Waiheke Island Wine and Food Festival

Overview

Waiheke Island is a destination bursting from its seaming with first-class wineries and restaurants. You could spend a week here and still not cross off all of the artisanal producers dotting the island. The Waiheke Wine and Food Festival is an option if you need some help jumping from one vineyard to the next.

The three-day event, running from Friday, May 14–Sunday, May 16, has over ten vineyards signed up for its first year. Festival passport holders will unlock vineyard experiences across the island, including food pairings, tastings, art displays and live music. All you have to do is choose which vineyards you'd like to visit.

At Mudbrick you can sit down for an amuse bouche with a glass of wine; Casita Miro is offering two half glasses of wine with Basque-inspired tapas; Wild Estate will be pouring three tastings with a side of olives; and Poderi Crisci is offering a flight of four wines accompanied with a selection of garden vegetables, bread and olives.

The $180 passport includes one tasting, a return ferry ticket from Auckland's CBD, access to hop-on, hop-off festival shuttles and partner events like after-dark telescope viewing and the closing party at Wild Estate on Sunday, May 16. Vertical wine tastings, degustation dinners and bottomless mimosa breakfasts can be added for an additional cost.

Image: Miles Holden.