New South Wales
Northern Territory
Queensland
South Australia
Tasmania
Victoria
Western Australia
North Island
South Island

Waiheke Island Weekend - Around Waiheke Tours

admin
March 15, 2015

One of the best features of Auckland is just how easy it is to get out of the city to stunning natural surroundings, and possibly the easiest place to get to is beautiful Waiheke Island.  It's a journey well worth making for tourists and city dwellers alike.  The island is just a short 35 minute ferry ride from Auckland City.  Experience the views of the city and the harbour, with all of its sailboats and water sport enthusiasts, from the ferry as you leave it all behind.

Waiheke is home to over two dozen vineyards, amazing beaches, and the very small town centre of Oneroa.  It's an ideal setting to get to know some New Zealand wines.  We started our weekend with a half day wine tour with Around Waiheke Tours.

Barrels at Batch_Fotor

First let me say, it's essential to plan your day(s) of winetasting prior to arriving.  We came across dozens of bewildered tourists who had arrived on our ferry or others over the weekend who expected to just walk around this “small” island from winery to winery.  Later we would see them sitting on the side of the road in nearly the same place we left them, having made it to the nearest winery and no further.

Around-waiheke-bus-tour

Around Waiheke tours will pick you up from the ferry or the Oneroa town centre and the rest is taken care of from there.  Our tour guide, Simon, picked us up at 11am fresh off the ferry, eager to see the island and taste some wines.  Simon was very knowledgeable about Waiheke, ready for any questions, and an entertaining guide.  He first took us up to a lookout over Palm Beach and Little Palm Beach (more on that later) with views of the Coromandel Peninsula to the East.  Then it was on to our first winery, which also happened to be a brewery (by the way, Around Waiheke Tours also has a brewery tour!).  Wild on Waiheke was a great place to start!  W.o.W. is home to Top Knot Wines, Waiheke Island Brewery, as well as lots of other activities, such as archery and a giant chess board.  There we tasted a chardonnay, two beers, and a delicious ginger beer (actually I paid $4 to add a taste of local rum and make that a Dark 'n' Stormy), and some other locally made food products.  All of the typical tasting fees are taken care of with Around Waiheke Tours, adding to the value of booking a tour, but you can ask to taste more when available.  Here I, and 3 others from our tour, also dared to try the “Drunken Oyster,” an oyster in dark beer; strange but still tasty.

With our palates whetted and thirsty for more wine, it was a short drive to Te Motu Vineyards, where we sampled four of the Dunleavy label's wines, learned more about the history and process of winemaking on Waiheke and across New Zealand, and had a quick walk around.  Finally, it was on to our third and final winery, the newest on Waiheke, Batch.  While the Around Waiheke Wine Tour has a repertoire of approximately seven rotating wineries, Batch is a crowd favourite, and is always a stop on the tour, and it's easy to see why.  Here we tasted four more delicious wines, saw the inner workings of the winery, and finished the experience off perfectly with a glass of bubbly on the grass overlooking a view of the city in the distance.  It's times like this when the value of getting away from it all, if only for a weekend, hits you.  That city, your daily life, and its troubles seem so small and so far away.  This is what it means to be on vacation.

Learning the Magic at Batch_Fotor

Upon being dropped off back in town a little after 2pm, we stopped into Waiheke Wine Centre for a little more wine tasting, before heading off to the beach.  Beaches on Waiheke island are world class. Oneroa beach is just a ten minute stroll out of the town center, so very convenient.  I would also recommend Onetangi Beach, an expansive white sand beach fully equipped with bbq's.  Or if you have a little exhibitionist in you, head over to Little Palm Beach, the popular clothing optional beach.

tasting-at-batch_Fotor

There are lots of accommodation options on the island, and it's definitely worth staying at least one night.  The island also has excellent choices for food, from fish and chips on the beach to more upscale options at the wineries.  Check out Dragonfired Pizzas on Little Oneroa Beach; Island Gelato Company; The Cove, a cute place with an oceanic atmosphere and lots of local beer and wine, and great eats; and Wai Kitchen, with more stunning ocean views and quite possibly the best brunch I've had in New Zealand.  Another Winery worth a visit is Goldie, the oldest on Waiheke, which has recently been gifted to the University of Auckland.  Goldie has a great selection of wines and yet another wonderful hill on which to enjoy them.

Waiheke Island is not to be missed when visiting Auckland, and even if you live here, it's the perfect place to take a mini vacation.  Around Auckland Tours was the perfect start to our trip, and I definitely recommend doing a tour with them, especially if you don't have a lot of time to waste.

AUTHOR PROFILE
admin

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

For the 12 deals of Christmas my travel bud gave to me...

Your ULTIMATE Christmas gift guide for those who (literally) deserve the world.

The True Franz Josef Experience

Good Morning Franz Josef 9:15 am and I wake up because my alarm is going off… did I have a good sleep! I’ll need my energy today for sure because we’re going onto the glacier with Franz Josef Glacier Guides to do the “Ice Experience tour.” So excited to go onto the Glacier. We were […]

What is the Best Way to Travel Around New Zealand?

New Zealand looks small on the map, but it is actually a large country with lots to explore.  There are lots of different ways to get around the country’s two islands. The best option for you will depend upon a variety of factors including how much time you have, who you are travelling with, what […]

5 Crazy Facts about New Zealand

Think you know New Zealand? Think again! Here are 5 crazy facts about the country that will definitely surprise you! 1. Christchurch used to have a local wizard! There's no denying New Zealand is a magical place, and that's not just because it was the set of Lord of the Rings! In 1982, Christchurch actually […]

Top 10 Destinations for Solo Travelers

There are many destinations that are great to visit with others, whether it be family, friends or a partner. But that doesn’t mean that a solo trip needs to be an inferior experience. Solo travel is great for all sorts of reasons, and it’s even better when you’re visiting places that cater to lone rangers. […]

What makes Milford Sound so special?

The Milford Sound Cruise offered by Jucy Cruises proved to be an exceptional sightseeing experience in one of the most beautiful places in not only New Zealand, but in all the world. In fact, Milford Sound has been considered a number of times, as the 'Eighth Wonder of the World'. Milford Sound Though the waterway […]

Social Media

Accepted Payments

Members of

chevron-down