Scenic · Small group
The Waiheke Naturally Tour
The coast, the bays and the shape of the island.
| Adult | NZ$236.74 |
|---|
Editorial spotlight · Waiheke Island, Auckland
2026 Southern Cross Awards nomineeBest Island Food and Wine Tour
Ananda Tours
Forty minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland and the vineyards start. Ananda has been showing people around Waiheke since 1999, founded by Jenny McDonald, who had already spent two decades on the island as a district nurse and midwife. Small groups, local guides, and lunch somewhere with a view.
- Waiheke Naturally
- NZ$236.74
- Essence of Waiheke
- NZ$299.87
- Tripadvisor
- 4.9
- Reviews
- 1,020
Editorial spotlight. Ananda Tours is a nominee in the 2026 Southern Cross Awards. They did not pay for this page and had no say in it. We earn a commission when you book through the links here; your price is the same.
The operation
Founded by a local, twenty-seven years in
Jenny McDonald moved to Waiheke in 1978 and worked as the island’s district nurse and midwife for nearly twenty years before starting Ananda in 1999. That order matters: the business came out of living there, not the other way round, and it is still family-run. Reviewers consistently describe the guides as locals who are genuinely entertaining rather than script-readers.
The range runs from scenic to seriously food-focused. Waiheke Naturally is the scenic tour, taking in the coast, the bays and the island’s shape. Essence of Waiheke is the wine tour with lunch and tastings included. The Gourmet’s tour adds more food and a longer table. Private versions of each are priced per person on a sliding scale, and the company also runs a vehicle-hire service for groups who want their own day.
“A district nurse and midwife on Waiheke for nearly twenty years before she started the company.”
- M
Guide
Michael
- C
Guide
Craig
- G
Guide
Glenn
- A
Guide
Andrew
Guides named repeatedly by reviewers. The company has not yet confirmed which names and roles it wants printed.
The one to book
The Waiheke Naturally Tour
The scenic tour: the bays, the coastline and the parts of the island most day-trippers never reach, in a small group with a guide who lives there. The cheapest way to see Waiheke properly rather than walking from the ferry to the nearest cellar door.
If wine is the point, Essence of Waiheke at NZ$299.87 includes lunch and the tastings. If food is the point, the Gourmet’s tour is NZ$341.96. Half Day Scenic Wine and Lunch sits between at NZ$268.30, and adds EcoZip ziplining for NZ$419.82.
| Adult | NZ$236.74 |
|---|---|
| Essence of Waiheke | NZ$299.87 |
| Gourmet’s tour | NZ$341.96 |
Checked against FareHarbor on October 2, 2026.
Check AvailabilityWhich tour
Scenic, wine, or food
All small group. Lunch is included where the row says so.
Scenic
- Waiheke Naturally
- NZ$236.74
- Includes
- The island, not just the vines
Wine
- Essence of Waiheke
- NZ$299.87
- Includes
- Lunch and tastings
Food
- The Gourmet’s tour
- NZ$341.96
- Includes
- Lunch
Book it
Tours
Adult rates. Private tours are priced per person and fall as the group grows. Checked against FareHarbor on October 2, 2026.
Half day · Lunch included
Half Day Scenic Wine and Lunch
Scenery and wine without committing the whole day.
| Adult, with lunch | NZ$268.30 |
|---|---|
| With EcoZip | NZ$419.82 |
Day · Lunch and wine
The Essence of Waiheke Wine Tour
The wine tour, with lunch and tastings included.
| Adult | NZ$299.87 |
|---|
Day · Food led
The Gourmet’s Food and Wine Tour
More food, longer table, same island.
| Adult, includes lunch | NZ$341.96 |
|---|
Day · Private
Private Essence of Waiheke
Your own group on the wine tour.
| 2 to 3 people, each | NZ$762.83 |
|---|---|
| 8 to 9 people, each | NZ$605.00 |
Day · Private
Private Gourmet’s Food and Wine Tour
The food tour, privately, with a two-course lunch.
| Adult | NZ$986.94 |
|---|---|
| Child | NZ$493.47 |
Ananda Black is the company’s vehicle-hire service, from NZ$263.04 an hour for the smaller vehicle and NZ$368.26 an hour for an eleven-seater, or from NZ$673.39 per person for larger private groups.
Before you go
Know before you go
The ferry is your problem
The tours assume you are on a specific sailing from Auckland. Missing it is not the company’s responsibility, and this is the single most common complaint in reviews.
No refunds
The cancellation policy is strict and reviewers who ran into it say so. Read it before you book rather than after.
Private tours are per person
The private tour rows quote a per-person price that falls as the group grows — NZ$762.83 each for two or three, NZ$605 each at eight or nine. They are not a flat charter rate.
Founded 1999
Twenty-seven years on the island, still family-run.
Reviews
What guests say
- 4.9Tripadvisor1,020 reviews as of October 2, 2026
- #4of 46Food and drink on Waiheke
- 1999FoundedBy a twenty-year islander
Reviewers rate the guides above everything — knowledgeable, funny, and local rather than imported — then the small group sizes and the quality of the food and the lunch venues. The one recurring sore point is the cancellation and refund policy, together with the fact that the tour assumes you make a particular ferry; missing it is on you.
Questions
Good to know
Where does it start?
Waiheke Island, about forty minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland. Tours meet a specific sailing.
What does it cost?
NZ$236.74 per adult for the Waiheke Naturally scenic tour, NZ$299.87 for the Essence of Waiheke wine tour with lunch. Checked October 2, 2026.
What happens if I miss the ferry?
That is on you. The tours are built around a particular sailing and the cancellation policy is strict.
How long has it been running?
Since 1999, founded by Jenny McDonald, who had lived on Waiheke since 1978. Still family-run.
Forty minutes from the city, twenty-seven years on the island
The scenic tour from NZ$236.74, or wine with lunch for NZ$299.87.
Check Availability