waiheke travel guide

A while ago I did an Auckland Travel Guide and mentioned Waiheke, which is a island in the Auckland Gulf that you can get to in 40 minutes from Downtown. I'm currently on holiday there until the end of January so I thought it would be a good time to do a Waiheke guide.

Eat // Island Gelato
This is just the best gelato place on the planet (well I'm pretty certain)!! It runs out of a shipping container in the main village of Oneroa and has the best flavours. My favourites are the honeycomb or the salted caramel and white chocolate.

Beach // Palm Beach
This is my favourite beach. The water is always crystal clear and it's a lovely small bay which we always go to for beach day trips. Close by is the store which is great for ice creams etc.

Explore // Man O' War Bay
Man O' War Bay is on the Eastern and less developed side of the Island so is a bit of a drive from where you mostly will find yourself. But it's a beautiful drive over the hills and the views are wonderful. Once you are in the bay, there's a cute little beach plus the vineyard's lunch place is quite a good place to stop and eat before you continue exploring.

Beach // Onetangi
Onetangi is another popular beach but is bigger than Palm and known as more of a surf beach. It's beautiful though and I love walking the length of it sometimes.

Eat // The Oytster Inn
The Oyster Inn is a restaurant which is also in Oneroa Village and is the most beautifully designed place, in my opinion. It has a seafood based menu which is mostly freshly caught off the island. It has beautiful views into Oneroa Bay and has great food!

Walk // Matitia to Church Bay
Waiheke is full of wonderful walks but this is one of my favourites. You begin it from the Ferry Terminal where you come in from Auckland and then it ends in Oneroa village. It's got breathtaking views which is the best part. Also, every second year an event called Sculpture on The Gulf is run on the walk where there are 50 different sculptures. One of them is in that photo above. That was from last year and each of those buckets had a different constellation pinned into the bottom and you could look up at it.

If you are ever going to Waiheke, send me an email and I can give you some more suggestions. But here are some of my favourites!
- Harri xx