Waiheke Island, New Zealand With Kids

waiheke island new zealand

This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on any of the links below, I may get a commission if you make a purchase at absolutely no additional charge to you. This helps offset the costs of running this blog & I appreciate your support. Please see my privacy & disclosure policy for more.

Table of Contents

After I got our ticket to New Zealand, I started researching must see places. Waiheke Island, New Zealand was one of them, and just a short ferry ride away from Auckland. It was also recommended to me by someone who had visited with kids, so I figured I had to include it in our itinerary. There’s plenty to do on Waiheke Island, New Zealand with kids, as well as for people traveling without kids.

Black Family Travel The MOM Trotter Blog 1

Waiheke Island, New Zealand With Kids

On our trip to New Zealand, we visited 4 different cities in New Zealand, Auckland, Waiheke Island, Rotorua and Coromandel.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjnR8EMxkNk[/embedyt]

When Did We Travel To Waiheke Island

We went to Waiheke Island the first week of February 2018. Aiden spent his birthday on Waiheke Island.

Black Family Travel fullers ferry

Waiheke Island, New Zealand Weather

We visited Waiheke Island, New Zealand with kids in February and the weather was warm, in the 70’s. Which was absolutely perfect

How To Get To Waiheke Island, New Zealand With Kids

We took Fullers which is a ferry, from Auckland City to Waiheke Island. It was a beautiful 45-minute ride on the ferry. We made sure to grab a seat at the top for the views. We all loved it. The ferry is equipped with a snack bar and bathrooms.

The ferry leaves every 30 minutes from Auckland city. You can purchase tickets online or at the counter. The price is the same for both. The ferry is located downtown, so if you are driving give yourself enough time to find parking. We parked at Downtown Car Park.

Black Family Travel 072A4393
Black Family Travel 072A4378

How To Get Around Waiheke Island

There are plenty of transportation options on Waiheke Island. You can take a taxi, the bus (Explorer Hop On/ Hop Off Bus or the Waiheke Bus Service), rent a scooter, rent a car from Waiheke Rental Cars or take your own car on the Sealink Car Ferry to the island. If you’re staying a few days then take your car, if you’re staying only one day then rent a car. The car ferry runs at different times so you’d have to stay the night if you want to take your own car.

Day 1

We rented a car and 2 car seats when we got to the island (car rentals cost between $89 and $129 in NZ currency). We figured it’d be the best way to get around especially as we had a bunch of stuff with us. We were heading to the beach so we packed a small suitcase with everything we needed.

Black Family Travel waiheke car rental

Day 2

We made the biggest mistake ever, we took a taxi instead of renting a car. We spend 3 times the amount of the rental car. This was a terrible mistake. Taxis on the island are NOT cheap. Lol

Black Family Travel waiheke island

Do you see the price tag on this taxi cab ride, $73 freaking dollars? Omg, I freaked out when I saw it. That was for one ride only. Add $10 more and we could have gotten a rental for the whole day, lol. ughh

Black Family Travel waiheke island taxi 2

Where Did We Stay

We initially planned on staying the night in Waiheke Island but then opted against it. We took the ferry back and spent the night in Auckland instead. (Click HERE to see where we stayed in Auckland)

Things To Do On Waiheke Island, New Zealand With Kids 

Day 1

Drive Around and Admire the Scenery: Waiheke Island is so beautiful and has such amazing scenery that driving around to soak it all in is a must

Black Family Travel 072A4220 e1519062914873
Black Family Travel waiheke island new zealand
Black Family Travel waiheke island
Black Family Travel waiheke winery

Little Oneroa Beach

Aiden has been a beach baby since he was wittle so I knew he would have a so much fun spending his day at the beach. One of the awesome things about this beach is the play structure. The kids enjoyed playing there and then running to beach. They went back and forth all day. They also played soccer with new friends they met and fed the birds.

I also love that there is a pizza stand and convenient store just a few steps away. This beach is super convenient, you can stay there all day and not need to drive away for food or drinks or to buy things you need.

Black Family Travel 072A4248
Black Family Travel little oneroa beach
Black Family Travel aiden akpan 3
Black Family Travel little oneroa
Black Family Travel little oneroa beach reserve
Black Family Travel dragonfired little oneroa
Black Family Travel little oneroa beach store

Snorkeling: The boys were excited about their new 360 Snorkeling masks, but it was basically a fail. Lol. They each had something to complain about. We definitely need to practice more in the pool before trying this again.

Black Family Travel snorkeling mask
Black Family Travel kids snorkeling
 

Sooo, yesterday on Waiheke Island, we decided to try snorkeling. The kids were excited to try on their 360 masks. Buttt, can I just say this; it was an epic fail ??. They did it for about 4 minutes and 39.248 seconds and then they complained about the mask, and the water and this and that. Bleh. We’ll definitely try again another time ? However they loved the beach, and the water and meeting new friends and just running around. How old were your kids when they felt comfortable snorkeling? #Snorkeling #Snorkel #Waiheke #WaihekeIsland #NewZealand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #Wanderlust #Explore #BlackAndAbroad #TravelNoire #InstaLove #TravelDiaries  #Fatherhood #Fun #Happy #Blog  #Blogger #TravelBlog #TravelBlogger #BlackBloggersUnited #Travel #Traveler  #TravelGram #Traveling #IgTravel #InstaTravel #InstaPassport #InstaLove #Adventure #TravelPhotography #TravelWithKids #FamilyTravel

A post shared by TheMOMTrotter| Fam Travel Blog (@themomtrotter) on

Day 2

Wild on WaihekeWild on Waiheke is a kid friendly winery on Waiheke Island. You can eat, drink and play. I loved it here and so did the kids. They have a play structure, trampoline and huge board games to keep everyone busy.

