08 Go island hopping

You’ve heard of Waiheke but what about Rangitoto, Rakino, Kawau, Motuihe and Motutapu? There are more than 50 islands in the Hauraki Gulf east of Auckland. “My favourite are The Noises – a chain of islands and reefs with white sands and jade-green waters,” says Gabrielle Young, who offers private custom tours of the region’s isles on her 41-foot catamaran Pacific Star (terraandtide.co.nz). “The marine life is stunning and if you’re lucky you may even see something bigger – three-quarters of the world’s whale species visit this gulf at least once a year.”