#TRAVEL HACK: Waiheke Island on the Cheap – 🍷How to Spend More Money on Wine🍷and Less Money on the Tour

418

Updated April 2022

Just a short ferry ride from Auckland, New Zealand sits a small but beautiful island with turquoise waters lapping the white sandy beaches along more than 40 km of stunning and rugged coastline.  A day trip for many staying or living in Auckland, this dreamy island is awash in grapevines and vineyards and olive tree groves are peppered about the gently rolling hills.  Nearly 30 boutique wineries offer tastings, award-winning vintages, creative tapas and top-rated gourmet meals in varied settings ranging from simple to stunning.  Welcome to Waiheke, also known as Wine Island. 🍷

Waiheke is located in the Hauraki Gulf off the coast of the North Island of New Zealand, 40 minutes by ferry east of Auckland.  This lush (ha ha, no pun intended!) island was voted by Conde Nast as the 4^th best island in the world and by Lonely Planet as the 5^th best destination in the world.

In.

The.

World.

Wow! I wasn’t aware of these noteworthy accolades until I started writing this piece; I went to Waiheke simply because of the wine.  Shocking, I know…

Doing some research to figure out the best (and as a backpacker, the least expensive!) way for me to enjoy this gorgeous island and the bounty of wineries, I found that one option is to pay for a tour through Viator or Fullers360, the local tour company.  For various prices ($120 – $289NZ) you can purchase a package tour which includes a round trip ferry to/from Auckland and a variety of add-ons.  Some packages include two or three vineyard visits plus tapas. Some offer twilight tastings, light lunches or full dinners at sunset. One tour had a hike included and another offered a zip-line add-on!

There are options to hire a shuttle bus, “executive taxi” or minivan to sample three to five different wineries and their top vintages. I saw many groups of well-dressed, happy and handsome people enjoying themselves at the vineyards and restaurants I visited, then boarding their bus or hired van to be driven to the next locale. You can rent a car if you’d like. There are electric bikes and scooters to rent and you can buzz around to the different vineyards (haha, ‘buzz’ – no pun intended! I’m really rocking this pun thing!) but I didn’t see too many people zipping around on those while I was on Waiheke for two days.

I looked a little harder to find a better deal.  I tried using www.bookme.co.nz to find discounts for touring the wineries. I used this site a lot in Australia, (where it’s known as www.bookme.com.au) and I found highly discounted prices on my day trips to the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney, the Great Ocean Road tour out of Melbourne and my Aboriginal dinner and evening show at Tjapukai just outside of Cairns (for which I paid $75 instead of $129!)  You can read my post about the best sites for discounts in Oz and NZ by clicking here.  Unfortunately, bookme didn’t have any discounts for Waiheke at this time.  So I kept researching (because, that’s what I do! )

After some further digging, the least complicated way seemed to be to purchase the ferry/HOHO (“hop on/hop off”) “Explorer” bus combo ticket for $68 (the ferry itself is $42 NZ round-trip.) This Explorer double-decker bus cruises around the island and you use your map to ride to and from as many wineries as you can squeeze in!

 

 

 

 

I was just about ready to purchase the ferry and HOHO bus for $68 when I read that the island has public transportation that runs from one end to the other…for only $3.50 each way.  Using the island map (yes, it’s interesting that I can actually read a map – especially when it comes to finding wine!) I saw that most of the vineyards were just off the main road and bus route, and there were walking trails between many of the wineries.

