Our day trip to Waiheke Island, a 45 minute ferry ride out of New Zealand was absolutely my most favorite day of the entire trip.
We started the day off with a visit to Waiheke Honey Company, a local bee farm that produces a variety of pure 100% honey, one of them being the famous Manuka honey, known to have healing and medicinal properties. One thing about me, I am absolutely so so so scared of bugs or insects or anything that can sting or bite you, so I was really nervous to be around the bees, but if you stayed still as they flew by, they would hover for a few seconds and then just fly right past you.
As we started sampling the honey, we learned about how complex bees are, and all of the behind the scenes work that goes into making these hundreds of thousands of jars of the sweet honey. Among the honeys we tried, Manuka honey is a honey made from the local Manuka flower and is said to have healing and antibacterial properties, and it’s used in everything from skincare to hospitals. But this honey can only be farmed when the bees and their environment are protected. Supporting farms like this one, the ones that treat bees like partners, not honey making machines, made me realize that sustainability doesn’t always mean big change. Sometimes, it starts with how you shop, what you support, and who you choose to listen to.
After our trip to the honey farm, we ventured out to the village for a beachside lunch overlooking a beautiful array of some sailboats as we had mulberry pancakes and iced chai. We then walked uphill to take in the beautiful views of the vineyards that line the hills and mountains with the beach and water in the background. We watched the sunset from there before heading to dinner and then a ferry ride back home. It was too much fun and I wish I could’ve stayed there forever!

