Stonyridge’s claim to fame was a 1987 Larose – hailed as the greatest red wine ever made in New Zealand; it has continued to kick goals ever since
“You won’t get much change from five million for a house here,” our tour guide Graeme Rivett of Kiwi Connect tells us. I’m on Waiheke, a 20-kilometre-long island that’s a 45-minute ferry ride from New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland. It’s likely you’ve never heard of it, let alone know how to pronounce it (Why-heke), but after a few hours magazine. And yet, this island of multimillion-dollar mansions, vineyards (there are 30 wineries) and sparkling beaches, has somehow kept its laid-back vibe, helped by the 1950s-style (shacks) that also dot the landscape, rope swings hanging from Pohutukawa trees bursting with blazing red flowers, and kids riding bikes barefoot around atmospheric villages. It’s this feeling of a quieter life that the Auckland high-flyers love, Rivett says. And plenty of them have made this island home because of it.
