Top 3 Wineries in Waiheke Islands, New Zealand
Waiheke is a haven of beautiful vineyards, olive groves and beaches, all just a 40-minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland. In landscape, lifestyle and experience. The white sandy beaches at Oneroa, Palm Beach and Onetangi slope gently down into the Hauraki Gulf and are perfect for swimming, kayaking, or having a picnic.
If you love walking, explore the island’s trails which meander along cliff tops, down to the beaches and into cool enclaves of native forest. At the eastern end of the island the Stony Batter walkway leads you to a system of World War II gun emplacements and underground tunnels.
Waiheke Islands, New Zealand
Wai Kitchen
Before we started our winery adventures, we met up for some much needed eats. Going to a poke spot seemed like a great idea because we knew they would have a fresh catch being next to the water. I had the wai poke bowl with house king salmon- purple rice, slaw, tomato, edamame, corn roasted sesame sauce mayo, sweet soy sauce. Mmm mmm good!
it’s a grape time
These wineries were open exclusively for our group before opening to the public. We discovered the top 3 wineries in Waiheke Island and learned lots about the sommelier culture all together. What an absolute adventure!
STONYRIDGE VINEYARD
The vineyard was established in the 1980’s and is labeled as the second oldest in town. The owners recently passed away, so they gifted the vineyard to the University of Auckland to maintain for tourism and events.
BATCH WINERY
As the highest vineyard in the valley, the view was pretty amazing. Most of their wines are dry finishes and pair well with a brunch style line of food. Specifically, their blanc to blanc is dry to finish, cleanses your palette, and opens your tastebuds. Each wine in the tasting had very distinct flavors and pairings.
MUDBRICK VINEYARD
The winemaker we had was pretty wonderful at explaining the flavors of each. From bare land and a dream in early 1992 to the first plantings and opening of the Mudbrick Cafe in 1995, the grapes are hand-picked and harvested each season.
New Zealand was absolutely incredible in so many ways. While we only spent a week in this country, we truly did so many activities to make it feel like we were locals. From Queenstown to a few detours in the mother nature areas, flying into Rotorua, and getting to know Auckland; there are an abundance of adventures to have if you’re feeling that wanderlust kick. The flight on the other hand was about 17.5 hours from Auckland to Dallas, Texas and then another flight to Miami. Let’s just say we re-lived the same day twice.
I even had to separate Queenstown’s eats and created a whole guide on New Zealand to help plan your next trip!
Travel with me on EF Ultimate Break too! I’ll give you the lay of the land here.
*EF is a travel group that plans trips all over the world. I’ve gone on a few trips with their groups in my lifetime because it’s a fun way of traveling with likeminded people around your age group, meeting travelers nationwide, and you don’t have to plan anything! I got to know so many tour directors and have made so many memories, that they gave me the opportunity to become an EF Ambassador. I even get to give you a special link as a first time traveler to get $100 per traveler you and your buddies go on! Just tap away here and find a trip that’s right for you. And if you have any questions, as always, let me know!
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