Another week, another blog post about Waiheke Island… but who can blame me? This little island in New Zealand’s Hauraki Gulf is awesome. Period. End of paragraph.
I visited Waiheke Island in the weekend for the second time this summer – partly because I’m a wine enthusiast who just can’t get enough of Waiheke Island’s wineries, but mostly because I wanted to walk the island’s famous sculpture trail.
And boy was it worth it the 40 minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland.
Waiheke Headland Sculpture on the Gulf is New Zealand’s premier contemporary outdoor sculpture exhibition – an approximately 2km (1.2 mile) walk that features magnificent views of the gulf and more than 30 sculptures by various artists from right here in New Zealand.
These sculptures range from the sublime – giant windswept dandelions, mirrored monoliths, traffic lights in the middle of nowhere – to the frankly ridiculous, such as a pickle water fountain or James Bond taking a selfie (below).
I don’t know much about art, but I do know that I liked nearly all of the sculptures on display. I mean, I wouldn’t necessarily want them in my backyard, but they do make some interesting and unusual sights. And they’re a lot of fun to photograph.
The walk takes up to two-and-a-half hours to complete, depending on how slowly you walk or how many old people with walking sticks you get stuck behind (there tends to be a lot of them along this walk). However, I did the Waiheke Island sculpture trail in a little over an hour.
The trek isn’t too strenuous, considering you’ll likely stop and take in all the sights. But I would recommend you take a bottle of water with you – it can get pretty hot during the peak of summer.
The Waiheke Headland Sculpture on the Gulf walk is easy to find. Simply disembark the ferry at Matiatia on Waiheke Island and walk to the nearby pavilion, which you can’t miss as you leave the ferry terminal and walk two minutes up the road. From there, you can catch a shuttle bus up to the start of the walk.
Waiheke Headland Sculpture on the Gulf has been an annual event on the island since 2003. This year it’ll end on 15 February 2015. Along with the wineries, the sculpture trail is another great excuse to visit Waiheke Island if you’re ever in Auckland.
Check out more photos on the Man vs World Facebook page.
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