Waiheke Island - a jewel in Auckland's crown

It's a dilemma a lot of families must face - where to go on holiday when you have a small child who gets car sick just driving across your own city.  Luckily we have Waiheke Island, just 21.5 kms by sea from  our homes in Auckland so it was a no-brainer.  You can get there by passenger ferry from downtown, which takes around 40 minutes, or go, as we did, by car ferry which takes closer to an hour.  The car sick prone grandson was excited about "the boat that takes the car", had no tummy troubles and loved the whole adventure. We were off to a great start.

And we're off!

The minute you land on Waiheke you know you are on an island...life becomes slower, more relaxed, its 40 kilometres of golden sand beaches beckon, the narrow roads ensure you drive at a more leisurely pace and the stresses of the city seem to simply melt away. It's great, just an hour from Auckland and you are in another world.

 The island has long been the hangout of artists, eccentrics, writers and alternative life stylers and there's still a bohemian vibe about the place, despite the fact that over the last 20 or so years increasing numbers of affluent Aucklanders and ex patriots have 'discovered' it. Now millionaires mansions nestle side by side with small artists shacks in a happy melting pot of island dwellers. Of the 9500 or so permanent residents around a 1000  commute to Auckland for work.  The 21 kilometre long island really is a place of two halves.  The western side is well populated with a great choice of beaches, restaurants, vineyards, and trendy shops, perfect for holiday makers to fritter the days away.  The eastern side of the island is mainly agricultural and more like the Waiheke I knew as a child; quiet, rural, and like the whole island, incredibly beautiful.

Oneroa Village has cafes bars, restaurants, shops, art galleries and stunning views

Yours truly at Wild on Waiheke
NB: They are not all mine!

A plump kereru in our garden

We rented a house with an expansive view over a nature reserve prolific with birdlife so enjoyed daily visits from beautiful native birds including tui and kereru (wood pigeons). With two small children in tow our days were spent mainly at the beach, building beach pools and sand castles, splashing in the shallows, and surfing in the small rollers breaking on the shore. Other times we  slurped on ice creams, settled for afternoon snoozes or fired up the barbecue and generally just hung out enjoying a glass of wine, the adults, that is!  One afternoon we visited Wild on Waiheke, a vineyard which offers wine and beer tastings, clay pigeon shooting, archery, and a children's playground. Tasting wine while watching happy children play is a great way to spend an afternoon.


 There are plenty of coffee bars on the island, all offering a delicious brew.  In the main village of Oneroa you are spoilt for choice.   Oneroa hums with visitors, (the island's population doubles in the holiday season), and the views from the main street are spectacular but at times its a bit too busy so coffee at the quaint Omiha Hall, in Rocky Bay, a quiet, more rural part of the island, is the ideal spot to just stop and smell the roses, metaphorically speaking.

Oneroa Grocer

Saturday Morning Ostend Market

If you want a taste of what some of the island's resident artists and writers have to offer go to the Saturday morning Ostend market, you'll be sure to pick up some good books, crafts or  sample some tasty snack food. Just down the road is a large, well stocked supermarket.

Years ago I used to enjoy a series of travel books which came under the title of "How to Get Lost and Found in....." The author, John McDermott, used to refer the coming of  city style services to holiday spots  as "The goodie, damn syndrome".  Goodie, you could now get everything you were used to getting at home and, damn, because now the holiday spot was losing some of its attraction as an off-the-grid, out-of-the-way, make-do spot.  I know what he meant, nevertheless it was mighty handy to pop into the supermarket for supplies.

Oneroa Beach

Waiheke truly is a magic destination.  It offers everything for a good holiday - food, wine, beaches, bush walks, art galleries and much more. When you have lived nearby and visited regularly over the years you can take a place for granted but because it was new to the children I saw it through fresh eyes and fell in love with it again.  Conde Naste, listed it as the 4th best island in the world in 2016, and Lonely Planet  listed it as the 5th best region in the world in 2016, so you just know that this is a place worth visiting.  I just hope that with the ever increasing number of tourists the island doesn't lose its charm.

Daughter-in-law and grandchildren building a beach pool at Palm Beach

So, thanks to my car sick prone grandson, we really did have the perfect family holiday and will certainly return.