Waiheke Island Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Apr)

Visiting Gu Cheng - The Illusions and Dreams of Waiheke Island, New Zealand

Anyone from China who has been to New Zealand and has the idea of exploring Waiheke Island, has probably read the poetry of Gu Cheng . In the 1990s, Gu Cheng was employed to teach at the University of Auckland, and thus he and Xie Ye made their home on Waiheke Island. As the largest island in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf, the Maori name for Waiheke, 'Waiheka', means 'cascading waters' . It is not only a favorite holiday destination for New Zealanders but has also been repeatedly ranked by 'Lonely Planet' and others as one of the world's most worthy islands to visit . Today, Gu Cheng's former residence is covered with ivy, and a stone statue silently guards outside the house, watching the comings and goings of Chinese tourists. Apart from Gu Cheng's former home, Waiheke Island is famous for its fine wines—it is also known as New Zealand's 'Wine Country'. When you come to Waiheke Island, don't forget to visit a few vineyards, and amidst the farms, forests, and beaches, take a sip of Bordeaux-style wine, savoring the years and dreams washed by the rapids.

ONEROA beach leads directly to the ocean view avenue, Riptide Island, Auckland

Tour Riptide Island, also known as Waiheke Island. When visiting the beaches, remember the two O's, ONETANGI beach and ONEROA beach, which are the main beaches. If you have plenty of time, or if you are staying on the island, there are also PALM BEACH, OSTEND BAY, etc. You can reach there by taking bus 50A and 50B from ONETANGI beach. As it approaches noon, more tourists are coming. Small families spread blankets on the beach, bring food for a picnic, couples sunbathe without fear of sunburn, dog walkers throw toys into the sea, and dogs swim quickly to fetch them. There are electric grills on the beach, which seem to be operated, and the smell of barbecue comes from time to time. The beach is very clean, without garbage, and there are classified trash cans far away. There are no snack bars, and toilets are not many. ONEROA beach has several exits leading directly to the ocean view avenue (OCEAN VIEW), don't miss it. There are many ocean view restaurants and cafes on that street. Decorative specialty small shops, you can also pick up some souvenirs. There are 50A and 50B on the ocean view avenue to return to the pier to return to Auckland.

WILD ESTATE Winery Waiheke Island Auckland

Waiheke Island, also known as Waiheke Island, is an island 40 minutes away from Auckland by ferry, with an area of 96 square kilometers and a permanent population of less than 10,000. From early morning, there are ferries to and from Auckland and other piers to Waiheke Island. On holidays, tourists waiting to board the ship line up. Waiheke Island has a long coastline, wide sea water is as clear as emerald, ancient forests, cliffs and reefs, primitive natural scenery, is a resort for people to enjoy the sun, beach and waves. The hot and dry summer on the island and the stony soil provide ideal conditions for grape growth, and vineyards can be seen everywhere on the hillside. Some of New Zealand's top quality red wines come from Waiheke Island. Visiting wineries is an important project on the island. Buses and island tour buses have stations near WILD ESTATE Winery. WILD ESTATE Winery is very large, in addition to vineyards, there are restaurants, wine tasting rooms, children's playgrounds, and activities such as shooting, archery, and ground chess. The grapevines in the large vineyard are not high, with rows of rows spaced more than one meter apart, with strings of green grapes. The grapes are not big and are specifically used for winemaking. Tourists can stay in the winery for a whole day. When it gets cold, the winery also has blankets to cover. According to the introduction, this is a family heritage winery, committed to the rural original jungle environment and experience. This winery is marked on the Waiheke Island tourist map, and there are several famous wineries around, but you have to climb the slope and walk. We had lunch there, ate special salad and pizza, the quantity was large, and the price was similar to that in the city.

Waiheke Island, also known as Torrent Island, is famous for its poet Gu Cheng who lived here. Of course, in addition to Gu Cheng, it is also famous as a winery. There are many wineries on the island and the scenery is not bad. You can choose a few wineries to taste wine, usually 10-15 knives can taste four kinds of wine, cost-effective. The sommelier will also introduce you to some knowledge and explain the taste of each wine. In addition to wine tasting, we also booked Mudbrick's winery lunch, the winery atmosphere is very good, known as "one of the most romantic places on the planet", it is said that the wedding is scheduled to be booked one year in advance, when the weather is good, the sunset The afterglow is accompanied by a breeze, and the beauty of Haolaji Bay is unobstructed.

