My interest is in you making the most of your Waiheke Island experience.
Previously I have created Waiheke spa packages including accommodation, massage therapy and facials, which I marketed on this site. What I am willing to offer now instead are a few ideas on how to create your own customised spa health holiday from accommodation choices, massage therapy, reflexology and facials, and exercise ideas. Please feel free to phone 09 372 2884 for ideas — I prefer this to email communication as I can end up wasting time by email if I do not know all your needs in advance of coming up with ideas. I can tell you places to consider staying and their approximate cost but I do not set up the booking or make a package price including the accommodation and treatments anymore. I stopped doing this because I personally cannot cover accommodation providers for accommodation cancellations and refunds of accommodation deposits, and I never had binding payment agreements like accommodation providers require. This left me open to being responsible for possible cancellations to accommodation providers myself. I am not an official booking agency making commissions.
You can get a lot of information from the Auckland Tourism office on Waiheke as well. They do charge accommodation providers commissions so you may get a better price when dealing directly with the providers.
To get over to Waiheke:
Use the website http://www.fullers.co.nz for passenger ferry schedules from Auckland and Devonport to Waiheke Island, special deal prices (see Hot Deals or Super Saver Fares), Waiheke bus schedules, and other Waiheke information. Note that there are “family fares” so you may not need to buy a ticket for all your children. Print off the bus schedules from the fullers website because they are usually not available on the buses, as they always run out of them. They may be available at the Fullers Ferry office at the Matiatia wharf as you get off the ferry on Waiheke but if you are trying to make a bus you have only a moment in the terminal to look for the schedules before your bus leaves. There are 4 separate bus routes and you need to make sure you are on the correct bus by asking the driver as you enter the bus. There are daily passes for use on all the buses that may save you money.
Car ferries from Half Moon Bay just south of central Auckland are provided by Sealink. Sealink has a discounted set of ferries called Freightlink. Freightlink is cheaper than Sealink but owned by Sealink — this reduced price reflects the fact that they take a little longer than the Sealink ferry trip . Each month the ferry prices change. Make sure you inquire about the price of the ferry in advance plus the cost for number of people in your group when you call to make a reservation, as there may be a deal going on that is not printed on a website. The one thing you have to contend with is that there are limited sailings at the lower price of Freightlink. Also the less expensive boats do not leave in the evening and timings may be less convenient.
If using a taxi remember to reserve it well in advance — at least several hours for peak times, including weekend evenings, and morning and evening weekday commute times. On the weekends there are many more people on the island than the weekdays and there will not be more taxis operating. When there are big events on the island it may be impossible to get a taxi as they may be totally booked up in advance catering to those events.
The Ostend Community Market is one of the best places to get a feel for the spirit of Waiheke. Open from about 8 am to lunchtime (varies) on Saturday mornings, it is both outside in the park by the RSA building and inside the adjoining Ostend Community Hall. You may have to park a block or two away, but there is ample parking in the dirt lot just past True Blue in the shops (towards Oneroa from the Ostend Community Market). When the weather is warm enough (November through April) I am usually outside under a striped umbrella doing chair massages and answering questions about my massage therapy clinic and drive-out work. You need to sign the sign up sheet to reserve time for your Ostend Market treatment . What you see is what you get — please feel free to ask me and those receiving chair massage from me questions about my touch and effectiveness. Chair massage is good for a little bit of help — to get the full benefits of massage an hour or more of table massage in my clinic in quieter conditions than the outdoor market is more beneficial. I only do chair massage at the outdoor market or for a business group at a conference or gathering.
The best beach for children on Waiheke is Enclosure Bay, as it is shallow and protected. It is best to be there within one hour either side of high tide.
The community art gallery in the Artworks shopping area of Oneroa offers original arts and crafts of the island and is open most days. Also recommended: the Nikau Gallery just past Onetangi on the road taking you to Orapiu and Stony Batter. Beautiful views and unique crafts and hand-made jewelry.
For delicious bread and pastries on the weekend try Baked on Waiheke across from the RSA on Belgium Street in Ostend. Open 10-4 (or earlier if thing sell out) Wednesday through Friday and 10 to 1 on Saturdays. Get there early as things sell out. sometimes in the first hour.
Some of the best coffee and the best cafe service on Waiheke Island can be had at Island Thyme, a cafe/deli/restaurant in Surfdale. Blink and you’ll miss it. The sign on the cafe in the middle of the handful of shops says Is.Thyme and there is a metal beaded curtain on the door. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Island Thyme sells gourmet deli items, free range eggs, gourmet desserts, and pre-made gourmet meals you can complete easily at home or in your holiday accommodation kitchenette. Island Thyme was written up in the Sunday Star Times March 29, 2009 for its outstanding lemon tarts and you can find the recipe in that day’s New Zealand Herald online. Brunch available on weekends and dinners on weekends in the restaurant above the cafe/deli, also called Island Thyme. No reservations.
On behalf of Waiheke I apologize that our street names are very confusing. The main road through Waiheke from Matiatia to Onetangi is called Ocean View Road in Oneroa and Little Oneroa, then Miami Road in Surfdale, then The Causeway in Surfdale near Ostend, then for a short bit as you enter Ostend it is called Wharf Road, then it curves right into Belgium Street in Ostend, and then becomes Onetangi Straight after the supermarket on the way to Onetangi, and then Onetangi Road in Onetangi. Just ask for directions if you get lost. The natives are friendly.
Waiheke Island is very beautiful but for a city person staying here without a car can feel inconvenient. We have hilly, windy roads, only one supermarket, cafes and restaurants that close early and close on Mondays, Vineyards that are only intermittently open in seasons other than summer, bus service only once an hour, and not much in the way of bike lanes for safe cycling. However, if you consider walking a benefit for your health on your holiday you will find walking is a wonderful way to get around on Waiheke. There is nowhere but the ferry that you need to get to in a hurry. Do be aware that the passenger ferry almost always goes on time and will not wait for running stragglers. The car ferries may more likely be a few minutes late but you need to get to the ferry at least 20-30 minutes early to ensure that your car gets on, even if you have a reservation, as if you are not there then your reserved spot may be given to someone else.
