Wine and Food 15 Days
Wine and Food 15 Days
North and South Island (Reversible)
Savour world-class New Zealand wine and cuisine, as you discover the magnificent scenery and attractions of both the North and South Island.
Travel Style: Private driver I Self-drive I Independent Coach
Accommodation Style: Motel I Hotel I Boutique Lodges
Day 1: Auckland
Suggested activities for Auckland
Explore: Auckland
New Zealand's self-proclaimed "City of Sails" is the country's largest metro area. Resting between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea, this urban paradise has something for everyone. Surrounded by native bush, rainforests, and an abundance of beaches, Auckland is a playground for both the city savvy and those with an eye for adventure. Central museums and galleries can be explored on foot.
Food and Wine: Harbour Dinner Cruise with Explore
This unique on-water dining experience is not to be missed while you're in Auckland. Enjoy smooth sailing on the Waitemata Harbour – then watch this photogenic city come alive with twinkling lights. Enjoy your meal as you sail around the beautiful Auckland Harbour taking in the view as the sun slowly sets. You'll be treated to canapes and a drink as you set off towards Westhaven Marina.
Day 2: Waiheke Island
Food and Wine: The Essence of Waiheke Wine Tour
Known as ‘New Zealand’s Island of Wine’, Waiheke has become home to a dedicated group of award-winning wine producers. With a unique micro-climate and the winemakers’ philosophy of 'small is beautiful', Waiheke has produced some of New Zealand’s most prestigious wines.
On this tour, you will visit three of Waiheke’s top vineyards and sample a range of their wines. Along the way, enjoy a commentated scenic drive, learning about the island’s history, geography, people, and culture from your knowledgeable local guide.
After your wine tasting experience, sit back, relax and finish the day with a lunch and a glass of Waiheke wine or beer at a local favourite.
Day 3: Auckland to Rotorua
Suggested activity
World Famous: Hobbiton Movie Set Tour
In the heart of New Zealand, you can step into the lush pastures of the Shire with a guided tour of Hobbiton, as featured in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies. Hobbiton is located just outside of Matamata - in the heart of the lush Waikato farming region. Here you can visit such iconic Hobbit locations as Hobbit Holes, the Green Dragon Inn, the Mill, and the Party Tree, with a guide sharing behind-the-scenes tales and insight into the making of the films.
Day 4: Rotorua
Explore: Rotorua
Peppered with natural hot springs, boiling mud pools, and steaming geysers, Rotorua sits within one of the world’s most active volcanic regions. Geothermal landmarks aside, this city of sulphur has a rich indigenous history. Home to several prominent Māori tribes, a visit to one of the Māori Villages should be high on your agenda, as should an excursion to the Polynesian Spa for an invigorating soak in its natural mineral hot springs. Alternatively, head up the Rotorua Gondola for soaring lake views, and ride the luge at night for an extra thrill.
Culture: Te Puia Te Rā Daytime Experience including Haka and Steambox Lunch
Te Puia is one of the country's premier indigenous experiences, with its spine-tingling ceremonial welcome, and stunning Kapa Haka cultural show which features traditional ancestral storytelling, song and dance. Enjoy food that has been cooked using the geothermal energy used for centuries, quite literally giving you a taste of Māori culture. You choose what you want to be cooked for your lunch before heading off on a special guided tour of Te Puia.
Culture and Food: Te Pā Tūe Cultural Tour and Hangi Dinner
Journey back in time to a Pre-European lifestyle experience of customs and traditions. Enjoy the night's festivities with the people of Tamaki Maori Village as you are treated to a banquet of succulent foods cooked the traditional Māori way. Discover the Māori village as it comes alive to the sound and activities of tribal songs, dances, myths, and legends and browse throughout the largest after-hours tribal marketplace in Rotorua. Includes a hangi buffet feast that has cooked slowly underground.
Day 5: Rotorua to Napier
Suggested activity
Adventure: Huka Falls Jet Boat Ride
The Huka Jet is 30 minutes of pure fun and exhilaration, skimming close to cliffs, sliding past trees, feeling the adrenalin of full 360-degree spins. The excitement continues right up to the base of the foaming Huka Falls, where you get a spectacular water level view of New Zealand's most visited natural attractions.
Day 6: Napier
Suggested activities for Napier
Explore: Napier and the Hawke's Bay
With its Mediterranean climate and Art Deco style, Hawke's Bay is stylish and unique. As the nation's first winemaking region, a visit to one of its 30 wineries is a must. For the true enthusiast, head out on a tour of the vines. Those into Gatsby can enjoy the chance to view prominent Art Deco landmarks on a 1930s Vintage Car Tour.
Wine and Food: Grape Escape half day Hawke's Bay Wine Tour
Join a fun-filled wine-tasting afternoon in the sun, driving through stunning scenery. Meet like-minded people and share an appreciation of this region's fantastic wine. You'll visit four to five wineries and enjoy a cheese platter on the grounds of the Ngatarawa Vineyard beside the lily pond.