Wine tasting at WILD ESTATE Winery, Waiheke Island, Auckland

When traveling in New Zealand, a visit to Waiheke Island is a must. In addition to beach activities, another important activity is visiting wineries and wine tasting. Due to the unique natural environment and traditions of Waiheke Island, vineyards are common. In summer, bunches of green grapes are attractive, which are special grape varieties for winemaking, with a sour taste. You can order wine at restaurants, and wine lovers can enjoy wine at wineries, which is comfortable and tasteful. The tasting room of WILD ESTATE winery is large and quiet. There are sofa seats, and also high chairs around large wine barrels. The table of the wine taster is filled with many wine glasses and wine reviews. You can order wine by name, such as a certain brand of a certain era, or arrange various packages. The mini package is 20 New Zealand dollars, tasting 4 kinds of special wines, and you can also ask the store to recommend according to your requirements. It is said that some wine experts or enthusiasts sit for half a day and are happy. Those who can't drink wine can also enjoy various beers. Wine tasting is about tasting carefully and purely feeling the aroma of wine. Chinese people like to have snacks with wine, which need to be purchased separately. Tourists summarize the three B views of New Zealanders (Beach, Boat, Barbeque) and local friends add one more Booze. New Zealand's wines are good and cheap, and many families can't do without wine for dinner. The tourist map of Waiheke Island marks famous wineries for reference. Wine connoisseurs can do their homework in advance before tasting wine to enjoy the wonderful enjoyment.

WILD ESTATE Winery Waiheke Island Auckland

Waiheke Island, also known as Waiheke Island, is an island 40 minutes away from Auckland by ferry, with an area of 96 square kilometers and a permanent population of less than 10,000. From early morning, there are ferries to and from Auckland and other piers to Waiheke Island. On holidays, tourists waiting to board the ship line up. Waiheke Island has a long coastline, wide sea water is as clear as emerald, ancient forests, cliffs and reefs, primitive natural scenery, is a resort for people to enjoy the sun, beach and waves. The hot and dry summer on the island and the stony soil provide ideal conditions for grape growth, and vineyards can be seen everywhere on the hillside. Some of New Zealand's top quality red wines come from Waiheke Island. Visiting wineries is an important project on the island. Buses and island tour buses have stations near WILD ESTATE Winery. WILD ESTATE Winery is very large, in addition to vineyards, there are restaurants, wine tasting rooms, children's playgrounds, and activities such as shooting, archery, and ground chess. The grapevines in the large vineyard are not high, with rows of rows spaced more than one meter apart, with strings of green grapes. The grapes are not big and are specifically used for winemaking. Tourists can stay in the winery for a whole day. When it gets cold, the winery also has blankets to cover. According to the introduction, this is a family heritage winery, committed to the rural original jungle environment and experience. This winery is marked on the Waiheke Island tourist map, and there are several famous wineries around, but you have to climb the slope and walk. We had lunch there, ate special salad and pizza, the quantity was large, and the price was similar to that in the city.

Stunning vineyard in Waiheke Island

#wecreate To actually found a stunning places like this is really like found a hidden gem. It’s called stonyridge vineyard located at Waiheke Island. Going here is so easy with local bus you can buy the tiket at the ferry station and each time you enter the busy are about 1.5NZD. About the vineyard, even though it wasn’t in season, but the view are still stunning, the restaurant itself are covered with vines and looks classic,it has two parts of the restaurant which is inside and outside (are bars) but outside wasn’t open by the time I was there as probably because of the rain. Other than the restaurant, they also allow you to have wine tasting over there.

#Restaurant 5 star experience, the food is exceptional. The location is amazing, take a ferry ride over from Auckland, 40mins, you arrive on Waiheke Island, there in the middle of the island is StonyRidge Vineyard, the food is incredible, the service fantastic, I truly had a incredible dining and wine tasting experience, I would definitely recommend to put this on your list for New Zealand experiences.

lovely wine with blue cheese

ONEROA beach leads directly to the ocean view avenue, Riptide Island, Auckland

Tour Riptide Island, also known as Waiheke Island. When visiting the beaches, remember the two O's, ONETANGI beach and ONEROA beach, which are the main beaches. If you have plenty of time, or if you are staying on the island, there are also PALM BEACH, OSTEND BAY, etc. You can reach there by taking bus 50A and 50B from ONETANGI beach. As it approaches noon, more tourists are coming. Small families spread blankets on the beach, bring food for a picnic, couples sunbathe without fear of sunburn, dog walkers throw toys into the sea, and dogs swim quickly to fetch them. There are electric grills on the beach, which seem to be operated, and the smell of barbecue comes from time to time. The beach is very clean, without garbage, and there are classified trash cans far away. There are no snack bars, and toilets are not many. ONEROA beach has several exits leading directly to the ocean view avenue (OCEAN VIEW), don't miss it. There are many ocean view restaurants and cafes on that street. Decorative specialty small shops, you can also pick up some souvenirs. There are 50A and 50B on the ocean view avenue to return to the pier to return to Auckland.