Black Family Travel wild on waiheke
Black Family Travel wild on waiheke 2
Black Family Travel IMG 20180207 154928 892 e1519063187497

Man O’ War Vineyards: This vineyard is much further out than the other places on the island, however they have free wine tasting and the best wine (enough for you to go there, lol), a walk away from the beach, and the drive there has some amazing views.

Black Family Travel ma o war vineyard waiheke
Black Family Travel man o war vineyard waiheke 2
Black Family Travel man o war vineyard waiheke
Black Family Travel man o war vineyard

Where To Eat On Waiheke Island, New Zealand With Kids

Wild On Waiheke: This was a great place for lunch as they have kids play area to keep them busy while you taste wines 😉

Black Family Travel wild on waiheke 1

Dragonfired: They have one of theeee yummiest pizzas ever !! Wood fire grilled right by the beach. It was perfect.

Black Family Travel dragonfire pizza waiheke

Tips For Visiting Waiheke Island, New Zealand With Kids

  • There’s plenty to do on Waiheke Island, so I recommend two full days and one night there or more.
  • We were initially going to rent an Airbnb for the night but opted against it. That would have been ideal.
  • Sit on the top deck of the Fuller’s ferry for amazing views.
  • If it’s too windy, sit inside the ferry and make new friends. The boys had so much fun playing with these kids on our ride back to Auckland. They met them on the ferry!
  • You can visit the Fullers site to map out your day on Waiheke depending on what you want to see
  • Rent a car or take your car, taxis are very expensive and you’ll want to drive around and stop where and when you want to.
  • Go to Stay Waiheke for lots more things to do on the island
Black Family Travel 20180206 211940

Read my other posts on New Zealand below:

How To Book Cheap Flights When You TravelIf you are looking to book the cheapest flights you can possibly find on the internet, then make sure to use Skyscanner when searching for flights. Don’t forget to download the Skyscanner App also which is very handy. This is how I was able to get $12.40 airfare from Los Angeles to London, as well as $9.40 airfare from London to Italy.

 

How To Book Affordable Accommodation When You Travel

When booking accommodation, TripAdvisor is the way to go because you can read reviews and see photos from other travelers to get a feel of where you will be staying. Other great sites to book hotels are HotelsCombined, Booking.com and Hotels.com. Don’t forget to check HomeAway and VRBO for house and villa rentals too. Perfect for when you travel with a large family, and also to save money when hotels are expensive. Another favorite of mine is BookVIP – they offer huge resort savings.

How To Book Activities When You Travel

My favorite website to search for activities, tours and especially skip the line tickets is Viator and Get Your Guide. This makes trip planning so much easier because you don’t have to search several sites as both websites have several options to choose from. Same also goes with TripAdvisor Attractions – you can search and book activities as well as read reviews.

How To Book Rental Cars When You Travel

Instead of checking every single website, I use RentalCars.com, Car Rental 8 and Skyscanner Car Rentals to find car rentals all over the world with just one click. If you plan to park at the airport, visit Airport Parking and make a reservation.

Why Travel Insurance Is a Must When You Travel

People book trips and forget the most important part, purchasing travel insurance. Because we travel often, I purchase our travel insurance through Allianz for a year at a time which means that we are covered for all trips within that year. Travel insurance will protect you and your family against theft, injury illness, flight cancellations and so much more. It is a MUST!

Looking to save even more money when you travel?

Visit my Travel Resources page to see all the reliable and trustworthy brands that I use to book my travel with. I only recommend brands that I’ve used and can vouch for, so you’re in good hands! ? Also check out these posts below:

Top Travel With Kids Tips

Traveling with kids and have a few questions you need answers too, these posts below will help your trip run smooth.

[mc4wp_form id=”1323″]

beautiful views on the way to Man O’ War Vineyard

Black Family Travel waiheke island 2 1

posing with the flag

Black Family Travel waiheke ferry 2
Black Family Travel waiheke new zealand
Black Family Travel waiheke ferry 3
Black Family Travel waiheke 2
Black Family Travel 1072A4282 1
Black Family Travel ferry waiheke island 1
Black Family Travel 1072A4291 1
Black Family Travel waiheke ferry
Black Family Travel 1072A4203
Black Family Travel little oneroa 1
Black Family Travel 072A4485

Kay, The Mom Trotter

Hey Fam, I’m so glad you’re here!
I am an entrepreneur and travel enthusiast who is passionate about sharing an alternate way of living surrounding travel, homeschooling, parenting and financial independence, with a mission to inspire other families.

Spread the word:

Grab My Family Travel Guide

Get ready to transform your family vacations with our upcoming Travel Guide.

Don’t miss out on making your family trips more memorable and stress-free. Join our waitlist now and be the first to grab a copy that will pave the way for a lifetime of adventurous globe trotting and meaningful memories.

Related Articles