Day 7: Napier to Wellington
Suggested Activity
Explore: Wellington
Wellington, New Zealand's capital, sits on a wonderful deep natural harbour and is surrounded by bush-clad hills. The city centre itself is quite compact (only around one square kilometre), so exploring on foot is relatively easy. It's also often considered the capital of coffee and craft beer; take a stroll down the foodie paradise Cuba Street and take in the city's diverse flavours.
Day 8: Wellington to Picton
Interislander Ferry Wellington to Picton
The 92 km journey between Wellington and Picton takes around three hours and has been described as 'one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world'.
From the Cook Strait, spectacular views of the South Island's Kaikoura Ranges can be enjoyed, and dolphins and many sea birds are often seen. The latter part of the cruise takes you through the Marlborough Sounds and this region of bush-covered mountains, small islands, crystal clear waters, and secluded bays, offers remarkable photographic opportunities.
Day 9: Marlborough Wine Region
Suggested activity
Food and Wine: Sounds Connection Gourmet Wine Tour
The ultimate food and wine experience, the Sounds Connection Gourmet Wine Tour offers a behind-the-scenes look at several renowned Marlborough wineries which may include Hans Herzog Estate, Wither Hills, Cloudy Bay, and Johanneshof Cellars, as well as a stop at the Makana Chocolate Factory. (Wineries visited on this tour can vary due to availability.) Meet the makers behind the wines and gain a fascinating insight into the wine-making process.
Day 10: Marlborough to Christchurch
Suggested Activity
Explore: Christchurch
New Zealand's garden city is steadily being transformed into a vibrant urban destination. Encompassing a large green belt, it's known for its wide tree-lined avenues and lush gardens. Christchurch is also known for many great restaurants, with the local delicacy being fresh-caught crayfish.
Day 11: Christchurch to Aoraki Mount Cook
Today you'll drive through the heart of the South Island, crossing the vast Canterbury plains. Catch your breath in Geraldine before continuing through Fairlie. Ascending Burkes Pass, you'll come to the picturesque lakeside town of Tekapo.
Follow the road and take in the view of Aoraki Mount Cook (New Zealand's tallest mountain) from the shores of Lake Pukaki, known for its glacier-fed turquoise blue color. Continue along the lake to your final destination, Mount Cook Village.
Suggested Activity for Mount Cook
Adventure: Mt Cook Helicopter Experience
Landing amidst the crevasses of the Tasman Glacier, you will put on snowshoes or crampons to explore the glacier’s seracs, icefalls, and astonishing caves of ancient blue ice.
Day 12: Aoraki Mount Cook to Queenstown
Suggested activities
Food: High Country Salmon
Caught from the crystal clear water of Lake Pukaki, high country salmon is a popular delicacy on the way to Queenstown.
World Famous: TSS Earnslaw cruise to Walter Peak including gourmet BBQ dinner and a farm tour
Enjoy a quintessential Kiwi experience – a delicious gourmet BBQ buffet and a farm demonstration in a stunning lakeside setting.
Take in the stunning views of Lake Wakatipu and its surroundings as you cruise across the lake to the historic Walter Peak high country farm aboard the TSS Earnslaw Steamship.
After dinner, watch the farm dogs in action with a sheep-herding demonstration and say hello to the other farm animals.
Day 13: Queenstown
Suggested activities
Explore: Queenstown and surrounds
Celebrated as New Zealand's adventure capital, Queenstown offers far more than a fast-paced action-packed holiday. Settled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu beneath a soaring panorama of the Remarkables Mountain Range, this alpine town is surrounded by a plethora of historic, gastronomic, and scenic wonders.
Food and Wine: Private Boutique Wine Tour
For the more discerning wine lover, or simply people who prefer the flexibility of a private tour. Join a local senior wine guide on a wine tasting journey to some of New Zealand's most memorable vineyards, at your own pace. Your guide's local knowledge and familiarity with the thriving wine region of Central Otago is at your disposal for an intimate half-day wine experience. Packages are tailor-made for you, and we encourage you to advise of any varietal or vineyard preferences when booking.
Day 14: Queenstown
Suggested activities
Food: Private Flavours of Arrowtown Tour
Experience historic Arrowtown, enjoy Manuka honey, wine tasting, plus lunch at Queenstown’s, latest dining venue the Ayrburn precinct
Adventure: Fly Cruise Fly Milford Sound
Fly to Milford Sound and experience the vast and dramatic alpine scenery of Fiordland National Park. Get up close and personal with Milford Sound on a leisurely cruise of this spectacular fiord. Cruise close to sheer rock faces and feel the spray of its thundering waterfalls, gaze at sky-high mountains and marvel at lush rainforests. Informative, participative, and relaxed, this cruise is the perfect way to experience Milford Sound to the fullest
Day 15: Queenstown
It’s time to leave your New Zealand vacation.