Waiheke Wine Tour or the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus?
A guided Waiheke wine tour against Fullers360's hop-on hop-off bus and the island's public buses: cost, which vineyards each reaches, tastings and timing (Oct 2026).
Take a guided wine tour if you want the tastings booked, a guide who explains the wines and no thought about the clock; take Fullers360’s hop-on hop-off bus if you want to choose your own vineyards, linger where you like and pay for each tasting as you go. The bus ticket, which includes the return ferry, is from US$59 a person; a guided tour starts at US$104 before the ferry (checked October 2026). On your own, every tasting is extra.
The three ways round the island
| Guided wine tour | Fullers360 hop-on hop-off | Public bus (AT) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay | From US$104, ferry extra | From US$59, ferry included | An AT fare per trip; ferry extra |
| Tastings | Included on every tour here | Paid at each cellar door | Paid at each cellar door |
| Vineyards | Chosen and booked by the operator | 16 stops incl. Mudbrick, Cable Bay, Stonyridge, Batch | Along routes 50A and 50B |
| Lunch | Own cost or included, by tour | Own cost | Own cost |
| Who drives | The guide | Fullers360’s bus, loop of about 80 minutes | Auckland Transport |
| Age | 18 and over | No age limit listed | Any |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways.
Tour and ticket details from GetYourGuide, checked October 2026; bus routes from Auckland Transport’s Waiheke timetable.
The hop-on hop-off bus
Fullers360’s Western Explorer leaves Matiatia from 10:00, timed to meet the 9:00 ferry from Auckland, and loops 16 stops in about 80 minutes, on the listing. Its stops include Mudbrick, Cable Bay, Stonyridge and Batch, Allpress Olive Groves, Oneroa village and Onetangi beach. The ticket covers the return walk-up ferry and the bus for the whole operating day. Bookings are essential for the bus; you swap the voucher for boarding passes at the ticket office at least 60 minutes before sailing. It does not run on Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday or Anzac Day.
What it does not include: tastings, food, or entry to anything. You walk from each stop to the cellar door and pay there; at Stonyridge, book ahead to be sure, or walk in when there is space.
If you would rather spend part of the day on the beaches and walks than at cellar doors, waiheke-island-tour.com goes through the same bus loop stop by stop for an island day.
The public bus
Auckland Transport runs routes 50A and 50B between Matiatia and Onetangi via Oneroa, Surfdale and Ostend, on its Waiheke timetable; Stonyridge, Tantalus and Te Motu are on Onetangi Road, near the eastern end of the routes. Pay with an AT HOP card or a contactless bank card; check fares on at.govt.nz before you go.
A guided tour
A guided tour costs more because it includes the tastings, the booking and a guide. On the three-vineyard tour you sit down for each tasting and stop for lunch at Batch Winery or Charlie Farley’s, which you pay for. On the beachfront lunch tour lunch at 372 is included. On the gourmet food and wine tour, every tasting fee and a tapas lunch are included.
Check the ferry and bus ticket's dates →
Which one, by who you are
Ferry + Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
The return ferry and a day on the Western Explorer; you choose the cellar doors and pay at each.
Check dates →Three-Vineyard Wine Tour
A local guide, sit-down tastings at three vineyards and a lunch stop you pay for.
See the tour →Taste of Waiheke
Fullers360's guided day with the ferry, three tastings and a two-course lunch at Batch.
See Taste of Waiheke →Prices and ratings from GetYourGuide, checked October 2026; operators change prices, so treat them as a guide, not a quote.
Whichever you choose, nobody drives
Tasting across three or four cellar doors adds up. New Zealand’s drink-drive limit for drivers aged 20 and over is 250 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath or 50 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood, and zero for drivers under 20 (NZ Transport Agency). The bus and the tours take the car out of the day. Waiheke wine tasting prices lists what each cellar door charges, and the best Waiheke vineyards says which ones the tours visit.
The Western Explorer’s stops, loop time, start time, booking and closed days from Fullers360’s GetYourGuide listing, read on 29 October 2026. Routes 50A and 50B from Auckland Transport’s Waiheke bus timetable. Drink-drive limits from the NZ Transport Agency.
Ferry and Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
Fullers360's return walk-up ferry from Downtown Auckland and a day pass on the Western Explorer bus: an 80-minute loop of 16 stops including Mudbrick, Cable Bay, Stonyridge and Batch. Tastings and food are paid on the day. As listed in October 2026.
Check Ferry and Bus Dates