KEY POINTS:
It's with a certain sense of smugness that we settle back in our seats on the Fuller's Quick Cat ferry to Waiheke and watch the lights of the city glitter in the fading light.
Other weekenders heading out of town are probably crawling along the motorway (in fact, we can see the traffic at a standstill on the Harbour Bridge), and all we have to care about is who gets to go to the bar and buy a glass of wine.
The 35-minute trip flies by as the ferry cuts through the night. Rangitoto, Motutapu, Browns and Motuihe islands pierce the water like great prehistoric beasts and before we know it the lights of the multi-million dollar homes atop the hills of Matiatia wharf twinkle their welcome.
We're soon in our rental car and on the way to Onetangi Beach Apartments across the island, but stop on the way to stock up on a few bottles of local wine and have dinner at the award-winning Thymes Tables in Surfdale.
The beauty of this restaurant is that there's no umming and ahhing over the menu. Each night Thymes Tables serves up one entree, one main, one dessert. We soon find ourselves tucking into duck parfait, followed by steak tartare and scrummy homemade icecream.
Full and happy, we wind our way through the dark to Onetangi, where we're greeted by the sound of crashing waves and smell of sea salt. We head to our apartment overlooking the courtyard, jump up and down on the bed and admire the spacious kitchen and living area. We crack open a bottle of delicious Awaroa organic syrah, grown just up the road, and decide we're so comfortable we might just stay in bed all weekend and order room service ...
... Which arrives at 9am the next morning (as pre-ordered the night before). We follow up our hearty breakfast with a walk along the golden sands of Onetangi Beach and a trip back to Ostend for the Saturday morning markets, where there's an eclectic mix of second-hand gear, books, clothes, jewellery and locally-made produce on offer. We stock up on herb spread, stuffed olives, cheese, salami and chutney before nipping across the road to the bakery for walnut bread and patisseries.
Time to get off the beaten track. We head back to Onetangi, take a right on to Waiheke Road and within minutes we're passing through green hills on the way to Stony Batter and its network of World War II tunnels and gun emplacements. We rattle along the metal Man o' War Bay Road and marvel at the views to Cactus Bay, Owhiti Bay and the Coromandel.
At Stony Batter, we take a brisk walk out to the tunnels. The views from the gun emplacements are spectacular and, high on the beauty of it all, we push on up the hill and play among the giant boulders.
From here we follow the road to the far end of the island to Man o' War Bay, where we pull up and tuck into our picnic. There's an old-world charm to the bay that reminds me of growing up on our farm on the Kaipara Harbour. The only sound is the gentle lapping of water on the stony beach and the cry of a passing grey heron.
The road climbs from here up along the coast towards Orapiu. We slow down as we pass giant locked gates and peer curiously down to the pricey homes that are tucked away on the water's edge.
Then we circle back towards Onetangi and our apartment, stopping on the way for a sample of Passage Rock's world-class syrah.
It's been an invigorating day for body and mind. It's too cold to swim, but the water looks inviting. Instead, we opt for the short stroll along the water's edge to Charley Farley's, a restaurant and bar which, during summer, has the best deck in the land.
We are joined by friends who have come over from Auckland for dinner (another advantage of escaping to somewhere so handy). It's a surprisingly quiet night; the locals are all at a rock 'n' roll fundraiser for the school, but that's okay. It gives us time to enjoy some great conversation and tasty food from the bar menu.
We roll back to bed and agree that Sunday is definitely the day of rest ... but then there're all those other vineyards, art galleries and cafes to explore on the road back to the ferry. One weekend just isn't enough.
Amanda Linnell travelled to Waiheke courtesy of Fullers, Onetangi Beach Apartments and Waiheke Auto Rentals.
Getting there: Fullers Ferries to Waiheke depart from downtown on the hour between 9am and 5pm (with extra early morning and evening sailings). Adults $32, child $16, senior $28.60, family $80. * Getting around: Look out for Fullers' package deals - Unwind on Waiheke (running until the end of this month) and Wheels on Waiheke. Phone: (09) 367 9111.
Waiheke Auto Rentals offers a wide range of vehicles and can be reached on 372 8998.
Where to stay: Onetangi Beach Apartments (372 0003) are right on Onetangi beach and offer a wide selection of apartments and studios. The courtyard apartments range from $145 per night (low season) to $225 (peak season).
For reservations to Charley Farley's, ring 372 4106.
