Outdoor Activity
Waiheke Western Explorer Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
The Waiheke Bus Company runs a network of public bus routes across Waiheke Island, timed to connect with ferry arrivals and departures at Matiatia Ferry Terminal. Four main routes reach Oneroa, Palm Beach, Onetangi, Ostend, Rocky Bay and Kennedy Point, making it a practical way for families to reach beaches and trail walks without a hire car.
- How muchTe utu
- $2.80
- Ages
- 0–34–89+
- WhereKei hea
- Waiheke Island
- Rating
- 3.5
- 78 on Google
Perfect for
LocationTe wāhi
102b Ostend Road, Ostend, Auckland 1081, New Zealand
What it is
Local drivers and guides share the island's history and landmarks along the way, and the coach windows frame the scenery between stops. With 30 vineyards on the island, older visitors tend to make a beeline for the wine trail, while younger ones are more likely drawn to the beaches.
For groups wanting something more tailored, the company also arranges private charters and custom vineyard tours, with a range of coach sizes to suit parties of different sizes.
What other parents say
All the drivers and guides were very kind and helpful. During a busy time expect to wait at the port to board a bus-30 minutes between each bus. You also won’t have time to make all the stops so my suggestion is to figure out where you want to make sure you go and stop at those in order. I did like the fact you could see where the bus was so if we were wine tasting we could see if we had to hurry through it or take our time. Expect you could do about 3-5 wineries (if that’s what you want). We did take the 10 am ferry from Auckland and went back about 4 pm. Regardless, it’s a wonderful island to enjoy. Note: there is a place for Olive oil tasting and on Saturdays they have a market in the town square. The system is very easy to navigate and team very helpful.
CAPT. Morgan and Johnny (Bob the builder) were fantastic chaperones, told interesting stories and insights to the islands history and life in general. The service sticks to an easy to follow time table, as well as providing a link with the positions of both buses, allowing you to organise yourself and not miss a trip. A great way to experience all Waiheke has to offer, would recommend the Hop on, Hop off option to all intrepid travellers!
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A good idea, if the drivers cared. It is off season, places are slow, less people. It does not give the excuse for drivers to get lazy. Sun is setting,solo female traveler. I am at the bus stop, I touch the bus midship and wave...the driver takes off. No looking in the mirrors to check. I had to call a taxi,missed my ferry. All they had to do was check their surroundings and open the door, I was there trying to board. Shame.
Waiheke Bus Company is one of the best bus companies in New Zealand. My husband and I love taking a bus on Waiheke Island as we don’t need to both renting a car or driving our own car all the way from Half Moon Bay. Neil is the best bus driver as he always drives the safest and greets customers. We love chatting with him when we reach the bus terminus at Kennedy Point Ferry Terminal. We will definitely use their service again when we visit Waiheke Island again.
When we alighted the ferry, it was very unclear as to exactly where we had to catch the bus (that was part of our ticket) so lots of visitors got on private coaches that they then had to pay extra for. When we finally found the queue to the Hop on, Hop off bus (an old double-decker) the commentary was absolutely terrible. The strong Indian accent would have been hard to understand if he’d been stood right next to me . . . but add to that an atrocious muffled PA system and he might as well have been speaking in Swahili 100m away !!! Resolving these easily rectified problems would make the whole experience far more enjoyable.
Reviews from Google.
