Top Waiheke Island Day Trips

Sample several of Waiheke Island’s award-winning wines at vineyards across the island before stopping for a gourmet meal at a beachfront restaurant on this half-day tour of the island. Gaze out over the Hauraki Gulf while you dine and then continue your tour, setting off to taste yet more wine.

Waiheke Island is known for its wineries, but self-driving between them is risky—and it’s a hassle to bring your car over from Auckland. Join a half-day guided tour to visit some of the island’s top cellar doors and enjoy many tastings along the way. Stop for sit-down tastings at four different venues, and pause to purchase lunch at one (own expense).

Auckland’s Waiheke Island is famous for its wineries, but they’re spread out so it’s not easy to get between them on foot or by bicycle, and it’s not safe to drive if you’re drinking. Simplify your day with a wine-tasting and food tour. Visit three of the Waiheke’s premier wineries for tastings, and settle down to a relaxed lunch at one winery restaurant with great views overlooking Onetangi Beach.

Explore pretty Waiheke Island's beaches, vineyards, and rolling scenery on a small-group day tour that includes tastings at three boutique vineyards. You'll get an overview and orientation of the island, stopping for great views and sandy beaches, and learn about local wine production as you sip Waiheke vintages. Group size is limited to six people to ensure personal service, with pickup and drop-off at Waiheke Island’s wharf.

Indulge in the succulent tastes of Waiheke Island on a half-day food and wine tour. A guide picks you up from the wharf and takes you to boutique wineries. Taste wine accompanied by locally produced specialties such as olive oil, oysters, and artisan cheese. Then settle in for a platter lunch at a vineyard restaurant. Linger on Waiheke and take the ferry back to Auckland whenever you like.

Take an in-depth tour of the wine-growing region on Waiheke Island with a guide on this excursion. You'll learn about what makes the vineyards so successful and the characteristics of the local wine through guided commentary and visits to three top vineyards. With round-trip transportation from Waiheke’s ferry terminal provided, you can take full advantage of the tastings without worrying about who will drive.

Explore Waiheke Island at your own pace with all-day tickets for a hop-on, hop-off island explorer bus. Plan the perfect day with help from the onboard host, then see the things that interest you most, choosing from 16 stops near vineyards, galleries, beaches, and trailheads. This full-day Waiheke Island experience offers a personalized combination of nature, culture, and food, and departs from Matiatia every 60 minutes from morning until evening.

Drive Waiheke Island yourself, with a GPS audio guide that plays automatically as you go. Your booking unlocks the whole island in the free Wine Trails app: pick your date and starting point — most people begin at the Matiatia Ferry Terminal as they roll off the ferry, but Oneroa or anywhere on the island works just as well — choose the cellar doors you want from the 22 on the map, and the app builds your personal route with turn-by-turn narration. 56 narrated stories cover the vineyards, bays and history: as you turn onto Onetangi Road you'll hear how, in 1987, Stephen White's Stonyridge Larose was hailed as the finest red New Zealand had produced — from an island the experts had dismissed as a waste of good vines. No group, no schedule, no guide — linger over lunch, replay anything, and the audio keeps working when the signal drops on the island's quiet eastern half. You'll need a car and a designated driver; tastings are booked and paid directly with the wineries.

Take a break from Auckland's busy streets on this small-group tour to Waiheke Island. Arrive via boat from downtown Auckland for an action-packed itinerary among the island’s many vineyards and olive groves. Join your guide for a thrilling zipline experience, forest walk, and wine tasting, and recharge with a 2-course lunch.

Sample local wine and produce on a Waiheke Island wineries tour. Ferry tickets are included for easy access from downtown Auckland. Visit three vineyards to taste artisan wines and enjoy a 2-course lunch at one winery restaurant. Stop at an olive grove for local olive-oil tastings. This tour offers a relaxed pace on Waiheke Island's renowned wine route.

Sample some of Waiheke Island’s finest food and drink on this handy day tour from Auckland. Catch the ferry from the central city in the morning and enjoy the scenic 45-minute ferry ride across the harbor. You’ll be met on Waiheke by your driver. Visit three wineries, each with deliciously different wines and food specialties. Wine tastings are included and you can purchase more to take home.

Take a premium wine tour of Waiheke Island and sip fine wines at this famed North Island destination, just a ferry ride away from Auckland. An informative local guide accompanies you to award-winning boutique vineyards and shares knowledge of the island and its viticulture along the way. Includes wine tasting fees and round-trip island transport from the ferry terminal by minibus.

Experience the best of the Hauraki Gulf on this day trip from Waiheke Island. You’ll receive personalized attention on a small group tour aboard the Pacific Star catamaran. Stop at an island in the harbor for a guided walk, spot a variety of birds and marine animals, and get the chance to swim, snorkel, and stand-up paddleboard. There’ll also be time to relax on board and admire the views.

Immerse yourself in the living traditions, stories and landscapes of Māori culture on Waiheke Island. Travel with our Māori ambassador, Paora, who shares his whakapapa (genealogy), personal stories and deep connection to the island. Visit sacred sites and a local village, hear powerful tales of land wars, resilience and present-day Māori life, and see how ancient customs sit alongside modern New Zealand. Along the way, you’ll step inside a contemporary art studio to see how local artists respond to the land and culture through their work. Between stories and art, you’ll enjoy a relaxed day of kai (food), wine and waiata (song). Taste boutique Waiheke wines, and sit down to a seafront lunch with beautiful island views. This small-group experience is welcoming, conversational and respectful, giving you space to ask questions, connect with the people behind the culture and leave with a richer understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Discover the beauty of the Hauraki Gulf while aboard a 41-foot Catamaran Pacific Star. This charter is for an exclusive use of the yacht along with two crew members. There is the opportunity to stop at a pest-free island for a guided walk, and plenty of time to swim, snorkel, and try stand-up paddle boarding.