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The island's adrenaline option

Ziplining on Waiheke with EcoZip

Three 200-metre dual ziplines over vineyard and native bush, then a guided forest walk back up. Brilliant — as long as you know how the three hours divide.

EcoZip runs Waiheke’s zipline: three 200-metre dual-cable runs dropping over vineyard and regenerating native forest, with views out across the island as you go. The dual cables mean two people ride side by side — couples, friends, a parent next to a child — and a phone-bungy is included, so you can film the ride without donating your phone to the bush below. After the last run, a guided walk brings you back up through the forest while the guides talk about the native bush and the conservation work your ticket supports.

Two logistics facts first, because they decide bookings: the ferry is not included — you book the crossing from Auckland separately — but the pickup from Matiatia ferry terminal is, so once you are on the island, EcoZip handles the rest.

The zipline trip

Every option side by side, with the same facts for each. Open a card for the full tour details.

EcoZip zipline & native forest walk
EcoZip Adventures

EcoZip zipline & native forest walk

Three 200-metre dual ziplines plus a guided native-forest walk in about 3 hours. Riders 30–125 kg; under-15s only together with an adult who is also ziplining. Ferry not included — pickup from Matiatia is.

  • Duration: 3 hours
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
from NZ$ 149 ★ 4.9 (774 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide →
Full tour details

About this tour

The island's adrenaline option: three 200-metre dual ziplines over vineyard and bush, followed by a guided walk back up through regenerating native forest. The dual cables mean two people ride side by side, and a phone-bungy is included so you can film the ride without donating your phone to the forest.

The ferry is not included — book the crossing separately. Pickup from Matiatia ferry terminal is part of the ticket.

Meeting point

Pickup from Matiatia ferry terminal is included; the ferry crossing itself is not.

Know before you go

  • The ferry is not included — pickup from Matiatia ferry terminal is.
  • Rider weight must be between 30 and 125 kg.
  • Under-15s take part only together with an adult who is also ziplining.
  • A phone-bungy for filming the ride is included.

Not suitable for

  • Riders under 30 kg or over 125 kg

Content taken from the operator's product page on the booking platform.

Add the crossing

The zipline ticket starts on the island — this is the ferry to get you there.

Return fast ferry Auckland – Waiheke
Fullers Group

Return fast ferry Auckland – Waiheke

The crossing the zipline ticket leaves to you: 40 minutes each way, departures every 30 to 60 minutes, ticket valid for a month.

  • Duration: 40 minutes each way
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
from NZ$ 62 ★ 4.7 (1,216 reviews)
Book on GetYourGuide →
Full tour details

About this tour

The basic ingredient of every Waiheke day: the return fast-ferry crossing from downtown Auckland to Matiatia, about 40 minutes each way, with departures every 30 to 60 minutes. The ticket stays valid for one month, so the return sailing does not lock you to a time — catch whichever boat suits the day you actually had.

Book this on its own if you are building your day yourself: beaches, cellar doors at your own pace, or an e-bike from one of the island's hire shops.

Know before you go

  • Crossing time is about 40 minutes each way, with departures every 30 to 60 minutes.
  • The ticket is valid for one month — the return sailing is not fixed to a time.

Content taken from the operator's product page on the booking platform.

How much of the 3 hours is actually zipping?

!
The riding itself is three runs — each one over in seconds.

Two of the critical reviews make exactly this point, and it is better to read it here than to discover it on the platform: the pure zipline time is short. The roughly three hours divide between the drive from the ferry with a mini-tour of the island, the safety briefing, the group taking turns on each of the three lines, and the guided bush walk back up. If you are buying adrenaline minutes by the clock, that arithmetic will disappoint you. If you read the ziplines as the exclamation marks on a forest-views-and-guides outing, the reviews suggest you will come home happy — much of the praise in them is for the guides.

Who can ride

The operator’s rules are concrete: riders must weigh between 30 and 125 kg, and under-15s take part only together with an adult who is also ziplining — the dual cables make riding side by side part of the design rather than a workaround. That combination makes this one of the two Waiheke trips in our comparison that genuinely work for families, alongside the hop-on hop-off bus; the wine tours are for ages 18 and up.

Getting there — and the one failure mode worth preventing

The meeting logistics are designed to be simple: one reviewer describes obvious signage on stepping off the ferry, and the pickup from Matiatia is included in the ticket. But the single one-star report in the reviews below is instructive — a party and their driver failed to find each other, and with no mobile coverage at the meeting point on that day, the miss could not be repaired. The lesson is cheap: before you travel, re-read the meeting instructions on your ticket, know the pickup point and time exactly, and do not rely on being reachable by phone at the pier. The operator’s public reply to that review confirms the driver was waiting at the agreed point — both sides lost that day to a communication gap, not to bad faith.

Plan the ferry with margin, too: the crossing takes about 40 minutes and boats run every 30 to 60 minutes, but on summer weekends the queues are real. An earlier boat costs you nothing — the return ticket stays valid, and Oneroa village is a pleasant place to wait.

★
In short

Book the zipline for the whole package — views, guides, forest, three genuinely big runs — not for a stopwatch of adrenaline. Check the 30–125 kg window, bring an adult rider for anyone under 15, book your ferry separately with margin, and fix the pickup details before you leave mobile coverage behind. Free cancellation runs to 24 hours before, so reserving early is risk-free.

