New Zealand Guided Walk: Quirky and beautiful Waiheke island 1-5 days of walking in paradise
Waiheke Island is a place full of community spirit, gorgeous coastal vistas, eccentric and caring locals, no traffic lights, safe swimming beaches, worldclass wineries and cheerful village life where smiling is mandatory.
Just 40 minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland, Waiheke Island is loved by its 9000 residents, and every one that comes to visit.
Three years ago, with that elusive goal of finding passion in my work, I started the island’s first multi-day walking company, iWalkWaiheke, offering packages including gourmet food, accommodation, transport, full support and logistics to walk on Waiheke, whether for one day or to tackle the 100km Te Ara Hura trail.
iWalkWaiheke answers all the usual walking dilemmas of how far is that, how long will it take, is the track well marked, which track is best suited, where do we stay, where do we eat, and so on!
As a superyacht chef (and later a naturopath) I’ve called Waiheke Island home since 1994, and I love to share it and host people who love to walk. The drive was to establish an ecoconscious multi-day walking tour, showcasing our fabulous tracks and trails and blending it with spectacular food, wine and scenery, giving clients a fun, memorable, active and varied walking holiday experience.
Clients have ranged from solo walkers who trek all over the planet looking to walk for the pure pleasure of walking, tramping groups looking for a new adventure combining a walking holiday with comfort and dining, and people challenging themselves for fitness.
One Australian couple booked to walk the 100km without ever having
walked anywhere. They were from a flat mining town in the outback, and were exhilarated by the hills and the undulating trails, and pushed t hemselves beyond their expectations to jubilantly complete the walk. Another group wished to walk just the best of the best tracks for a couple of hours each day and enjoy wine tastings and a long lunch! Each trip is custom planned to suit whatever you require.
The trails and tracks traverse a fantastic mix of native bush, coastal farms, look out points, forest and bird reserves, regional park, rights of way through private land, wetlands, and beaches.
These gorgeous trails are joined up through quiet roads and village paths. My greatest surprise is how much everyone enjoys these parts of the track too, that wind through quaint baches and backyards, the millionaire’s man- sions, the village shops, community halls and the art galleries, providing the wonderful opportunity to intersect with the locals going about their island lives. For more information or questions please contact vicki@iwalkwaiheke. co.nz and join us for a rewarding and memorable walking experience.