Waiheke ferry and tour reviews
Read the rating, then read the reviews
Every product here rates 4.6 or better, which tells you almost nothing. What is worth knowing is buried in the text: whether lunch is included, whether the bus was cramped, whether the sample is 3,774 people or 35. Two of the most useful reviews I found on this site are four-star ones on the e-bike day, and they are useful precisely because they are not five stars.
There is a second problem, and it is specific to how GetYourGuide works. Reviews get pooled across related products, so the plain ferry ticket carries write-ups that are plainly describing a guided wine day — four wineries, fifteen wines, lunch. None of that is what a ferry ticket buys. I have kept those out of the ferry ticket review and used only the ones about the crossing itself. It leaves a thinner page and a more honest one.
The eight, cheapest first
Return Fast Ferry Ticket
The crossing and nothing else, at exactly the operator’s own on-peak fare.
from NZ$62Read the full review ›
Ferry & Hop-On Hop-Off Explorer Bus
The most-booked thing on this site. 16 stops, and tastings are not included.
from NZ$99Read the full review ›
Premium eBike Adventure
Thin sample, no ferry in the price, and a hilly island. Read the 4★ ones.
from NZ$119Read the full review ›
Waiheke Island Wineries’ Tour
Six hours, ten people maximum, ferry pass in the price and lunch is not.
from NZ$185Read the full review ›
Scenic Wine Journey 4 Vineyards
Ferry included, guide waiting at Matiatia at 10:40am, lunch bought on the day.
from NZ$190Read the full review ›
Taste Of Waiheke Island Day Tour
Lunch genuinely included — and the honest complaints are about lunch.
from NZ$240Read the full review ›
Wine Tour + Tastings + Beach Front Lunch
Three Onetangi Valley vineyards and a beachfront lunch. No ferry in the price.
from NZ$290Read the full review ›
Gourmet Food and Wine Tour with Lunch
Best-rated here, dearest once you cross, and it rules out the cheap fare.
from NZ$315Read the full review ›The one column I check first
Three of these — the e-bike day, the beachfront wine lunch and the gourmet day — start at Matiatia Wharf, which means the ferry is not in the price. On a NZ$119 e-bike hire that is a third again. On the NZ$315 gourmet day it is the difference between a NZ$315 outing and a NZ$377 one. The five others either include the crossing or are the crossing. If you only take one thing from this hub, take that, then read what the ferry actually costs.
Ferry fares on this page were read on 12 August 2026: NZ$62 on-peak adult return, NZ$46.50 off-peak. Fullers360 revised its fares on 16 February 2026 and they are still moving, so check the operator’s own site before you count on a number. Tour prices come from the listing itself, read the same day.
Where to go next
If you already know you want a guided day, the wine tours compared by what they include is the faster read. If you would rather cross and sort the day out yourself, buses, bikes and taxis all work on the island and you do not need a car. Everything bookable is on one page in price order.
Frequently asked questions
Which Waiheke tours do you review?
Every product this site links to — the plain return ferry ticket, the ferry and hop-on hop-off bus combo, a self-guided e-bike day and five guided wine or food days. Eight in total, one review each, listed cheapest first on this page and priced on the tickets and tours page.
Are these reviews independent?
Yes. I live on Waiheke and I am not a tour operator or a ferry company. I earn a small commission if you book through a link here, at no extra cost to you, which is set out in full in the affiliate disclosure. It has not stopped me writing that a sample of 35 reviews is thin or that a lunch arrived overcooked.
Why do some reviews not match the tour they are filed under?
GetYourGuide pools reviews across related products, so the plain ferry ticket collects write-ups about wineries and lunches that a ferry ticket does not include. It is worth reading the text rather than the star count on any product where the description and the reviews disagree.
Which one would you book?
For a first visit, the ferry on its own and a plan — see a day laid out hour by hour. If you want somebody else doing the driving and the pouring, the ferry-and-bus combo is the cheapest step up and the most-booked product here by a distance.