ABOUT TOWN WAIHEKE ISLAND

Old-timers on the motu call Oneroa “town” — in pointed defiance towards that adolescent agglomeration over the water, otherwise known as Auckland. We are 12 nautical miles from the city, and that’s a minimum safe distance for us locals, who become rare, almost fugitive figures in summer, as we get invaded by city slickers. Our population pole vaults from 8000 to around 30,000; a temporary town of up to 300 anchored boats lie in Oneroa Bay. It’s picturesque — twinkling anchor lights and all — but we know that not all of them have holding tanks.

Waiheke may be presented by the media as awash with the cash of the super-wealthy, but that’s only part of the island’s story. Despite the very visible