wine tours in Napier?

[clcmdse]

We are investigating doing a wine tour in Napier when we are there in February 2020. Has anyone done one in that port? And if not there, perhaps you have one to recommend in a different port in NZ.  

 

Catherine

[OzKiwiJJ]

I haven't done any wine touring in that area for many years but Hawkes Bay is one of NZ's premier wine regions and there are some excellent wineries there. It's probably one of the easiest ports to do a wine tour from. Are you planning on doing a ship's tour or a private tour?

[Kiwi Kruzer]

This winery in Hawkes Bay has just been voted no 11 in the world and would be well worth a visit .

Craggy Range ....at the foot of the peak of Te Mata.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=12248065

 

when we were there we took a taxi a visited Te Mata wines , went up to the top of Te Mata , then on to the Mission Vineyard . Mission Vineyard was the first to be established in Nz , and is well worth a visit , if just for the setting.

 

 

 

[clcmdse]

Thank you both for your responses.  We plan to do a private tour (Oceania tours are notoriously expensive).  Glad to hear that the region is among the best. Although we love wine, we are most familiar with California wines, so we are eager to learn about this region.  

 

Two local wine tours popped up in my research, but I glad to hear from David that we could just take taxis from one to another and not have to rely on an organized tour guide

[Kiwi Kruzer]

12 hours ago, clcmdse said:

 

Two local wine tours popped up in my research, but I glad to hear from David that we could just take taxis from one to another and not have to rely on an organized tour guide

 

Please dont rely on my comment about taxis . We were lucky and it was almost a spur of the moment chance that a taxi was available outside the Information Centre . . The taxi fleet is limited in a small town and they are kept really busy when a cruise ship arrives with an influx of 2,000 or more passengers. 

A private tour   would be best if there are specific visits you want to make. Also the wineries will be busy and a private tour driver who knows the wineries you will visit , should be able to serve you any samples and give info , etc , if the winery staff are busy.

[clcmdse]

Thanks David for the follow up reply.  Appreciate it. 

 

Catherine

[sippican]

This gentleman operates out of Auckland but he may be able to make a recommendation for you. We can't wait to tour with him.

https://www.insidertouring.co.nz/my-story/

 

[clcmdse]

This is a great suggestion, not only for possible Napier recommendations but also for Auckland. We will be there for two days at the end of our cruise.

 

Thanks so much

Catherine

[leongcpa]

On 7/11/2019 at 6:48 AM, clcmdse said:

This is a great suggestion, not only for possible Napier recommendations but also for Auckland. We will be there for two days at the end of our cruise.

 

Thanks so much

Catherine

Highly recommend touring the wineries (particularly, Man O War Vineyards) on Waiheke Island for one of your two days in Auckland. It's fairly easy to do: take the ferry from Auckland CBD to Waiheke and then rent a car for the day and drive around the island. It's really easy; I'm from California also, the island is pretty small and there really isn't much traffic so I felt very comfortable driving on the opposite side of the road there.

[mr walker]

For Napier, thoroughly recommend the Black Limo bus tour. When we were there in Jan this year, we took the small group (just 6 in total) tour with and visited a wonderful winery - Askerne. We saw the sights and also visited the chocolate/fudge factory and the ice cream shop, with fresh fruit 🙂

http://www.blackroselimos.co.nz/

 

Cheers,

Neil

[Tansy Mews]

On 7/10/2019 at 7:54 PM, Kiwi Kruzer said:

 

Please dont rely on my comment about taxis . We were lucky and it was almost a spur of the moment chance that a taxi was available outside the Information Centre . . The taxi fleet is limited in a small town and they are kept really busy when a cruise ship arrives with an influx of 2,000 or more passengers. 

A private tour   would be best if there are specific visits you want to make. Also the wineries will be busy and a private tour driver who knows the wineries you will visit , should be able to serve you any samples and give info , etc , if the winery staff are busy.

 

Just checked the port schedule. Oceania Regatta is the only ship in port on Feb 14, 2020. https://www.napierport.co.nz/quick-links/cruise-schedule/

Frances

[IslandThyme]

I'll be in Napier in October on Maasdam, and have booked a winery tour through Prinsy's Tours. I found them through Trip Advisor, and am expecting a good tour with them.

[ckone]

Prinsy has not responded to my inquiry after several days.  They are off my list. 

[geffric]

we booked with wines and views in Napier  http://www.vinesandviewswinetours.co.nz/

 

[bigdavefc]

Check out https://www.bubblygrape.co.nz/ They are fantastic. Check them out on Trip advisor and you can see the review we posted back in March 2016.

[Kiwi Brenda]

Definitely visit Craggy Range and eat there too! Just awarded Two Hats for their restaurant. Our favourite but there are a lot of excellent vineyards there!  We’ve used a private car service called My Chauffeur many times (google them in Hastings). They have lovely drivers and are reasonably priced and they do winery tours as well. You can book them well in advance if you want.  Enjoy your trip to NZ!