Waiheke Island is one of my favorite places to visit in the world. Located 40-minutes from downtown Auckland by ferry, Waiheke’s verdant landscape offers rolling hills, tranquil beaches, and beautiful vineyards making it a great place to get away. A resort island since the 1890’s it’s beaches and balmy climate make it a favorite destination for many New Zealanders. One easily gets into a routine of exploring during the day, lunching at one of the many vineyards and walking to a local beach to watch the sunset. You are never far from anything as the island is crisscrossed with a pattern of little two-lane roads connecting beaches, settlements, and vineyards.
These pictures were taken during the month of June, which roughly translates to December in the US. Because of the location in the Hauraki Gulf at 37-degrees South, (San Francisco is 37-degrees North) the climate is moderate this time of year with temperatures averaging 50-F. While rain was commonplace, we also had many sunny days when we could hike to the beach or lunch on a vineyard’s outdoor patio.
Overcome by the island’s natural beauty and the kindness and warmth of the locals, Waiheke Island is a place we would like to spend more time, maybe even a season or two. Like all New Zealand, Waiheke is grounded in a common sensibility and practical approach to life that is comforting, reassuring and most appealing. A nice place to live, if they’d have us…
All images were taken with Nikon D750 with AF Nikkor 35mm f/2 D prime lens, AF Nikon 18mm-35mm f/3.5-4.5 ED IF wide-angle zoom lens or AF-S Nikkor 55mm-200mm f/4-5.6G ED (DX) tele zoom lens in RAW format and processed in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC 9.4