Book a tour if…
- wine is the point: four or more wineries, tastings already paid
- you want a guide driving and no planning on the day
- you like a small group, up to 10 people
NZ$185+ ferry NZ$65 · ≈US$105See the tour
Waiheke Wine Tours Hop-On Hop-Off or Guided
A guided tour costs about NZ$250 with the ferry and covers the tastings; the Explorer bus costs NZ$104 with the ferry and leaves every tasting to you. Pick the tour if the wine is the point, the bus if the beaches and villages matter as much.
Updated Oct 2026 · prices and timetables checked Oct 2026 · Sources: GetYourGuide, Fullers360, cellar door websites
Guided tour + ferryNZ$250≈US$142tastings in
Explorer bus + ferryNZ$104≈US$59+ tastings at each stop
Quick answer
Book a guided Waiheke wine tour if you want four wineries with the tastings paid and no planning; take the hop-on hop-off Explorer bus if you want one or two tastings, the beach and your own pace. The tour plus ferry is about NZ$250. The bus is NZ$104 with the ferry, then you pay at each cellar door.
- The Wineries’ Tour: NZ$185 plus a NZ$65 ferry, 4+ wineries with tastings, about 6 hours, up to 10 people.
- The Explorer bus ticket: NZ$104 with the return ferry, 16 stops on an 80-minute loop, tastings paid on the day.
- Only two cellar doors publish a tasting price: Mudbrick NZ$22–31, Stonyridge NZ$10 for a vineyard tour with two wines.
- From April to November the bus runs Wednesday to Sunday; from December to March it runs daily.
- Nobody drives on either day, and both end at Matiatia with any return ferry.
Source: GetYourGuide listings 388036, 253627 and 105619; mudbrick.co.nz; waihekewine.co.nz, Oct 2026
Waiheke Wine Tours or the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, the Same Day Two Ways
A guided Waiheke wine tour sorts the wineries for you; the hop-on hop-off bus gives you the island and leaves the tasting to you. Both days start with the ferry from Downtown Auckland. On the tour, a guide meets you at Matiatia and drives a group of up to ten to four or more wineries. On the bus, you ride a 16-stop loop and pay for each tasting where you stop.
Guided tour · max 10
Waiheke Island Wineries’ Tour
Hop-on hop-off · your pace
Ferry & Explorer Bus Ticket
9:00bus day
Your tour day starts with the 10:00 ferry
Walk-up ferry, Pier 11 or 12
About 40 minutes from Downtown Auckland to Matiatia. Ticket included.
10:00
Fullers ferry from Downtown
The 10am sailing, about 40 minutes. You buy this ticket yourself.
Explorer bus leaves Matiatia
The first loop of the day starts from the ferry wharf.
On arrival
Guide waits at Matiatia
Look for the ENJOI sign; the group leaves once everyone is there.
Hop off where you like
16 stops on an 80-minute loop: wineries, Oneroa village, Onetangi beach.
MudbrickCable BayStonyridgeBatchAllpress olive oil
Late morning
Four or more wineries
Tastings at each vineyard are in the price.
Taste where you stop
Tastings, food and entry are paid on the day at each venue.
Lunch
At least 1.5 hours for lunch
Free time at one of the wineries; lunch is at your own cost.
Lunch wherever you hop off
A vineyard, a café or the beach, at your own cost.
End of day
About 6 hours in all
Dropped at the ferry, or a 15-minute walk back from the village.
Bus back to Matiatia
Ride the loop back and sail on any return ferry.
Max 10 peopleTastings includedFerry not included
Daily Dec–MarWed–Sun Apr–NovBooking essential
Fullers360 lists 17 stops for the Explorer bus; the GetYourGuide ticket says 16. Bus times can change with the weather.
Source: GetYourGuide listings 388036 and 105619 (itinerary, inclusions, schedule), Oct 2026
What Waiheke Wine Tours and the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Cost in Total
A guided tour plus the ferry comes to about NZ$250 with tastings included; the bus ticket is NZ$104 with the ferry, and every tasting is extra. How far the bus day climbs depends on how many cellar doors you taste at. Only two publish a price: Mudbrick charges NZ$22–31 per tasting, Stonyridge NZ$10 for a vineyard tour with two wines. Lunch is extra on both days.
Guided tour + ferryNZ$250≈US$142 · tastings included, lunch extra
0NZ$100NZ$200NZ$300
Ferry + bus + tastingsNZ$104 + ?≈US$59 · each tasting paid on the day
0NZ$100NZ$200NZ$300
Mudbrick tasting NZ$22–31Stonyridge vineyard tour, 2 wines NZ$10Other cellar doors: price not published
Every tour price, cheapest first
Source: GetYourGuide listings 388036, 253627 and 105619 (prices), Oct 2026 · tasting fees: mudbrick.co.nz, waihekewine.co.nz (Stonyridge), Oct 2026
Waiheke Wine Tours Hop-On Hop-Off Bus, What the Explorer Covers
The Explorer is a hop-on hop-off bus, not a wine tour: it links 16 stops on an 80-minute loop and leaves the tastings to you. Four big wineries sit on the route, along with olive oil at Allpress, Oneroa village and Onetangi beach. The GetYourGuide ticket bundles it with the return ferry for NZ$104, and booking is essential.
