Catching the ferry from Auckland to Waiheke Island proved to be a bit more difficult than we had first imagined. They have ferries that leave on the hour and have a capacity of about 250 people. Unfortunately, there were over 400 people waiting expectantly in one of those annoying TSA snake lines at 10, 11, and again at 12, only to be turned away. We had booked the Waiheke Island: Ferry & Hop-On Hop-Off Explorer Bus Tour for $54 per person, but it was first-come, first-served, and didn’t look like we would ever get on board.
Finally, we made it onto the one o’clock ferry. The ship was packed, but we managed to find a place to stand against the back railing on the upper deck and enjoyed the spectacular views along the magnificent Hauraki Gulf.
It was yet another warm and sunny day, and we were cruising down the Rangitoto Channel past the Bean Rock Lighthouse, guarding the Auckland Harbour like a stubby white sentry. We motored between three fairly large, furry-looking, green grass islands (Rangitoto, Mototapu, and Motuihe) bordered by formidable chalky cliffs. There were a few solitary houses in the small, rocky harbors on the lee sides of the islands, and the velvety, rolling plateaus atop each island resembled Scottish links-style golf courses.
I asked our Ferry Captain if they were abandoned, and he said, “Yes, for the most part. They are pastoral islands owned by the government and open to the public. The old homesteads have reverted to government ownership over time, and there are no plans to develop the islands.”
So, here’s the thing: there are a gobs of islands around New Zealand’s banger coast, and getting services out to them would be extremely hard unless you were Jeff Bezos. And trust me, the American oligarchs like tech wizard Peter Thiel and movie director James Cameron already have well-stocked and fortified island compounds scattered around New Zealand, just like those nasty James Bond villains . That’s where they all will go when they collectively destroy the Earth.
It took about forty minutes to travel the 13 miles to the Waiheke Ferry Terminal in Matiatia Bay, where the water was the brightest turquoise I have ever seen. It seemed totally photoshopped, or maybe dyed. It didn’t look real.
Waiheke Island is the second-largest island (after Great Barrier Island) in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand.
Waiheke is the most populated island in the gulf, with 9,100 permanent residents (most of whom commute by ferry to work in Auckland), and the third most populous island in New Zealand (behind the two main North and South islands). An additional estimated 3,400 people have second homes or holiday homes on the island. And it is a major touron destination in the summer. So, Waiheke rocks!
The island has a chill Caribbean feel with a sprinkling of upscale Martha’s Vineyard thrown in for good measure. It has a funky mix of tasteful, single-story mansions in muted greys and browns and cozy, tiny boxes of all shapes and sizes, many of which have small additions with minds of their own.
The island is known for its many famous wineries. Our Hop-On Hop-Off bus stopped at all twelve, starting with the Tuscany-like Mudbrick, then Cable Bay which overlooks the Hauraki Gulf, the Goldie Estate where the first island vineyard began and which now hosts the University of Auckland’s Wine Science Center, the only organic winery nestled amongst 300-year-old pohutukawa trees at the Kennedy Point Vineyard, and then I lost track. Most of the bus patrons seemed to be hitting every winery and having a ball. We weren’t interested. We aren’t winners.
There are three cute towns on the island. Oneroa, the largest and hippest, is on the west end near the ferry terminal. Ostend is in the middle, and that’s where you will find the island’s largest grocery store (Woolworths), industrial businesses, and storage yards, including the garbage and recycling centers. All the human waste (non-sewage) on the island—literally everything—gets shipped back to Auckland. They do not burn or bury their garbage. Onetangi is a small village on the east end of the island and is home to the longest beach, which is a mile long and has a nudist section tucked away from the road.
Inna and I got off at Onetangi and spent about two hours swimming and beach combing. The water was about 72 degrees and the saltiest I have ever swum in. It burned my eyes and left a salty film on my body when I dried off.
It was after four when we came off the beach and hopped back on the heavenly bus. We were tired, so we didn’t hike around Whakanewha Regional Park, the Museum of Waiheke, or the Waiheke Community Art Gallery. Hell, they even had a public golf course that looked pretty interesting. But we were totally beat.
When the bus arrived back in Oneroa, we ate an early dinner at The Oyster, featuring natural oysters farmed on the north end of the island in the Hauraki Gulf.
We chatted with a friendly family from San Francisco with three small kids. They had gotten stranded on Waiheke during Covid in 2020, and ended up falling in love with the place. They were back for Round 2. Their kids were enrolled in the local school. New Zealand will only allow them to stay for 290 days, and that’s exactly how many days they plan to stick around.
After dinner, we walked the mile-long path back to the ferry terminal and caught the 7 PM ferry back to Auckland as the sunset lit the Harbour in a golden cathedral light.
It had been a weird day. We had covered a lot of ground and stood in lines, but we hadn’t done that much, and were really tired. Some days are like that when you’re traveling in a foreign land.
mki0jd