ills and tiny but well maintained roads, it has got also lot of beaches all around its coast and it is very famous for its great grapes and winery all across the island, btw producing amazing wines!
The island is quite populated by regular residents although its population raises dramatically on holiday times being a very popular spot for that. In that terms government is blocking buying of houses for holidays because this has became recently a very high business for rich people / companies to invest in, those properties are now valued millions of dollars, even the simplest ones!
The island is so peaceful to live and it tries to keep itself self-maintained in everything, even up to rubbish recycling and treatments on the island directly.
Visiting the island is a must if you come to be in that area and I do suggest to do a day travelling using the available Bus Explorer tour which allows you to hop-in and hop-out whenever you want.
First of all take the first available ferry from Auckland, be aware to be quite some time in advance as a very big queue will raise up very quickly and if the ferry will be full you won’t be allowed to go in.
Arriving at Matiatia Bay Ferry Terminal the suggestion is to take the bus line directly at the opposite side of island up to Onetangi Beach at stop 8, since all wineries are still closed and mostly opening not before 11:00am. Here you can admire this beautiful beach and take a nice coffee and some light bites at The Boathouse Cafe.
When you made up your mind hop-in again and stop at the very close Tantalus Estate Vineyard at stop 9, the newest winery on the island but with delicious white wines. I know it is still early and you didn’t get lunch but you can take some appetizers here as well (note that it might be full for eating!) as I suggest to take a late lunch. When you are done just move walking trough the backyard grapes up to the Stonyridge Vineyard with an amazing view on the valley from where you can taste your glass of very good rose’ wines.
From here you go down the street always walking and take again the bus at stop 10, direction Ostend city center at stop 13 if you would like to do some shopping in the local shops, note there is the local market on Saturday!
When you are done with shopping direction Oneroa Village at stop 15, the very beautiful city center of the island where I suggest to have our late lunch with the best fish & ships at The Local, a very local and small place making the best fish & ship I’ve ever had anywhere, you can enjoy it also by bringing it on the Oneroa beach.
At this point we are already late afternoon, so before leaving the island we deserve one last shot of wine at Cable Bay Vineyard at stop 17, from here you can enjoy a beautiful view of the bay from the very high position this vineyard is having.
Take all your time here to relax and think at your beautiful island trip before come back to the Matiatia Ferry Terminal which is just the next stop, eventually you can also walk down there enjoying the island insight, and take the last ferry back to Auckland.
This island is so peaceful and trust me you will leave it with a so relaxing mood, willing to go back … and not because you are drunk of wines :-)!
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