Voila!  A plan was hatched – taking the local bus to various areas of the island, then hiking from one vineyard to another, getting some fresh air and exercise in the process and ‘earning’ those glasses of wine! 🍷

So I purchased a round-trip (or as they say, “return”) ticket online for the ferry from Auckland to Waiheke for $42NZ and headed to the ferry terminal in the morning.  Rather then make a day trip out of this, I planned to stay a few nights. The day started with a rainy, dreary morning, but who cares?  I’d make sure I was inside drinking some lovely wine 🍷 most of the day.  😉

The ferry runs every 30 minutes from Quay Street in Auckland and cruises over to Waiheke’s Matiatia Ferry Terminal in about 40 minutes. The local 50A bus was waiting outside the terminal, and I paid my $3.50 and rode to the end of the line to my beautiful, clean place I’d be staying for the next two nights, the Waiheke Backpackers Hostel, which was just up the steps from the main road…180+ steps, that is.  Steep steps.  Ridiculously and stupidly steep steps. Especially carrying my 10 kg/22 lb. backpack plus my 6 kg/13 lb. daypack.
Whew.  That was a workout! I needed a drink…a glass of wine perhaps? 🍷

After checking in to my hostel and scoring a two-bunk dorm with no one else expected in the second bunk until the next night, I began my plan of attack.  Just a ten-minute walk from the hostel were two wonderful wineries, so I battled my way through the wind and rain and arrived at the Casita Miro Vineyard and promptly and completely fell in love. 💜

The setting! The buildings! The hilltop views! The Gaudi-esque mosaics and quirky artwork everywhere! Set in a large barn-like building with soaring ceilings and accents of rustic wood, wrought iron and expansive windows, Casita Miro was a feast for the eyes, and the palate as well.

Serving wines and tapas inspired by the Catalan region of Spain, this award-winning winery absolutely swept me off my feet from the moment I walked up the grassy pathway.  I didn’t have a reservation and the place was full, so I sat at the bar.

I planned on doing a wine tasting of 5 varieties for $15 NZD, but the bartender told me to go ahead and order a full glass instead and she would just give me some complimentary tastings along the way.  Not one to argue, I ordered a wonderful red called Summer Aphrodisiac – how to resist a description of “saucy dark undergarments with an explosive finish”? 😱 And take a look at the photo of the label and the description! It was dreamy, like smooth velvet.  I tasted a few others – a rose, a Malbec.  The guy at the front desk of my hostel had strongly recommended I order the goat’s cheese croquettes – three nuggets of creamy chevre with a crispy panko breading, generously drizzled with local honey and topped with slivered almonds. (Question: Is it wrong to lick the plate when finished? 🤔 asking for a friend …)

Before I left, my lovely bartender offered me a taste of chilled port called Madame Rouge, which as a fortified sweet wine cannot be called ‘port’ unless it’s made in Porto, Portugal (not unlike sparkling wine which comes from anywhere other than Champagne, France being called ‘champagne’.)  Although I threatened the staff that I might never leave and would possibly set up a bed in the corner and stay forever, I knew it was time to say goodbye to this new favorite place and take a walk over to the neighboring winery.

I followed the signs through the grassy walking path to Obsidian Vineyards, startling a majestic blue heron resting amongst the orderly rows of grapevines who gracefully took flight as I came into view. A volcanic glass, obsidian was highly valued by the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand living in this Onetangi region of Waiheke Island, close to the site of the present-day vineyard.  Some large pieces of obsidian were found when planting the vines, ostensibly left by the Maori people; hence the name of this establishment.

Here in a peaceful and beautiful amphitheater-like valley grow a variety of grapes – Tempranillo, Montepulciano, Viognier and Chardonnay,  which are magically fermented to become smooth and delicious wines.  Tastings were available in an uncluttered and unassuming tasting room… $10 for 4 varieties. There’s no restaurant here – simply tastings of their vintages in a casual outdoor setting. Although the atmosphere wasn’t as charming, lush and delightful as Casita Mori, the wines were definitely on a par with those I had tried at Casita. After a relaxing visit learning about the wines, obsidian, and other bits and bobs about the island, I headed back to my cozy hostel for the evening.

The next day was clear and bright, and showed no signs of rain, although it was still very windy. In the afternoon (because I had to wait at least until noon to begin drinking!), I boarded the local bus again and headed to the other side of the island to try two different wineries I had read about – Mudbrick and Cable Bay.  Both were renowned and highly awarded.

I got off the bus in the center of town, and spent some time meandering about in the myriad of shops and boutiques that lined the curving main street. After a bit, I began the 2.3 km/1.5 mile walk up to the vineyards high above the town, uphill all the way…thereby earning my wine. 

