Wheel-y cool Waiheke
You can enjoy the best of all worlds on an ebike around Waiheke, exercise without the effort along with transport between wineries and eateries on the island, writes Clarissa Hirst.
When planning a trip to Waiheke, the first question that usually arises is how you’re planning to get around. Taking your car across offers flexibility and access to wineries off the main bus routes, but it’s pretty expensive. Opting for the public bus or a wine tour means no-one needs to be the sober driver, but you have to work to a timetable.
You could call your second-cousin-twiceremoved who owns a boat, or ask your colleague who lives on the island if they’re happy to be your chauffeur.
I decided to try ebiking, which seemed like a fun, active, environmentally friendly option.
The Waiheke ebike experience began at the ferry terminal, where my travel companion and I were picked up by Mark Seavill, owner of the family-run Waiheke Bike Shop. His ebiking business had been going strong before March 2020, but the isolation restrictions threw a spanner in the spokes.
Kiwis prefer to holiday on weekends, so without international visitors, local tourism operators like his have gone from seven-day to two-day-a-week businesses. It’s a tough time to be in the tourism industry.
That being said, the interest in ebiking is clearly there. When we arrive at the shop there are already some eager cyclists getting ready for a day of exploring the island.
The bike shop has a number of bikes to choose from, and we were hooked up with two sleek-looking Shimano E-Greens. If it’s your first time on an ebike, don’t worry, the team walks you through how they work and the different modes, and make sure you’re comfortable before setting off. The chief mechanic, Evan, is passionate about bikes, so can fill experienced cyclists in on the more technical details.
I spent the first part of the day with my bike in eco mode.
However, once I discovered the normal and high modes, I didn’t look back. In eco mode there’s not a drastic difference to a normal bike, but take things up a notch and you’ll be whizzing up even the steepest of hills.
We kept to the central part of Waiheke and used normal and high for much of our trip. By the end of the day, my bike was down just one bar of battery. The E-Greens definitely have great range.
Cycling on Waiheke is certainly not like cycling in Auckland’s central city, however you’ll be sharing the road with cars most of the time, so pay attention around bends.
I’m no scientist, but there’s a correlation between wine consumed and confidence levels, and you’ll notice your speed limit increasing as the day – and your intake of Bordeaux blends – goes on. Try not to get too reckless!
Casita Miro
A few minutes’ ride up the road is this lovely Spanish-inspired winery and restaurant, on the hillside overlooking rows of vineyards and the water. We had the goat’s cheese croquetas, gambas with focaccia bread, and the lamb tagine, which filled us up nicely after our morning ride.
Then it was time to cycle it off on another short ride down to the beach.
Onetangi Beach
You’ll find some great beachfront lunch options along Onetangi Beach, including the elegant
Ki Ma¯ ha. Further along there’s Three Seven Two (named after the first three digits of the Waiheke phone number) and beach bar, Charlie Farley’s. We grabbed an icecream from Farley’s To Go, the cute beachside shack next door, and went for a stroll along the sand. Park your ebikes down a side street as they’re not allowed on the beach.
Tantalus Estate
Ride up Fourth Ave and on to Onetangi Rd and, after a few kilometres, you’ll reach a cluster of wineries that include Te Motu, Stonyridge, Tantalus Estate, and Wild on Waiheke. We chose to stop at Tantalus, and were treated to an educational tasting experience from our charismatic sommelier Mariano, who shared his own ebiking experience with us. It seems they’re taking the island by storm. From Tantalus, you can easily pop to some of the other wineries close by or head back for an early evening tasting at Cable Bay or Mudbrick. Alternatively, do what we did and venture to the southern side of the island.
Whakanewha Regional Park
Waiheke isn’t all about wine. This beautiful regional park is about a 10-minute ride from Tantalus Estate. It’s home to native birdlife and offers walking trails of varying lengths to stretch your legs along. Once you’re done exploring, ride up the hill to Batch Winery, which combines funky design and interior decor with sweeping views of the island.
We finished our day there before cycling back to the ferry on the southern side of Waiheke for a change of scenery.