16stops
80-min loop
80-min loop
Winery stops
MudbrickCable BayStonyridgeBatch
Also on the route
Allpress olive oilOneroa villageOnetangi beach
4.62 · 3,896
Ferry + Explorer bus · NZ$104- Route16 stops on an 80-minute loop from Matiatia; Fullers360 lists 17
- Winery stopsMudbrick, Cable Bay, Stonyridge, Batch, plus Allpress olive oil
- First bus10:00 from Matiatia, after the 9:00 ferry from Pier 11 or 12
- DaysWednesday to Sunday April–November, daily December–March
- Not runningChristmas Day, ANZAC Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday
- On boardA host for tips; live bus tracking
- Not includedTastings, food, entry fees, hotel pickup
Source: GetYourGuide listing 105619 (Fullers360 Western Explorer), Oct 2026
How a Day Feels on Waiheke Wine Tours or the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
A guided Waiheke wine tour feels full and well paced; a day on the hop-on hop-off bus feels slower and is only as full as you make it. Tour guests praise their guides and the variety of wines, and some find the timing tight. On the bus you wait for the next loop, but nobody hurries you away from a beach or a long lunch.
On a tour
The day is planned for you. The guide meets the ferry, drives between cellar doors and talks about the island on the way, and the tastings are ready when the group arrives. Reviewers describe four tastings and around 15 wines on the Wineries’ Tour. The cost is control: you see the stops the operator picks, for as long as the schedule allows.
On the bus
You choose the stops and the time at each. A loop takes 80 minutes, so leaving one stop means waiting for the next bus, which live tracking follows. One or two tastings, lunch in Oneroa and an afternoon at Onetangi beach fit easily into a day. Four tastings are possible, but the waiting adds up.
Source: GetYourGuide listings 388036, 105619, 253627; guest reviews, Oct 2026
Waiheke Wine Tours vs Hop-On Hop-Off, Which One to Book
Book a tour if the wine is the point; take the bus if beaches and villages matter as much. The bus suits a slow day with one or two tastings, chosen as you go. A tour suits four wineries with the tastings paid and someone else driving. From April to November the bus runs Wednesday to Sunday only, so on a Monday or Tuesday check the tour dates instead.
Take the bus if…
- beaches and Oneroa village matter as much as wine
- you only want one or two tastings, at your own pace
- you travel Dec–Mar, or Wed–Sun the rest of the year
NZ$104ferry included · ≈US$59See the bus ticket
Other Ways Than Waiheke Wine Tours or the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
Three other options sit between a full wine tour and the Explorer bus. Wine & Dine at Batch bundles the ferry, lunch with a glass and a bus pass for NZ$176. The Man O’ War vineyard ferry sails to the Man O’ War vineyard for NZ$55. A scenic tour priced per group costs NZ$520 for up to two people.
Ferry + lunch with a glass at Batch Winery + one-day Western Explorer pass; one winery, no other tastings
NZ$176≈US$100 ppBook
A boat to the Man O’ War vineyard
NZ$55≈US$31 ppBook
Priced per group of up to two
NZ$520≈US$296 per groupBook
Source: GetYourGuide listings 1170396, 843389 and 924988, Oct 2026
Waiheke Wine Tours Hop-On Hop-Off FAQ
Still choosing? The tour and the bus, side by side. See which to book.
Can I do a Waiheke wine tasting day on the hop-on hop-off bus alone?
Yes. The Explorer stops at Mudbrick, Cable Bay, Stonyridge and Batch, and you pay for each tasting at the door. Mudbrick takes groups under seven without booking and pours from NZ$22. Plan two or three wineries, because each stop costs you a wait for the next 80-minute loop. Cellar doors and fees.
Does the hop-on hop-off bus run on Mondays?
Only from December to March, when it runs every day. From April to November the GetYourGuide ticket runs Wednesday to Sunday, so a Monday or Tuesday visit in those months needs a guided tour, a taxi or the local bus. The Explorer also does not run on Christmas Day, ANZAC Day, Good Friday or Easter Sunday. See tour dates.
Is the ferry included with the hop-on hop-off bus?
On the GetYourGuide ticket, yes: NZ$104 covers the return walk-up ferry and the bus for the full operating day. Most guided wine tours do not include the ferry; only four on our list do. With a tour, add NZ$65 for the walk-up return. Ferry and tours.
Can I combine a wine tour and the Explorer bus on one day?
Not on one ticket, and the timings rarely fit: morning tours run about five to six hours from the 9:00 or 10:00 ferry. Wine & Dine at Batch is the closest mix, with the ferry, lunch with a glass at Batch Winery and a one-day Western Explorer pass for NZ$176. See Wine & Dine.
Which is better for a group of friends, the bus or a tour?
For four or more friends who mainly want to taste, a tour, because the tastings are arranged and nobody waits for buses. Groups of seven or more on their own must book Mudbrick in advance. For a mixed group where some won’t drink, the bus is cheaper and lets each person choose. Small group tours.
How long should I allow for the hop-on hop-off bus?
At least half a day including the ferry, the operator says. The 9:00 boat meets the first bus at 10:00, and a full loop without stopping takes 80 minutes. With two tastings, lunch and a beach stop, most of the day goes; boats home leave Waiheke until 00:30 on weekdays. Book the bus ticket.
Book Waiheke Wine Tours or the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
For a wine-first day, book the Wineries’ Tour from NZ$185 and add the NZ$65 ferry: four or more tastings, a guide and a small group. For a slower day with beaches and one or two tastings, take the ferry and Explorer bus for NZ$104 and pay at each cellar door you choose.
Cancellation terms are shown on each tour before you pay.