A post-mortem examination will be carried out this morning in Auckland on the victim of a fatal boat fire on Waiheke Island.

A distressed man with burns on his face, arms and hands tried desperately to get help for his friend who died in a boat fire at Waiheke Island last night.

One person has died and another suffered burns after a launch moored at Waiheke Island caught fire last night.

The battle for passengers on the Waiheke ferry service is about to heat up - much to the relief of many who say the current Fullers service is just not reliable enough.

Half Moon Bay ferry commuters say they are sick of bearing the brunt of service disruptions

About 40 Waiheke commuters were left to wait on the island yesterday after being unable to cram on a stand-in vessel for large ferries knocked out by storm damage and mechanical problems.

"This is Waiheke's Springbok Tour," says John Hawkesby, the bon vivant who has become the mouthpiece of dissent on the former hippie outpost of Waiheke Island.

Kayaking trips from Matiatia on Waiheke can be an adventure for the whole family, discovers Donna McIntyre.

Alarming declines in patronage on Auckland ferries have been blamed on a double-counting blooper stretching back to 2011.

A bird's eye view is your reward when you take to the skies above Waiheke, discovers Helen van Berkel.

A gentle walking trail that edges its way around a Waiheke vineyard will delight all members of the family, writes Donna McIntyre.

The public will be able to step inside 10 of Waiheke Island's most exclusive homes during the Waiheke House Tour.

Relaxation is what a Waiheke Island escape is for, writes Elisabeth Easther.

Donna McIntyre flies over Auckland in an old-school seaplane.

It took just 30 minutes for millionaire Sir Noel Robinson to make up his mind about his new $5.5m Waiheke Island holiday home.

Waiheke was gripped with Brangelina fever yesterday as rumours spread that the superstar couple were holidaying on the island with the kids.

Visitors to Waiheke are invited to experience Oneroa's new sculpture project, writes Donna McIntyre.

Ferry operator Fullers will change its ticketing system to stop the display of personal details of passengers.

Chris Pritchard seeks out the serenity on a trip to a perennial Auckland favourite.

A large fire which broke out at a supermarket on Waiheke Island this afternoon has been extinguished.

When I was approached with the idea that I could "rent" a dog for an hour, it did seem like a weird concept.

Waiheke is New Zealand's most densely populated island with 83.58 people a square kilometre, and is the third most heavily populated after the North and South Islands.

Like the grizzled boaties, dope-smoking hippies, reclusive financiers and cashed-up property developers before him, John Hawkesby has escaped the pace of city life to Waiheke Island. He introduces the people and places he loves.

Hauraki Adventurer and documentary maker Gus Roxburgh shares what he loves about our closest national park, the Hauraki Gulf.