Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Apart from the trust's headquarters, the only accommodation on the island is a basic
DOC campsite ( www.doc.govt.nz ; adult/child $6/3) ; only toilets and water are provided, and booking
ahead online is essential. There are no permanent residents or shops, except for a lunch-
time kiosk during January.
Getting There & Away
360 Discovery ( 0800 360 3472; www.360discovery.co.nz ; adult/child return $28/17.50) A ferry taking one
hour departs from Auckland daily at 8.45am, returning at 3.30pm.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Waiheke Island
POP 8300
Waiheke is 93 sq km of island bliss just a 35-minute ferry ride from the CBD. Once they
could hardly give land away here; nowadays multimillionaires rub shoulders with the old-
time hippies and bohemian artists who gave the island its green repute. Auckland office
workers fantasise about swapping the daily motorway crawl for a watery commute and a
warm, dry microclimate.
On Waiheke's city side, emerald waters lap at rocky bays, while its ocean flank has
some of the region's best sandy beaches. While beaches are the big drawcard, wine is a
close second. There are 19 boutique wineries to visit, many with swanky restaurants and
breathtaking city views. The island also boasts galleries and craft stores.
Waiheke has been inhabited since at least the 14th century, most recently by Ngati
Paoa, and there are more than 40 pa sites scattered around the island. Europeans arrived
with the missionary Samuel Marsden in the early 1800s and the island was soon stripped
of its kauri forest.
There are petrol stations in Oneroa, Ostend and Onetangi, ATMs in Oneroa and Ostend,
and a supermarket in Ostend.
 
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