Location	Hauraki Gulf
House Coordinates	S 36.78618 E 175.04664
Area	92sqkm (36sqmi)
Length	19.3km (12mi)
Width	0.64-9.65km (0.40-6.0mi)
Coastline	133.5km (83.0mi)
Highest point	Maunganui (231m (760ft)
Regional Council	Auckland Region
Demographics
Population	7,689 (as of 2006)
Density	83.58/km2 (216.5 /sqmi)
Ethnic groups	New Zealanders

Beaches

Waiheke Island is famous for its high saturation of scenic beaches, having a huge presence all over the island. (follow the below guide by viewing them on Google Maps) Among them are:

Oneroa Beach - The main beach on Waiheke Island, located along the northern side of the town Oneroa.

Little Oneroa Beach - A small, secluded beach at the east end of Oneroa Beach, separated by a protruding cliff wall.

Palm Beach - Similar in shape to Oneroa Beach (complete with protruding cliff wall on the east end, that separates a small, private beach), it gets its name from the mature phoenix palms at the east end.

Little Palm Beach - A small beach at the west end of Palm Beach, famed among nudists.

Blackpool Beach - The south-facing counterpart of Oneroa Beach, lining Blackpool, popular for kayaking and windsurfing.

Surfdale Beach - A zoned-in beach on the southern side of Surfdale, separated from Blackpool Beach by a small, protruding peninsula. Also popular for kitesurfing.

Onetangi Beach - A 1.87km long, north-facing beach lining Onetangi. For many years it has been the site of the Onetangi Beach Races. Its western (and often inaccessible end at high tide).

Cactus Bay - Considered by many Waihekeans as the island's most perfect beach, and with nearby Garden Cove, a romantic place for picnicking. The beach is accessible only by boat or kayak, as its land access was blocked off by a private landowner.

Waiheke Island is in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand 17.7km (about 35 minutes by ferry) from Auckland. Of the Hauraki Gulf islands, it is the second-largest (after Great Barrier Island), the most populated and the most accessible by regular ferry and air services. Waiheke is the third most populated island in New Zealand, after the North and South Islands. Waiheke Island has a permanent population of around 8,000 residents. Much of the population lives close to the western end of Waiheke Island, at or close to an east-west isthmus between Huruhi Bay and Oneroa Bay which, at its narrowest, is only 600 metres wide.

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Island Stats
The island is 19.3km long from west to east and varies in width from 0.64km to 9.65km, and has a surface area of 92sqkm. The coastline is 133.5km, including 40km of beaches. The port of Matiatia at the western end of the island is 17.7km from Auckland and the eastern end is 21.4km from Coromandel.It is very hilly with few flat areas, the highest point being Maunganui at 231 metres.The climate is slightly warmer than Auckland with less humidity and rain and more sunshine hours.

History of Waiheke Island

Discovered and settled by Maori approximately 1000 years ago, Waiheke translates to "cascading waters". Some Maori legends relate that one of the pioneering waka (canoes) to New Zealand came upon the island. The first traces of Europeans arrived with the missionary Samuel Marsden in the early 1800s, several years after Captain Cook passed by and acknowledged the island in his travels through the Hauraki Gulf.

Places of Interest

Signs of Maori occupation on Waiheke Island still exist today. Archeological sites are scattered over the island including more than forty pa sites, cooking pits and terraced areas.

Stony Batter Historic Reserve and Defence Complex

Located on the eastern tip of Waiheke is Stony Batter, a historic WWII defense complex that is accessible by walking through countryside with striking views of the Hauraki Gulf and Coromandel Peninsula. Stony Batter today is open to visitors to walk through the network of underground tunnels and chambers that link to magnificent gun emplacements. The purpose of the complex was to provide outer harbour protection in case of an invasion.

The area got it's name from some unusual rock formations deposited as a result of volcanic activity more than 8 million years ago.

Stony Batter is a 10 to 25 minute walk to the tunnels from the carpark off Man O' War Bay Road. Look for direction signs.

Allow 30 to 90 minutes to explore the fort. Bring a torch for the underground tunnels. Guided tours and information are available on site.

The Stony Batter Protection and Restoration Society was formed to restore the Stony Batter defence complex. To find out more about their work or how you can be involved, visit their museum and information centre at Stony Batter.