I can’t believe we’re up to the final part of my Ovation of the Seas cruise blog series! I’m back into the swing of regular life with a full time job and full time uni, so this little adventure is feeling further and further away.
If you still haven’t read the first three parts of this series, go check them out! Or if you want to relive the entire trip again, go give them a reread!
Picture this. White sandy beaches, sparkling crystal-clear water, rolling mountainous landscapes and sweeping city views.
Where can you find all this? Waiheke Island in Auckland, New Zealand.
I’ve saved this post for last because it was hands down my favourite part of the trip. I was in aesthetic heaven!
This little island is rated the number 5 best place to visit in the world by Lonely Planet, and we were definitely amazed by it! We weren’t sure what to do in Auckland, and the other couple we were travelling with were going to the Island, so we figured we’d tag along.
We booked a package online that included a return ferry ride from Auckland to Waiheke Island and a day pass for the hop on hop off bus. This was just over $50 AUD each, and it was a little bit cheaper booking online than on the day.
Auckland was another tender port but only about a five-minute ride over to the marina. The ferry pier and ticket centre were right next to the port, which made it easy to get going straight away.
New Zealand really put it on for us, with gorgeous clear skies and lovely warm days in the high twenties. It honestly looked like there was a high saturated filter over the world and all the colours were incredibly vibrant.
Ferries start going to the island around 7am, but our tour suggested getting the 9am ferry as the bus tours didn’t start until a bit later. The ferry stopped at Davenport and took about 40-50 minutes to get to Waiheke. From the pier, we headed straight to the bus where we were given a map.
Waiheke island is a big tourist destination and is set up really well to give tourists the best experience. Our bus guides were very informative and suggested the best routes for us to do based on what we were looking for.
The bus route is made up of fourteen stops and it takes just over an hour to do the full route. The route starts at the ferry pier, goes to one side of the island (to Onetangi, the main beach) and then back to the pier. Most of the stops are wineries, as this is what the island is known for, although none of us were really interested in wine tours.
Our first stop was #6, Onetangi beach as the guide recommended going there to start and then slowly make our way back to the pier. This was the white sandy beach I was looking forward to. It was so lovely and warm that we just lay on the sand for a solid hour.
This area was surrounded with gorgeous little cafes and restaurants, my favourite being The Boathouse. We really wanted to stop here for lunch but were running short on time so just got a sandwich to go.
We didn’t have much time before we had to make our way back to the ship, and we really wanted to see the cascade waterfall. This was a little bushwalk starting at stop #9. The bus guide told us not to expect a big waterfall as it was just a cascade through rocks. Despite this, it was still so worth it! They say it’s a ten minute walk down and a twenty minute walk back up. The trek was killer but the forest was beautiful. It was nice and cool and felt like we were in a different world.
We made it back up to the bus stop and were rewarded with panoramic views of Auckland. On the way back, we sat right at the front of the bus at the top level and got some amazing views of the island.
We headed back on the 2.30pm ferry which got us back to Auckland around 3.15pm. We had an hour before we had to tender back to the ship. We decided to just wander around for a bit. From what we saw of Auckland city, it was just a lot like Sydney, so I was glad we did the island instead.
Another top day!
This brings us to the end of the Ovation of the Seas Cruise Blog Series! I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about our adventures. Please leave any questions or comments below!
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