Waiheke Island is a mere 40 minute ferry ride away from Auckland, but it feels like a world away. The pace is slower, the landscape is wide open, and there’s an island breeze with notes of citrus from the nearby wineries. It’s a lovely place to spend the day.

Allison and I hop on a ferry out of Auckland. We purchase ferry and tour combo tickets for $49 with Fuller’s Waiheke Island Tours; this includes unlimited bus fare around the island so that after the tour we can stop at whichever vineyards or beaches tickle our fancy.

The ferry docks in Matiatia Bay.

We catch the tour bus which will show us the highlights of Waiheke in 90 minutes. After that we have the rest of the day to spend however we like.

This view looks out over Matiatia Bay where our ferry docked earlier; our bus driver points out you can even see that same ferry returning to Auckland in the distance.

A number of these boats are full-time residences for their owners. Many of them have little dinghies to get to shore.

This house overlooks Mawhitipana Bay and Palm Beach, which is known for frequent dolphin sightings.

And this is Onetangi Bay, the end of the bus loop. There’s more of the island behind this bay but it’s very primitive and hosts only a small percentage of the islands’ residents.

Allison and I spend a few hours visiting two vineyards recommended by our driver; the first is Wild on Waiheke, which despite its name is not a spring break getaway for local Kiwis. It’s actually a venue with outdoor games in addition to wine tasting and they host corporate team building and bachelor / bachelorette parties. We grab an outdoor table to watch the games in action as we share a wine tasting flight.

This is one of the best pizza topping combos I’ve ever had: it’s called The Rock and it has chicken, bacon, onions, guacamole, and tomato salsa.

It’s dress day! I couldn’t resist this cute red frock from Target two days before I left the U.S.; the tiny bicycles won me over before I even tried it on.

Next we walk up the hill to Stonyridge Vineyard, one of the highest-rated wineries on Waiheke Island. The grounds are quite pretty and it’s a nice way to spend a few hours.

Allison and I make our way back into town to peruse the local shops at Oneroa Village.

Here’s a view looking out over Oneroa Bay:

Beach photo shoot time!

As the sun begins to set, we reluctantly head back to the Auckland-bound ferry.

I’d highly recommend Waiheke Island as a day trip if you have any time to spare while visiting the city!