Waiheke Island - Guide for Backpackers© ATEED
Waiheke Island - Guide for Backpackers

Waiheke Island – Guide for Backpackers

© ATEED

Wine Sipping and Windsurfing in Waiheke

Drink wine, explore, lazy on the beach, kayak, zipline through trees, drink more wine… Waiheke Island is a paradise for Aucklanders and backpackers alike. Whether you want to relax on the island or take on some challenging walks, watersports or bike rides, Waiheke is a popular escape from the hustle and bustle of Auckland city.

The hot dry summers and ideal soil conditions have put Waiheke on the map as a top wine-making region. So it would almost be a terrible crime to not try some of its local produce. Another crime would be to not explore this beautiful island by something a little different. Hire a bike/car/scooter for the day and see what you discover. Even enjoy Waiheke’s coast from the water by hiring a kayak or a windsurf board.

Things You Can’t Miss on Waiheke Island

  • Getting there is a good start. So read about getting to Waiheke
  • Discover the cool ways of getting around the island
  • Be wowed by the coastal scenery while hiking
  • Do something adventurous like a ziplining tour, mountain biking, paddle boarding, etc
  • Go underground at the Stony Batter Gun Emplacements.

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How to Get to Waiheke Island

Take the ferry. Simple. Waiheke Island’s Matiatia Bay is just a 35-minute ferry ride from the downtown Auckland Ferry terminal. With the ferries running regularly throughout the day from 5.35am to 11.45pm on weekdays (times slightly vary on weekends and public holidays), you can relax as you tend to not to need to rush for the ferry.

You can also take your car to Waiheke by car ferry, but it is cheaper to rent a car for the day on Waiheke.

If your budget has no bounds, take a scenic flight over the islands of the Hauraki Gulf and land at Waiheke.

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Getting Around Waiheke Island

The different methods of travelling around the island are half the fun, depending on fitness level. Many people coming here hire a bike to do some beach or vineyard hopping on the west half of the island as part of their day trip. Because of the hills, cyclists have to tackle, there is also the option to hire an electric bike. For those not venturing too far from the ferry terminal, there are a few walking tracks nearby, sea kayaking tours and a 20-minute walk to the main town, Oneroa.

Hire a car or scooter to get around Waiheke quickly without breaking a sweat. Alternatively, you can take the bus which is very affordable and runs often. However, this gets very busy through spring and summer.

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Go for a Walk on Waiheke Island

Outstanding views from coastal beaches to inland’s vineyards and small towns await for those wishing to hike on Waiheke Island. Here a few walks worth checking out while on Waiheke Island…

Waiheke Island Walks

Close to the ferry terminal:

  • Northern Walk (Matiatia, Owhanake and Oneroa). Do this walk if you don’t have much time on the island. It takes in the Hauraki Gulf and inland to Oneroa. The walk is a 2-hour loop.
  • Southern Walk (Matiatia, Church Bay, and Oneroad). This 2-hour walk brings you across areas revegetated to attract birds and other wildlife.
  • Oneroa, Blackpool walkway. This is a 2-hour coastal walk also going through the town of Oneroa. Oneroa Beach and Little Oneroa Beach are safe to swim.

Further Afield:

  • Hekerua and Palm Beach. See every type of beach you care to think of: shingle, rocky pools, coastal outcrop, etc. Then bring it to the finale of the popular white sand beach, Palm Beach. Here, you can hire a kayak, use the BBQ facilities, swim and eat the “cheap as chips” fish n’ chips. The walk takes about 2 hours to complete (like the rest of the walks).
  • Rocky Bay. Again, 2 hours is needed for this walk. Discover the southern Kuakarau and Omiha bays. You can see Maori archaeological sites and walk through the Whakanewha Regional Park.
  • Rock Bay Te Whau loop. Extend your Rocky Bay walk another 2 hours. This is one of the more secluded walks through coastal forest and vineyards. The views capture Rocky Bay, Te Whau Point, inland Waiheke and even out to Auckland.
  • Onetangi. For once, a walk that just takes 1 hour! If you like long walks on the beach, then you’ll cry with happiness at the length of Onetangi Beach. Taking walkers to higher land on small reserves, the walk has views out to Great Barrier and Little Barrier islands.
  • Cross Island Walkway. Fancy a 4-hour challenge? Hike from Onetangi Beach to Rocky Bay. Somewhere in between, you’ll discover an old forest including kauri trees, awesome views and waterfalls.

