Unwind on Waiheke Island

So you've just touched down in Auckland and you're in the city for a couple of days before you and your backpack take off on your adventures around New Zealand.

If you're looking for a quick getaway from the big smoke, make sure you jump on the ferry and check out Waiheke Island, which is a an amazing place to chill out and unwind and recharge your batteries.

Once you arrive on Waiheke Island, you'll forget that you're just 35 minutes away from downtown Auckland. Just hop on a Fuller's Ferry from Quay Street in the city and you'll soon be amongst Waiheke's stunning white and golden sand beaches, lush subtropical forest and vineyards, which are dotted around the island.

If you're craving the warmth, you'll be pleased to know the climate is generally warmer than Auckland with less humidity and rain and more sunshine, which can't be a bad thing eh?

The island is a fantastic place to spend a day, a weekend or even longer, as you can fit in as little or as much as you like during your stay. If you love the outdoors, there are heaps of walking tracks, places to go mountain biking and sea kayaking. Or if you'd rather potter around, there are lots of cafes, beach shops and art galleries to browse.

One of the best ways to see the island is by hopping on a sightseeing bus with Waiheke Island Adventures. They offer scenic tours, wine tasting tours and visits to artists’ workshops and olive oil producers.

Wine Tasting

I opted to do a wine tasting tour as Waiheke is quite well-known for its vineyards and I was keen to find out more about it. Waiheke is known for its high quality red wines based on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc grape varieties. White wines are also ready to be sampled. There are 18 vineyards on the island, and the tour is a great way to sample a few of them.

As soon as I stepped off the ferry onto Waiheke Island, I was met by Rochelle, the friendly driver from Waiheke Island Adventures, who was our tour guide for the day. We set off around the island and Rochelle pointed out sights along the way, as well as facts and some of the history of the island. She had grown up there so she knew a thing or two and was more than happy to share her knowledge.

We also had amazing views across the Hauraki Gulf as we drove around the island, and we stopped to take in the view over Matiatia where we arrived on the ferry just earlier. Rochelle also pointed out some of the island's hottest properties, and she even had some insider information about how much some of them were worth. And they weren't cheap, let me tell you!

We stopped off at three (or was it four?) vineyards along the way. Ha, ha, only joking, I didn't drink that much that I stopped counting, honest! Mudbrick and Cable Bay vineyards were the first stops on our trip, where we stopped for tastings of several different whites and reds.

It was important to remember to swill the wine around the glass first to get the full effect of the 'bouquet' or the aroma, so we were told. So there we were, swilling the wine around, trying our best to look like pros. We started off on the whites and worked our way through to the full-bodied reds, making sure we had a swill of water along the way to keep our tastebuds fresh for the next glass of vino.

And it went down a treat. In such stunning surroundings, the scenery and the wine were a great combination. Especially when the sun was shining down, it was a great way to cool down and savour the moment. Several vineyards have their own restaurants so you can also have a bite to eat if you get the munchies after too much wine.

We also checked out Wild on Waiheke, where you can also sample local beers from the microbrewery and taste some locally-produced chutneys, preserves and olive oils. You can try your luck at archery, laser-claybird shooting or try the Great Escape Team Challenge if you're up to it.

Rochelle was a great tour guide, as we had the chance to stay as long as we liked at each vineyard, and she came and picked us up when we were done.
All up, it was a brilliant way to see some of Waiheke's vineyards, as well as get a glimpse of life on the island from a true local. But Waiheke isn't all about the wine tasting. The scenery is outstanding.

Beaches and Walks

Waiheke has heaps of gorgeous beaches to chill out on, go for a walk or take a dip. The top beaches are on Waiheke's north coast, Oneroa, Little Oneroa, Palm Beach and Onetangi Beach, so make sure you check them out.

There are lots of coastal walks where you will get stunning views of the surrounding islands in the Hauraki Gulf, as well as the Coromandel and Waiheke's rocky foreshores. Just pick up a brochure with maps of island walks from the ferry terminal when you arrive at Matiatia.

Waiheke's Coastal Walkway has great views across the coastal waters. You might even be lucky enough to see whales, sea turtles or dolphins, so keep your eyes peeled!

You can also check out a dotterel (local bird) sanctuary at Whakanewha Regional Park, on the south side of the island. There are heaps of bush walks here and camping facilities if you want to stay the night. There's also a tranquil beach for safe swimming, plenty of picnic spots and a historic Maori pa site.

And don't forget to visit the Stony Batter Reserve and explore the tunnels and historic gun battery on the east end of the island. Stony Batter is one of the great walks on Waiheke, with close-up sea views across to the Coromandel Peninsular and outer gulf islands. You can explore a restored network of tunnels by flashlight, which you can get from Stony Batter Preservation Society volunteers, who also do optional tours.

Art

Waiheke is also well-known for its art, and there are lots of art galleries and studios dotted around the island which are open to the public. There is a Waiheke Arts Trail leaflet available, which you can also pick up from the ferry terminal.

There are more than 100 artists living on the island, working in a variety of contemporary media. Look out for the many sculptures which are scattered around the island.

Other attractions include Whittakers Music Museum, which houses a collection of antique working musical instruments, including New Zealand's oldest Steinway piano. There's also the Waiheke Island Historic Village, where you can wander through the Woolshed Museum and cottages to see how life used to be on the island.

If you're a fan of markets, check out the Ostend Market, which runs every Saturday in Belgium Street from 8.30am until 12.30pm. It has a range of arts and crafts, clothing, jewellery, fresh produce, homemade food and preserves, secondhand goods, books, you name it, it's probably there!

　
FACTFILE 

• Waiheke Island measures 19.3 kilometres from east to west and is 0.64 kilometres to 9.65 kilometres wide, with a total area of 92 square kilometres.
• It is the second largest of the Hauraki Gulf islands, and the coastline stretches for 133.5 kilometres including 40km of beaches. It is the most populated and most accessible, with regular ferry and air services.
• The port of Matiatia at the western end of the island is 17.7km from Auckland and the eastern end is 21.4km from the Coromandel.
• Waiheke Island Adventures do scenic tours, wine tasting tours and art/olive oil tours, as well as rental cars and scooter hire if you want to explore the island under your own steam. For more information contact Jamie on 0800 372 9777 or 021 257 1077, email: jamie@waihekeislandadventures.com or visit www.waihekeislandadventures.com
• Fullers operate a regular ferry service to Waiheke Island, which runs hourly from 5.20am to 11.45am. A return trip costs $32, although sometimes it's cheaper to book online. The ferries leave from Pier 2 at the Ferry Building in Quay Street, downtown Auckland. Contact 09 367 9111 or 0800 FULLERS or visit www.fullers.co.nz
• Fullers also operate a Vineyard Hopper bus which will take you to Cable Bay, Mudbrick, Jurassic Ridge, Goldwater Estate and Kennedy Point vineyards. One way fares are $4, or an all-day Vineyard Hopper pass is $20.
• Bus services meet all Auckland ferries and return to all Auckland departures. Timetables and fares for all island bus services can be found on the Fullers website.
• Rachel stayed at Hekerua Lodge Backpackers at 11 Hekerua Road, Oneroa. It's a really handy location, as it's just a short eight minute walk to the amazing beaches or 15 minutes to Oneroa village for shops and cafes. The hostel is surrounded by native bush, and you can chill out, soak up the sun, swim in the rock pool or relax in the spa. There are singles, doubles and dorm rooms available. Tel: 09 372 8990, email: hekerua@ihug.co.nz or visit www.hekerualodge.co.nz

Written by Rachel Pinder, 2010