Waiheke, island of fantasies
- Dean Lobo
- Jan 16, 2015
- 5 min read
Among the many tiny islands in the turquoise waters off the coast of Auckland, New Zealand is Waiheke, a jewel in the crown of Hauraki Gulf
“Islands in the stream, that is what we are
No one in between, how can we be wrong
Sail away with me, to another world…”
~ ‘Islands in the Stream’ (Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers)
I’ve grown to love this song a lot these days for the plain reason that it plays rather often on Coast, Auckland’s retro pop radio station. And my all of a sudden love affair with Waiheke deserves no better description than its lyrics!
Among the many tiny islands that sit pretty in the turquoise waters of Aotearoa, off the coast of Auckland is Waiheke, a jewel in the crown of Hauraki Gulf. Māori for “cascading waters”; Waiheke is a true treasure island that has something unique to offer everyone who visits. So a trip here must surely be on the list of things to do should you plan a holiday to Kiwi Land.
Getting there: The easiest way is to walk down to the ferry Building off Queen Street, downtown Auckland and board Quickcat, the passenger ferry system run by Fullers. Started way back in 1989, this service continues to be a great way to get to islands on the other side. It usually costs around $20 per person by ferry one way which could be a rather expensive affair.
A good thing to do is find out the specials on offer for the day. We got a pretty good deal; a round trip by ferry plus a tour at Waiheke plus an all-day bus pass on the island, all in $55 per person.
The trip by ferry is a fascinating experience! The moist sea breeze gently hitting against your face leaving you feeling rejuvenated, and the seagulls gliding beside the boat giving it competition, the view of Auckland’s cityscape getting dwarfed as you sail away from its shores gradually into the arms of the ocean; all these paint a magical picture!
At Waiheke: As the ferry sails into the arms of Waiheke, you are welcomed by the visual treat of countless yachts sitting pretty on the waters near the shore, probably belonging to the people owning holiday homes on the island. On docking at Matiatia, board the tour bus and set out on your journey of discovery.
The first beautiful sight that one comes to is Alison Park, a path running though Oneroa’s garden park. The cherry on the cake would be the large and beautiful sculptures that overlook the Blackpool valley. These have featured in past ‘Headland Sculpture of the Gulf’ exhibitions and now stand to tell stories of the past. This biennially held 21 day event, serving as a wonderland of outdoor sculptures along the coast is indeed Waiheke’s warm welcome to visitors who have travelled from far in search of her beauty and wish to set out on a culturally rich experience!
A five minute drive down Ocean View Road leads you to the heart of the island, the gate to Oneroa.
Be sure to get off the bus here and pay a visit to the Waiheke Community Art Gallery that features a repertoire of creative work coming out of New Zealand and its surrounds. Not far away is the Whittaker’s Music Museum (that got my excitement running in fifth gear!). This museum is the go-to place to marvel at antique instruments in a wonderful working condition and soak in rich history. The museum volunteers are very welcoming and will be more than happy to treat you to an impromptu recital, but that’s usually at a given time or to a larger group.
Waiheke being home to a population of 8000 has its own hospital, community centre, school and home Rugby league. Fancy owning a home on this island? Then make sure you have at least a million dollars stocked up in your account, as that is the cost of some true lifestyle living here, specially if you prefer a sea-facing house!
The tour guide drives you down the winding, avenued roads of the islands introducing you to its rich trove of wineries, olive groves and character holiday homes. If wine is your poison, then Waiheke is the right place for you! There are different tours on offer that take visitors to working vineyards allowing them to taste grapes fermenting in specially treated tanks, giving them a first hand experience of seeing New Zealand’s finest wines being born. Waiheke’s ‘Island of Wine’ vintage festival (held once every year) is perhaps the best time to indulge in some wine tasting when 19 of the island’s vineyards come together to treat you to a wide range of home-grown reds and whites accompanied by scrumptious delicacies, soul stirring music and spellbinding local performances, all for your experiential pleasure and delight!
The tour gives you a break at Onetangi beach where one can sit on the white sands and soak in the beauty of the blue waters being welcomed by the cove. It is rather interesting to sight occasional interesting people sitting on the sands, feeding the seagulls or just losing themselves to the peace and quiet of the place. I was rather intrigued when I spotted an old man there, sitting on his walking stick enjoying nature’s bounty. God alone knows how he managed to balance himself! Charlie Farley beside the beach offers you a wide range of continental delights and some refreshing beers, coffee or award winning wines along with interesting conversations with the friendly waitresses! But if you want more choices, then heading back to main Oneroa is a better option.
We stopped over at The Local, a quaint café by the shore and dug into some fish and chips; freshly marinated fillets of fish fried to a perfect golden brown with potato wedges, fried and topped with dollops of butter, drizzled with lime juice and a little vinegar and salt; the ultimate comfort meal of the Kiwis! Pricing for this delicacy depends on the type of catch. While the fries are priced separately at $4, the Snapper costs $14. If this is too heavy for your pocket, opt for the Kumara or Hoki at $6. Hoki made it to our list because of its distinct taste and the ease with which it melts in the mouth when you go through its perfectly crisp covering. Along with our meal, we enjoyed some raspberry Fanta and the company and antics of Bobby, the friendly cockatoo that I’d like to say owned the outlet in partnership as well!
Post lunch, if you have more time in hand, a visit to St. Peter’s Catholic Church and ‘Shop the Rock’ for some specially crafted souvenirs is a great idea. If some time off for relaxation is what you’d rather prefer, then simply lazying on the cool sands of the beach or hopping onto the bus with your all day pass for a joy ride are other options to consider. As the sun set gradually, bathing the ends of the island in golden light, we boarded the ferry homeward-bound.
As we sailed out, the golden glitter on the waters, the distinct silhouettes of sculptures on the shore and the sounds of seagulls in the distance retiring for the day extended an invitation to me to come back to Waiheke some day. And I would not refuse experiencing this opportunity of lifetime, again!
This travel article was originally written as a personal blog piece.
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