My first stop was Mudbrick Vineyard & Restaurant.  A stunning property with sweeping views, a well-appointed and sumptuous restaurant, well-stocked gift shop, adorable and charming cottages for accommodations onsite…and a helicopter pad up the hill.  Reading the story of how Mudbrick came to be was fascinating – a young couple built it brick by brick”, grapevine by grapevine over the past 28 years with no experience in winemaking whatsoever into the dazzling and award-winning destination it is today.

I walked into the Cellar Door tastings room and perused the choices. Mudbrick offers two types of tastings: sampling four ”Light and Fresh” wines for $11 or trying four ”Bold and Complex” premium wines for $15.  Of course I chose “Bold and Complex” because, you know, I am bold and complex! I was able to take my wineglass and roam the property while the staff attended to larger groups, most of them arriving via the hop on/off bus or dining in the exquisite restaurant next to the tasting room. The setting was outstanding – overlooking the bay, perched on the hill above the town, with tidy rows upon rows of grapevines cascading downhill into the valley surrounding the estate.  Definitely a distinctive setting to have a celebratory dinner or gathering, Mudbrick was a sophisticated, classy establishment. The wines were fabulous as well! 🍷

My last tasting on Waiheke was at Cable Bay, just down the street from Mudbrick. Cable Bay is situated on the spectacular west coast of Waiheke Island and includes vineyards, the winery, olive groves, organic gardens supplying the two restaurants onsite, as well as private event spaces, a cellar door for tastings and an expansive outdoor lawn area with spectacular views. Begun in 1998, their very first vintage of Chardonnay produced in 2002 won a gold medal at the prestigious International Wine Challenge in London…a heck of a great start!  Their grapes are grown at this location in Waiheke and also at a vineyard in the Marlborough region on the South Island of New Zealand – and yes, of course I’ll be headed that way soon to check out that viticultural area! They grow olive trees and produce oil, have honeybee hives and harvest honey and offer deluxe accommodations onsite as well…this place is amazing! And like their neighbor Mudbrick, the views were outstanding.

Tours and tastings of 4 wines are offered for $25, or skip the tour and just taste some fantastic wines for $10.  Because I was on my own, I was able to choose the 4 wines I preferred instead of the pre-selected wine choices – not something they offer groups. I decided on 3 reds and a rose, and enjoyed them all, and only paid $8 for the four tastes. 🍷

I suppose I could go on and on about the complexity, the color of the wine, the ‘nose’, the mouth feel…and toss around words and phrases like “notes of lime”, “whispers of tobacco”, “volcanic rock aromas” and “hints of persimmon/hazelnut/young mandarins/smoke/apricot/newly harvested straw/flinty struck match” (and yep, “Flinty struck match” is actually on one of the description cards!) …but I won’t.  Suffice it to say, I enjoyed the heck out of all four of my tastings and the experience of each of the strikingly different settings was amazing.

By spending some time beforehand researching the least expensive way to get to Waiheke, by taking the local bus for $7 a day, and by hiking a bit from vineyard to vineyard, I was able to experience four distinctly different wineries and see so much of the dazzling island.  I spent an average of $10 at each tasting room plus the tapas at Casita Miro. Yes, I had to figure it out on my own rather than sign up for a tour, but I had two amazing days and thoroughly enjoyed the freedom of choosing my own vineyards out of the 30 options and participating in two of my favorite activities – hiking and drinking wine. All told, it cost me around $90NZ for the ferry, 4 winery visits, delicious tapas – and I managed a hike both days as well!

Salud! Santé. 干杯.  Prost!

Cheers!

Want to follow and travel along with me? Join my adventures at Facebook or on Instagram…

                           See you there! 😉

I know that wine is, above all else, a blessing, a gift of nature, a joy as pure and elemental as the soil and vines and sunshine from which it springs.  ~ Robert Mondavi, winemaker

Wine is sunlight, held together by water.  ~ Galileo