Waiheke: A hedonist's guide to natural selection

Owner Tony Forsyth at Te Whau Vineyard and Restaurant, which is run sustainably and aims to go organic. Photo / Martin Sykes

In a few short decades, Waiheke has gone from a green hippy enclave with just three vineyards to a tourist spot with lattes, mansions and 30 boutique wineries.

But Waiheke may be about to get its own back. Because while the wine buffs were perfecting their craft, the wine trade was overtaken by a growing consumer demand for sustainability.

At the end of last year, more than 1000 New Zealand vineyards, or the owners of 80 per cent of the country's winegrowing land, had agreed to go sustainable.

The industry body that promotes local wine, NZ Winegrowers, wants every drop measured against its sustainable guidelines by 2012.

It makes sense for Waiheke to take advantage of the trend, since many of its vineyards already use sustainable practices.

Te Whau (one of three wineries we visit on an afternoon tour) claims it was one of the first in the country to build from new along sustainable lines.

Entering the striking white circular building that houses the café and tasting area, we are told Te Whau's vines slope steeply back from the Hauraki Gulf to catch the island's plentiful sunshine.

The grapes, nestled against the slopes of one of the jutting spurs pointing back towards Auckland, are hand-pruned and hand-plucked.

After a sip, it is easy to believe the marketing, which tells us that the gentle, manual approach to winemaking leaves more natural colour and flavour behind.

The winemakers are working to go fully organic, but the process is labour-intensive, which, we are told, is one reason why Te Whau's lovely reds sell for a comparatively steep $50-$70 a bottle.

We are no experts (quantity drunk is no measure of expertise in the wine trade), but after sampling several wines from the idyllic Mudbrick Estate, and a few from the stark, exceptionally well-priced Ridgeview, we conclude almost-organic Te Whau was our favourite on the day (out of a good bunch, too).

After the sustainable wine, we head back to Auckland to check out another green tourism trend: the eco-friendly hotel.

But that doesn't mean Auckland City Hotel - which is marketed for its greenness - is aimed at travellers who want to get back to nature. On the surface, the hotel looks like any other. If you arrived expecting tie-dyed hessian rugs, you would be disappointed to find the lobby even more starkly functional than average.

To complete the picture of ordinariness, a group of 50-something Southeast Asian tourists wheel their black suitcases into the lift just as we check in.

Our room matches the lobby, modern and tasteful, with white walls and muted decorations.

There are some noticeable differences, though.

For a start, there is a miniature compost bin under the sink and recycling is separated rather than thrown in a single bin.

The lightbulbs are the energy-efficient variety, and instead of constant air-conditioning, there is a free-standing unit than can be switched on and off. The tap at the sink has two settings - full flow and half flow.

The only thing in our room that is noticeably inefficient is the blankets, or rather the lack of them. We hunt fruitlessly through the wardrobe and drawers for something to supplement the flimsy bedcover, but end up leaving the two large oil-fin heaters running all night - probably not the most eco-friendly option.

It is hard to know from such a brief stay how deep the efficiencies go. But even recycling and eco-friendly lightbulbs are more than you will find in many hotels. This is going green the painless way. If only more environmental problems could be solved with hotels and wine.

Eloise Gibson sampled some green tourism courtesy of Auckland City Hotel.