Visiting Waiheke Island was totally up there on our list of things to do in New Zealand. So naturally, I somehow roped my family into taking a holiday to this beautiful island for my birthday! Yes, it was pricey and yes, the kids are now eating instant noodles for the week. But let me tell you, it was worth it!
Since we had our two kids with us, we decided it was best to take our own car. We made sure to book a spot on the Sealink Waiheke ferry that departed from Half Moon Bay, Auckland. We travelled on a beautiful August, winter day and the ferry ride was pretty steady as we travelled across the Hauraki Gulf. Our 4-year old daughter loved being on the upper deck of the ferry gazing at the beautiful surrounding islands and Auckland in the distance. We were also super lucky to see a friendly pod of dolphins making massive leaps out of the water! What a treat! To add to the treats, my husband surprised me with a flat white from the cafe that was super DELICIOUS!
Once we arrived at Kennedy Point, we headed straight for our Airbnb which was less than a 5 minute drive away in Surfdale (we desperately needed to change a diaper). Once inside, we fell in love immediately. The space was so clean and spacious, with beautiful sea views and an amazing spa pool for the win! This space was so great for kids for a number of reasons but mostly because:
Things we Loved about our Airbnb for the Kids
1. It came with a portacot (pac n play)
2. There was a baby gate to guard the tall staircase
3. It was very spacious for the kids to play
4. There were not many things that the kids could grab and potentially break
5. The deck was fully enclosed and the wall was taller than they were
6. It had a separate bedroom for them to sleep so that my husband and I could enjoy the main area after they went to bed
The location was also very ideal as we were close to the water, a playground, a few restaurants, and a walking path. The only thing we missed out on was the basketball net near the playground! We were sad that we did not bring a ball to show our kids how it’s donnnne!
Our second day being a Sunday, began with a 9:15 AM mass at St. Peters. The community was very welcoming to us. They showed us where to find the toys, colouring sheets, and books that the children used for the entire time! The church was also very beautiful. The wall behind the altar has a huge window which looks onto an incredible view.
After church, we decided to scope out some of the beaches and have some lunch. There are tons of beaches on this island, but we went to the most popular ones like Oneroa, Little Oneroa, Onetangi, and Palm Beach. Oneroa is close to the town centre that has very cute shops and many eating places! On the beach itself is a double swing for the kids, toilets, and lots of places to sit for a picnic. This is where we ate our packed lunch with the kids!
Little Oneroa, which is only a short distance away has a beautiful playground for the kids, a lagoon with a cute bridge, toilets, and my favourite – Dragonfired Pizza (in the parking lot). We stopped at Little Oneroa for the kids to have a play and to grab a Margherita Pizza (it was soooooo good).
Below are some of the beaches that we visited on our trip to Waiheke Island! As mentioned before, we enjoyed the playground at Little Oneroa, but we also stopped and let the kids have a play at the Playground at Palm Beach as well!
One of my favourite parts of our trip was the drive to Stoney Batter Historic Reserve. From Oneroa Beach, the drive was just over 30 min and it was absolutely stunning. There are several benches along the way that look out onto amazing farm lands dotted with sheep and the blue sea in the background.
The Stoney Batter Historic Reserve has numerous walks with awesome views amidst amazing greenery, some pretty cool boulder fields, and of course breathtaking sea views. Our kids loved seeing the numerous sheep that would often run across the path to get away from us. We also heard and spotted some New Zealand birds, including a couple Wekas and a Wood Pigeon. There is a rich amount of war history at this site including a secret fortress with tunnels and guns. It was built for the ideal views of the Hauraki Gulf in the 1940s. Tours of the tunnels are provided with tickets purchased from the Museum on site.
On the morning of our last day we packed up our Airbnb and headed to the shops in Oneroa. We enjoyed popping in and out of the many shops that displayed little trinkets and up-cycled goods. As I mentioned before, there are many restaurants and coffee shops in this area that look divine! We went to a little spot called Frenchie that had delightful looking crepes, creme brulee, and croissants. I went for a flat white (as per yuje), and then we got some potatoes and aioli for my daughter. In the end we all ate the potatoes because they were that good!
After puttering around in Oneroa, we ventured to the western side of the island to visit the Mudbrick vineyard. I highly recommend visiting this vineyard as it so beautiful and the views of Auckland are stunning.
Visiting Waiheke Island was one of the best holidays we have had together as a family. I highly recommend checking it out if you have a young family and are looking for a relaxing and fun-filled vacation. Below are my top tips for successfully visiting Waiheke Island with small children.
Top Tips for Visiting Waiheke with Kids
1. Book an Airbnb that is suitable for kids, and allows for you to relax! If the Airbnb has extra baby/child supplies this is a win for you! Kids need lots of space, and minimal areas where they can hurt themselves or break things that don’t belong to you. I also like getting an Airbnb that has separate rooms. This allows for you to have some space with your spouse once the kids have gone to bed.
2. Bring your own car. It does cost a bit of money to bring your own car to the island, however the hassle is so much less when you can just pull off the ferry and be on your way. We also liked not having to muddle around with the car seats! Make sure you fill up with gas before going to Waiheke Island, as I have heard the gas is more expensive there.
3. Bring useful toys that your kids will like. On this trip we brought along a small bag of Duplo, a few plastic action figures, our daughter’s Barbie, and a container filled with paper, stickers, glue, tape and pencil crayons. The kids did very well on these items throughout the entire weekend.
4. Make plans to stop at a playground. Our children seem to do very well on trips when we take the time to play with them at places they like. The playgrounds and beaches proved to be great stops for them to let out some energy and laughter as we played together. Again, the playgrounds we went to were at Little Oneroa Beach, Palm Beach, and close to our accomodation in Surfdale.
5. Bring your own food. We saved a lot of money by bringing or own food from home. Some of the top items were the classic spag bols, bagged salads, granola bars and bananas. We also brought along a bottle of Rose that we enjoyed in the spa pool on our first night! Don’t forget to also bring water bottles for everyone – including yourself!
6. Bring along any medications or first aid supplies that you may need. We brought along the kids’ paracetamol, antihistamines, and puffer just in case we ever were to need them. We also brought our homemade fist aid kit that had a few bandaids, and other dressing supplies. Along with this topic of health, I recommend that you figure out who to call if you ever need medical help outside of usual working hours. The best person to ask would probably be your Airbnb host or other locals!
So there you have it. How to take on Waiheke Island with kids like a boss! Again, I highly recommend this location with young families as we had loads of fun over our weekend holiday. Hopefully we will get out again when the weather is a bit hotter so that we can take a few dips at the beaches and enjoy some of the more child-friendly vineyards like Wild on Waiheke!