On the Cheap: Auckland - Self Guided Waiheke Wine Tours on a Budget

On the Cheap: Auckland - Self Guided Waiheke Vineyard Tours

Waiheke Island is famous in New Zealand for being a playground for the rich, and of course, wine tours! If you are just there for the day, it would be a good idea to be on Waiheke by 10am to make the most of the day, and most of the wineries are open 10am - 4pm.

There are a few options to get around:

Hire a car - Hiring a car allows you to see a lot more of the island, and move around on your own pace! Keep in mind, you will need a sober driver!

Price:

Ferry + car rental - $99
Car rental - $79

Wineries visited:

Every single winery you could ever imagine!

Hire a scooter - Hiring a scooter allows you to see a lot more of the island, and move around on your own pace! The doubles can be a bit of a squeeze, and the scooters do not take the hills well, hoooowever, are REALLY fun!

Price:

Single scooter - $49
Double scooter - $79

Wineries visited:

Allllll the wineries!

Wine tour bus - All day wine tour hop on-off bus

Price:

Bus pass - $22
Ferry + bus pass - $54

Wineries visited:

Cable Bay
Mudbrick
Obsidian
Casita Miro
Stony Ridge
Te Motu
Wild on Waiheke
Batch Winery

Public Bus Self Guided Tour - The best choice for a wine tour on the cheap! The buses move around the island in accordance to ferry times. Three to four wineries is a realistic amount of wineries to visit in one day, and can be split into East and West tours. Each winery either as individual servings for tastings for $2-$4, or a range of different tastings for $10-$15 to try 4 or 5 different wines.

Price:

Bus pass - $10
Ferry + bus pass - $45

Wineries visited:

Cable Bay
Mudbrick Vineyard
Peninsula Estate Vineyard
Obsidian Vineyard
Casita Miro Vineyard
Stonyridge Vineyard
Te Motu Vineyard
Wild on Waiheke
Saratoga Estate Vineyard

Public Bus Map

It is a about a 15 minute walk up to Cable Bay Vineyard from the ferry, but up hill most of the way, so it is advisable to take the bus! Mudbrick and Jurassic Ridge are also fairly close to each other, and Peninsula Estate is in the same area.

West island winery tour

For the East island tour, there is a large selection of wineries to visit. All are on the bus route, except for Obsidian and Casita Miro which are a 5-10 minute walk from the bus stop. Grab some food for a picnic on the mainland, head to Onetangi Beach to break up the day, and enjoy one of the nicest beaches on Waiheke.