The zipline and its ferry, side by side

Sorted by review count. The “What’s in it” column starts with the ferry answer.

Photo Trip What's in it Rating ↕ Price ↕ Book
Return fast ferry Auckland – Waiheke Return fast ferry Auckland – Waiheke The ferry itself — return crossing, 40 min each way, ticket valid 1 month ★ 4.7 (1,216) NZ$ 62 per person Book now →
EcoZip zipline & native forest EcoZip zipline & native forest Ferry NOT included (Matiatia pickup is) — 3× 200-m dual ziplines + forest walk · 3 h ★ 4.9 (774) NZ$ 149 per person Book now →

All prices are live from GetYourGuide or Viator and include taxes and booking fees — the number here is the number at checkout. “What’s in it” summarises the product title and states whether the ferry is included — check the full inclusions on the product page.

What riders say about EcoZip

Real traveller reviews from GetYourGuide.

★ 4.9 (774 reviews)

“The ziplining was very fun! The views were awesome and the guides Nancy and Poppy were friendly and funny! Not only did they do an awesome job prepping everyone for the zipping, they spoke about the local bush on our walk back. Frankie (our driver) was very knowledgeable of the island …”
Cameron · USA · September 2026
“This trip was great fun and so well organised. Obvious signage to be collected off the ferry and very well organised zipline experience. The perfect blend of having time to relax and take it all in without feeling like you were waiting around! … To be told your helping with their conservation cause whilst they explain the forest around you is the icing on the cake!”
Jason · Isle of Man · April 2026
“If you want a bit of an adrenaline rush as well as a ferry pick up and convenient drop off, do this! If you want to find out some history of the island and experience some real 'kiwi' bush, definitely do this!!”
Michele · Australia · July 2026
“Very fun activity, my brother and I did it together (aged 16 and 20) friendly guides, great views, little tour we got of the island to and from the zip lines was really good too.”
Oliver · Australia · April 2026
“This was an amazing experience! Nancy and DeBaker were excellent guides, very knowledgeable about their forest. The views were beautiful and the forest was gorgeous. Absolutely worth it.”
Joy · USA · May 2026
“It was incredible. So thankful for our tour guides. Made everything simple and fun. So cool about what they’re doing for our country regarding our forests and wildlife.”
Elizabeth · New Zealand · July 2026
Critical review
“We never met our guide. … It was 10.30 when we arrived. Having waited until 12 midday with no sign of any guide we assumed the zipline had been cancelled because of the wet weather. … Unfortunately I had no mobile service.”
Verified traveler · Australia · August 2026

The operator replied publicly to this review: the driver was waiting at the agreed Matiatia pickup point, and attempts to reach the guests by phone and through the booking agent were unsuccessful.

Critical review
“The organization and the team are great but the activity itself is very fast: only 3 descents and the rest of the time we wait for everyone to pass.”
Verified traveler · France · February 2024 · translated review
Critical review
“The actual zip line was for around 15 mts in total, with 3 zips each zip lasting only for seconds…the waiting for the group and trek was about it all. The zip could have been longer :(”
Sreenivasan · New Zealand · December 2023

The guides carry this experience — most of the reviews we collected name them. The criticism worth taking seriously is about proportions: the riding itself is three runs of a few seconds each, and much of the three hours is the island mini-tour, the group taking turns, and the guided bush walk back up. If pure adrenaline minutes are what you are buying, know that going in; if you read the ziplines as the exclamation mark on a forest-and-views outing, the reviews suggest you will be happy. The one-star report is a meeting-point failure — pickup at the ferry is signposted, but without mobile coverage a missed connection is hard to repair, so fix the meeting details before you travel.

Reviews collected from the tours' GetYourGuide pages. Shortened for length (marked with …), wording unchanged; names reduced to first name and country.

FAQ

Is the ferry included in the EcoZip ticket?

No — you book the crossing from Auckland separately. What is included is the pickup from Matiatia ferry terminal on the island, so once you step off the boat, the logistics are handled.

How long is the zipline experience?

The trip takes about 3 hours door to door on the island: the drive from the ferry with a short island tour, the safety briefing, three 200-metre zipline runs, and a guided walk back up through the native forest. The riding itself is a small share of that — each run is over in seconds, as two of the critical reviews point out.

Can children do the zipline?

Yes, within the operator's rules: riders must weigh between 30 and 125 kg, and under-15s take part only together with an adult who is also ziplining. The dual cables mean the two of you ride side by side.

What is the dual zipline?

Each of the three runs has two parallel cables, so two riders go at the same time, next to each other. It turns the ride into a shared moment — and it is how the under-15 rule works in practice.

Can I film the ride?

Yes — a phone-bungy is included in the ticket, so you can film with your own phone without risking it in the forest below.

What happens if I need to cancel?

Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start. The policy shown at checkout on the GetYourGuide product page is the binding one.

How do I make sure the pickup works?

Re-read the meeting instructions on your ticket before travel and know the pickup point and time exactly. One reviewer describes clear signage at the ferry — but mobile coverage at the pier is not guaranteed, so do not count on a phone call to fix a missed connection.

Related on this site

The ferry from Auckland →

The crossing this ticket leaves to you — queues, piers, flexibility.

Hop-on hop-off bus →

The other family-friendly Waiheke trip — with the ferry included.

One perfect day →

How the zipline fits into a full island day.

Ready for the big runs?

The zipline and its ferry, side by side.

See the comparison ↑