Today I got a taste of island life with a trip over to Waiheke Island which lies in the Hauraki Gulf. I caught the ferry over which took about 40 minutes from Auckland Ferry Terminal to Matiatia Bay. I had bought a ticket with the Waiheke Explorer Hop-On Hop-Off bus service as my means of transport for getting around the island. The Explorer Bus has set stops which are points of interest and you can jump off the bus at any of these to explore a little of Waiheke for yourself. The island is home to over 30 vineyards, beautiful beaches and stunning landscape. The tour guide on the bus tells you about the island and the history and culture of the destinations the tour will take you on.
Sadly, the ferry was a little late in getting into the Bay so I missed the 10am bus and had to wait an hour for the next one. This quickly turned out not to be as bad as it seemed as I went for a walk along one of the pathways around Matiatia Bay which offered gorgeous views over the Bay as well as of Rangitoto and other islands beyond. The walk also seemed to do my sore foot some good and at any rate, after a 40 minute ferry ride it was good to stretch my legs.
I spotted the next Explorer Bus pull up and made sure I wouldn’t miss out on this one. I already had a leaflet at hand which details a map of the island, the timetable, bus stops and a brief description of the different places to jump off, but there were provided by the tour guide for any traveller who might want one (or had come less prepared than myself). Once the bus was full of excited tourists, off we went.
My first stop was number 3 on the list, the village of Ostend. Having studied the map on the ferry over to the island, I had prioritised visiting two of the island’s beaches – Oneroa and Onetangi, but the tour guide mentioned the monthly market would be held at Ostend. I thought why not give it a look, so hopped off to have a look around. Sadly, the rain stopped play as it were, as many of the stallholders covered their goods and waited out the rain. I wandered down to the nearby shops, bought myself some lunch, and headed back to the markets when the rain clearer up. The market was very nice, lots of locally made items and food – some of which was very tempting. I’m not sure if I would recommend a stop at Ostend unless the markets were on again, but each to their own.
By the time the next bus came around there was a sustainable queue waiting to move onto the next stop like me. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough room for everyone, but it seemed there was a seat with my name on it and I can’t deny I was feeling pretty smug as the bus pulled away, leaving several people waiting. I would have felt bad for them but they started up some ‘We were here first’ nonsense which quashed any feelings of sympathy.
I made my next stop Onetangi to see the most beautiful white sand beach. It was quite novel really, having walked over the black sands of Raglan the previous day. Onetangi beach is 1.87 kilometres of uninterrupted sand. The beach is host to annual sandcastle building contests and is the site of Onetangi Beach Races where the islanders race anything they can. At one end the beach is clothing optional, but thankfully all of the beachgoers today were fully clothed. I had a lovely hour or so walking up and down the beach, until the rain returned. I took shelter in the bus station and didn’t have to wait too long for the sun to come out and for the next Explorer Bus to arrive.
My next stop was Oneroa Beach, the main beach of the island on the northern side of the town of Oneroa. Another beautiful, sweeping beach, it’s easy to see why people on Waiheke are so relaxed and happy. The tour guide explained a saying locals have on the island, ‘slow down, you’re already here’. I think it’s a beautiful phrase (ignore the fact the context concerned tourists speeding along the island’s winding roads). Tucked at the end of Oneroa Beach is Little Oneroa Beach, or Little O as the tour guide affectionately called it. A cliff wall separates the beaches and Little O is just as lovely, only smaller than its counterpart.
I’m not a wine person so the stops at the vineyards were lost on me a little, however most offered tours of the grounds and wine tasting as well. Travelling around to some of the vineyard stops, however, showed off the scenic views from those vineyards perched on hilltops. Perhaps I might make a return trip to the island to walk around a vineyard or two. After all, you don’t have to be a wine lover to appreciate a good view.
I caught the 5pm ferry back to Auckland just as the golden hour soaked the surrounding islands and the city itself in a stunning, gilded glow.
amateur adventurer 