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.

Former All Black Marc Ellis has got offside with a neighbour at the prestigious gated community of Matiatia Estate on Waiheke Island.

"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.

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.

A fundraising concert for opponents of a planned Waiheke Island marina has been lauded as "Woodstock without the nakedness" by organiser John Hawkesby.

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.

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.

Justine Tyerman manages to leave Waiheke with her limbs intact after spending Easter - but not a fortune - on the island with her family.

The waiting list for water delivery on Waiheke Island is getting so long some families need to go without water for days on end.

A man accused of rape who reportedly left New Zealand by obtaining a new passport while dressed as a woman can be named for the first time.