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Stony Battery at Waiheke Island

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We had a lovely motor sail from Mercury Island to Waiheke Island.  It was pretty chilly despite it being a beautiful sunny day.

We landed in Hooks Bay to hide out from the southerly winds forecasted for the next few days.  We hope to move to Man-O-War Bay for some wine tasting soon.

Hooks Bay

We start our Waiheke experience at Hooks Bay which is on the eastern side of the island.  Hooks Bay is a large bay suitable for loads of boats.  Lucky for us there were only a few when we visited.

We anchored here with our friends Ian and Anne on Torterelle.  Super pretty spot with access to a long beach and a few hiking trails.

The beach was really long and you could walk from one side of the bay to the other at low tide. 

You do have to climb over some rocks but they were not challenging at all.

The sandy beaches nestle up next to rolling, green hillsides full of sheep and cows. 

We also encountered a flock of geese and ducks which was fun.

There are lots of little caves and nooks along the beach. 

And the really interesting thing is the hillsides were made of clay or dirt not rock.

These two trees really appealed to me.  The bottom of the one tree was barely holding onto the ground yet it was thriving.

The trunk of the other tree surprised me as it was between two hillsides with barely any room for a tree of this size.

Stony Batter

We walked from Hooks Bay to Stony battery which is about a 30 minute walk straight up hill.  Fairly easy walk on a small goat’s trail and through the farmland.

This Heritage 1 Listed WWII Coastal Defense Fortress is located at the eastern side of Waiheke Island.  This location was chosen for its strategic advantage and uninterrupted views of the Hauraki Gulf.

The Stony Batter fortress was designed to take direct enemy bombardment and is in a very high state of preservation.

There are 1.2km of subterranean passages, chambers, and stairwells all tunneled by hand. 

It is said that this is a true architectural, engineering and construction marvel.

Here are a few signs around Stony Batter.

We walk from Hooks Bay which is about 2.5km (30 minutes). 

This is a fairly easy walk up several hillsides and across several pastures.

I love how New Zealand builds stairs for hikers to go up and over fences!

The locals have clearly marked the entrance with a NZ flag and signage.

As soon as you walk onto the grounds you are greeted with several WWII structures and/or foundations.

We found Exhaust Vent buildings, diesel tank storage, carpenter’s store, and the public works building.

There are three gun placements on Stony Batter.  However only the first two were ever complete with weapons.

Underworld Tour

We went on this tour a few years ago so we did not go again on this visit. 

But please visit our blog post on the underground tour which includes: Art, history, heritage, gun store, magazine chamber, engine room, and command bunker.

The full heritage tour takes you down seven stories underground to the #3 passage which is 500 meters long.

The large boulders are actually remnants from a volcano explosion.  They are everywhere and are super cool to explore.

Monster Eating Rock

Directly across from the entrance to Stony Batter on Waiheke Island is a collection of very large boulders. 

Matt went to go see and to my surprise was eaten in one big CHOMP!

But don’t worry, I was able to save him with just a few injuries.

Of course in the process of saving Matt I was half eaten myself.

Find Stony Batter on No Foreign Land.

We were on Waiheke Island at Hooks Bay around the middle of March in 2026.

Our blog posts run 4-6 weeks behind actual live events.

Stony Batter WW2 Bombardment

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Our friends on Yum Yum (Mirko and Daniela) join us for a hike on Waiheke Island to an WW2 heavy coast defense battery called Stony Batter.  The actual website for Stony Batter and their contact and tour information can be found at www.stonybattertunnels.nz.  It was a 2nm dinghy ride to a small beach to get to the start of the trail which was straight up!  Seriously small trail (maybe for cows and sheep) that was vertical through the woods and forest.

The walk was straight up hill, then across several fields, up a few more hills, and over a few fences.

We passed by lots of animals on this hike…cows, sheep, waka (bird) and funny enough they all stopped what they were doing to look at us.

We arrive to the tallest peak and finally see the Stony Batter in the distant valley.  I love the funny face someone painted on the rock (lower left photo).  Matt is on top of a rock on top of the hill (top left) and the 3 remaining concrete gun replacements can be seen on the top right photo.

Stony Batter

Stony Batter has 3 concrete gun emplacements and an extensive system of underground chambers connected by stairs and tunnels.

We first come across the foundations for the Carpenter Store, Lister Engine Base, Auxiliary Engine and Lighting Plant, the Public Works Building and a ventilation shaft.

I will let you read about the history at Stony Batter, if you wish, but here are a few photos that we came across as well.

They had a cool little museum at Stony Batter where you could sign up for a tour, which we did!

The Underworld of Stony Batter

You can only see the underworld with a tour guide and as luck would have it we arrived 10 minutes before the tour left!  Us at the entrance to the tunnel which is 7 floors below the earth’s surface.

We visit a supply room which now is the home to the precious heritage findings (top left), a meditation room (top right), the engine room (middle two photos) and the plotting rooms (command center) (bottom two photos).

The engine rooms contained three diesel engines and generators which powered the lights in the tunnels, the equipment and the guns.

The top photo is the image of the stairs that take us 140m below the earth. The top right photo shows a part of the tunnel that was not completed. Just for fun, a picture of a latrine, and the exit from the tunnels.

The Gun Emplacements

We continue making our way around Stony Batter to find the gun emplacements.  We found #2 and #3.  The third gun emplacement was never finished so we moved on to the 2nd one.  We climbed down a sketchy ladder and got an up close look at the center.

It said “no entry” but we did not see it until we were climbing back out – ooops.  They did have signage down there so I think it used to be public.

The curator recreated the overall defense for Auckland.  The top right ship was a German ship that destroyed a NZ passenger ship “in accident.” The top left submarine is Japanese that threatened their security and safety.

More epic views on our way back down the trail.

And a gorgeous panorama shot of the anchorage and Northland islands.

There are 2 tours that you can take.  In 2024, a 25-minute tour costs $25NZD. A full 55 minute tour for $30 which takes you to all of the cool places we visited.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog occurred on Valentine’s Day!  Be sure to check out the rare, white donkeys we encounter in Coromandel.