Waiheke Community Art Gallery

One of my favourite places in Auckland, the Waiheke Community Art Gallery is truly special. It seems to capture everything that’s magical about the Island in just four rooms.
The last time I went was for the opening of the Off The Wall sculpture exhibition, and it was as stimulating and well put together as any exhibition I’ve seen. The Gallery always seems to attract and foster distinctly fresh perspectives, and the variety of pieces was terrific.
One of the great things about this gallery is that it attracts a great mix of people too, from hippy creative types to some of the posher, newer residents of the Island. It always has a distinctly relaxed, island vibe so you don’t need to feel out of place if you pop in from the beach in your jandals, but at the same time, there’s plenty to be serious about in the quality of the art.
I’ll admit I have a weakness for art gallery shops and Waiheke is the best I know of — it’s a tempting collection of jewellery, ceramics, paintings, prints, and small sculptural pieces.