Napier

[paulaann]

Does anyone know if there are any car rental agencies in downtown Napier? I have found Avis, Budget and Hertz at the Napier airport -- but that is quite a ways from the ship. Has anyone ever taken any of the wine tours? Thanks!

[Aussie Cruisers]

Does anyone know if there are any car rental agencies in downtown Napier? I have found Avis, Budget and Hertz at the Napier airport -- but that is quite a ways from the ship. Has anyone ever taken any of the wine tours? Thanks!

 

I searched in google... "car rentals napier new zealand" and came up with three downtown.

 

Try... http://www.carrentalsnapier.co.nz as this is downtown.

[Bob&Janet]

ITry... http://www.carrentalsnapier.co.nz as this is downtown.

 

I used this company when we were on Sun Princess. Very helpful people ... they brought the car to the port and met us at the start of the day and then picked it up again at the pier the end of the day. No extra charges for doing so.

[infohound]

Does anyone know if there are any car rental agencies in downtown Napier? I have found Avis, Budget and Hertz at the Napier airport -- but that is quite a ways from the ship. Has anyone ever taken any of the wine tours? Thanks!

Suggest that if you are thinking of a wine tour, then perhaps a self drive hire car is not the way to go, cant enjoy as much of the tastings as you would like. There are quite a few companies who offer winery tours, can even go on a bike [self ride tour]. The company that advertises at the top of this thread [The Mount Classics banner ad] has a page on their site that lists a few companies who can offer the wine tours in napier, give them a try. Suggest you include Church Road and Mission wineries in any tour that you take, we did these a few years back, well worth it.

[bobsydney]

From memory, we did 3 or 4 wineries when we hired the car at Napier ... a couple in the morning and then a couple around lunch time, and this was sufficient. I was the driver and am also a wine lover, so had to spit rather than swallow a bit more often than I normally would.

 

In between wineries, we had a very enjoyable drive around the district, stopping at a good lookout near Havelock and then in Hastings ... both very worthwhile, particularly the coffee we had in Hastings ... must admit NZ do coffee shops well!! Hastings was a surprise ... a very pretty main street that we spent more time in than we meant to.

 

Advantages of using a hire car to visit wineries over a group tour is that you pick and choose those that interest, and you can also avoid the crowds/bus groups that go to some. We mostly went to smaller wineries that the coaches didn't go to and we therefore had the opportunity to chat to the winery staff about their wines/vineyards. We did go as well to Mission Estate (which is not far from Napier, so was a good stop on the way back to the port) and while it was busy, it was still worth visiting for the buildings and the view. The wines were alright too ... in fact, we bought a few bottles there, from memory, the only place we did!!

 

Cheers

Bob

[cinogirl]

I grew up in Napier and still have family there, so let me know if you want any more advice. My partner and I went back for a visit a couple of years ago and drove ourselves, and I've also done an organised wine tour. The organised one was great, but it was better to be able to stop at ones that took our interest. There are quite a few out Greenmeadows/Taradale way (about 20 mins from the Napier Wharf) which are nice. Also orchards (Hawkes Bay (the province Napier is in) is known as the Fruit Bowl of NZ).

[northriver]

This is the response I have gotten from this tour company after I sent them an email.

 

Yes, famous for Food, (until 2001 the region was badged as “The fruit Bowl of New Zealand” This is because we are a very rich fruit growing region. Then by 2001, we had raced ahead in the area of Wine, so, the labelling changed to, “Hawkes Bay Wine Country”. Now, to top that, I see in a lot of advertorials in different publications, and they refer to the Hawkes Bay, as…”The Gourmet Food and Wine Region” confused. Yes, it is a lot to take in…..moving along..

 

We visit the Oldest Winery in New Zealand, The “Mission Winery” we don’t taste here, but if you wish to, please let me know, and I can arrange it. We also visit another on of the oldest wineries, being “Church Road Winery”. Here we wine taste and explore the only wine museum in New Zealand. This really is a highlight of the day.

 

We are in and out of the coach very often, as we really do visit a lot of places of interest, where one can take a photo, stroll around, wine taste, the museum walk, gardens, and lookouts in Napier, including one directly above your ship. Great photo shot there. If we take the ride to Te Mata, then the longest drive, without the stop, would be just 30 minutes, at any one time. We would also have to stop for lunch, and that is at an award winning garden centre. “Heaven” for garden lovers, and there, we can enjoy an alfresco style lunch for maybe under $10.00 NZD. If we were to “do” the Te Mata trip, then I would expect us to be back at the ship by the times you have indicated, 11/2 to 2 hours before departure. Departing the Port of Napier is a fantastic experience also. Alongside the ship, will be many vintage cars, with the owners in period clothing. This represents what the cities history is based around, the 1931 earthquake, and the fact that the city was completely rebuilt in the Art Deco and Spanish styles. You will explore this side of things with our tours also. I try to make the Napier Experience, the best Experience of your cruise. As you can see on the web site, (and you made reference to the same fact) we still operate with the same prices as we do day to day. In fact, to do the Te Mata trip on my normal daily tour, the cost is $125.00, for the cruise ships, we make it $75.00 for the Napier tour, and a further $20.00 for the extra.)$95.00 in total. We really do love the area we live in, and love to show it off. I would hate to think that a client of mine had left unhappy, it has yet to happen.

 

Finally you asked about how many in the coach. We can carry a max of 7 people. The coach is far more spacious than a bus, loads of leg room, with luxurious sheepskin seat covers, and of course, air conditioned.

 

Bonnie, I do want to be the very first away from the ship in the mornings, so I do ask that my clients are amongst the first to depart This way, we can stay ahead of the crowds, and with the Millennium, because of the size of that ship, there are hold ups at most places. I am generally lucky and pre book all my visits, and try to arrive at times that suit us.

 

Bonnie, if you have any questions at all please ask. If you want to see more images of Napier please go to our Bed and Breakfast site, as I have more images there. www.nesthaven.co.nz

 

Bye for now.

 

John Hanlon

HAWKES BAY SCENIC TOURS LTD

2 Neeve Place

Napier

New Zealand

+64 6 844-5693

www.hbscenictours.co.nz

great_tours@hbscenictours.co.nz

[cinogirl]

That sounds like a good tour - and a professional and flexible operator. I'll see if any of my family know anything about them and let you know. I'd be happy to pay that price for the tour though, it really does sound good.

[northriver]

That sounds like a good tour - and a professional and flexible operator. I'll see if any of my family know anything about them and let you know. I'd be happy to pay that price for the tour though, it really does sound good.

 

 

Thanks for the input.

We booked the tour and it should be wonderful!

[cinogirl]

A friend in Napier said she didn't know about the wine cruise, but they did a dinner crusie on the Wine Country Cat and that was fantastic. It leaves from Ahuriri then goes out along the marine parade towards Cape Kidnappers then comes back in by the wharf for dinner then back out again. Depends on the weather etc but they had a brilliant evening out and would recommend it to anyone. They also have coffee cruises and shorter trips.

 

So hope that's some help.