Find out more in the 7 Wonderful Walks on Waiheke Island.

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Waiheke Island Wineries

We can’t write a Waiheke Island guide without mentioning the wineries. Waiheke Island is a foodie-lovers and wine connoisseurs paradise with more than 20 wineries and vineyards scattered around the island.

Cellar doors are open seasonally on the island but you will need some form of transport to get to them (or hire a bike). Alternatively, there are plenty of wine tours on the island taking you to some of the highlights all while being your designated driver so you can have all the tastings you like. Beer drinkers, head to the Waiheke Island Brewery at 82 Onetangi Road.

Learn more about the wineries in the 21 Vineyards & Wineries on Waiheke Island.

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Adventure Activities

It’s not just about lazying on the beach and drinking wine in Waiheke. The island holds plenty of outdoor activities for adventurous types. It’s best to book activities before you arrive on the island.

On the water, you can hire a kayak, go kayak fishing, or go on a kayaking tour to private beaches, caves and rock channels. Learn how to windsurf. Try paddleboarding, a popular New Zealand activity. Be a big kid on a water trampoline.

On dry land, zip through the trees on flying foxes with Ecozip Adventures (more info on Viator and Tripadvisor). Fly down a hill with Waiheke Mountain Bike Club at Onetangi Sports Park. Shoot some stuff with an air rifle, a bow and arrow, or a horse shot at Target Challenge in Matiatia. Get involved in a multi-activity day in a vineyard at Wild on Waiheke: archery, laser clay-pigeon shooting, and wine and beer tasting. Finally, ride a movie star… by movie star we mean horses that starred in The Hobbit and The Last Samurai. Waiheke Horse Tours takes you on horse treks from Te Makutu Bay.

Check out more in the 9 Glorious Things to Do on Waiheke Island.

Waiheke Island - Guide for Backpackers© ATEED

Stony Batter Gun Emplacements

Over yonder on the east side of Waiheke Island is a fascinating place to visit for both the natural rock outcrops that are dotted across the countryside and the manmade gun emplacements. The Stony Batter World War 2 defences consist of three huge gun pits and a network of underground tunnels. A torch is essential to navigating the tunnels, which you can hire from the Stony Batter Preservation Society. Admission is NZ$8 per person, cash only. Otherwise, you can book guided tours of the tunnels at NZ$15 per person.

As Stony Batter is 40 minutes from the ferry terminal, it’s best to take the shuttle service, go by car or scooter. The car park for Stony Batter is 10-20 walk away from the reserve.

The views themselves are pretty spectacular, looking out towards the Coromandel and other Hauraki Gulf islands. Make a walk out of your visit by taking the 1h40min return walks Stony Batter to Hooks Bay and/or Stony Batter to Opopo Bay.

If You Have More Time on Waiheke Island…

  • Sit amongst artistic sculptures at Alison Park, Oneroa
  • Include the above activity into the Oneroa Art Trail, which visits The Red Shed Art Gallery, Tuatara Art Gallery, Toi Gallery and Waiheke Community Art Gallery
  • Your visit may coincide with a festival, such as Waiheke Winter Arts Festival (Queen’s Birthday weekend), Local Wild Food Challenge (October), Island of Burlesque Festival (Labour weekend), Waiheke Christmas Festival (December), Shakespeare Festival (February), Waiheke Vintage Festival (March), and more! Check out more events at Top New Zealand Events in 2021
  • Play frisbee golf at Onetangi Sports Park
  • Do yoga in a yurt with “Youga”, Palm Beach
  • Have a couple of drinks in the bars lining the streets of Oneroa.

Sources:

The information in this guide has been compiled from our extensive research, travel and experiences across New Zealand and the South Pacific, accumulated over more than a decade of numerous visits to each destination. Additional sources for this guide include the following:

Our editorial standards: At NZ Pocket Guide, we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure accurate and quality content.

About The Author

Laura S.

This article has been reviewed and published by Laura, the editor-in-chief and co-founder of NZ Pocket Guide. Laura is a first-class honours journalism graduate and a travel journalist with expertise in New Zealand and South Pacific tourism for over 10 years. She also runs travel guides for five of the top destinations in the South Pacific and is the co-host of over 250 episodes of the NZ Travel Show on YouTube.

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