Location suggestions: beachy long weekend from Auckland?
 

Hello! I'm heading down next month for my third trip to New Zealand. Directly after my arrival in NZ the day after Thanksgiving, I have a few days to 'kill' in the general vicinity of Auckland. I was thinking I'd spend about four-ish days at a nice beachy area for sun and swimming. I'm hoping some of the board experts could suggest a suitable place (1) not too far from Auckland, (2) where I could ideally get to and around without renting a car just yet, and (3) if possible, also with at least a touch of mellow nightlife -- i.e., one or two inns/pubs open til 9 pm on weekend evenings, let's say. (More lively than that is also okay, of course.)

A couple places that piqued my interest during initial research were Piha (but fairly certain I'd require a car to get there and I understand the surf is quite rough), and Waiheke Island - I think I can get to the latter without a car but would need one or at least a scooter once there, is that right? I know that's a quite posh and expensive place, but OTOH, there's wine tasting too. ;)

The guidebooks I have don't really talk to much about the 'vibe' of places, so I just hope to collect a few knowledgeable suggestions to focus my further research. Oh, and I have been to the Coromandel peninsula before; not sure if I'll plan on that again this time or not.

Thank you in advance!

Waiheke Island would be a delightful place for a long weekend. You can get around via public buses or just plain walking.

Great, thanks so much! I've booked to stay mid-island near Onetangi Beach.

You're welcome. You can get from the ferry terminal to Onetangi by bus. From Onetangi there are several beautiful walks you can do. We were only there for a day but got a good intro to the island walking around, checking out some of the shops, and doing some wine tasting. Mudbrick and Cable Bay are two vineyards that we recommend.

Terrific! Have written those two wineries down on my hotel confirmation so I don't lose 'em. ;)