Classic New Zealand Wine Trail 8 Days – North & South Islands From $2,799 per person
Experience a feast for the senses.Discover unspoiled landscapes, fascinating cultures and extraordinary people from artists, winemakers, and chefs, to poets and farmers.Visit Wellington, a food lover’s paradise, with cosmopolitan flair.Sample the tantalizing regional wine and food of Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa – with fresh harvests, rich and subtle flavors, delectable cuisine and premier wines such as Marlborough’s Sauvignon Blanc, and Wairarapa’s Pinot Noir.Go slow and savour......The Classic New Zealand Wine Trail!
Day 1: Napier – Art Deco architecture / Vineyard Dining Hawke’s Bay is the country’s oldest winemaking region and is New Zealand’s leading producer of award winning red wines, including Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignon and blends. Hawke’s Bay is also home to a world-class concentration of Art Deco architecture, fresh local produce and artisan food producers, complemented by a vibrant arts scene and a rich Maori culture.With over 40 wineries and wonderful weekend farmers' markets to visit, discover why Hawke's Bay Wine Country is the leading food and wine destination in New Zealand.
Spend some time today enjoying the architecture of Napier, which was redesigned in Art Deco style after the devastating Hawke’s Bay earthquake in 1931. Nowhere else can you see such a variety and concentration of buildings in Art Deco style.
Tonight we recommend dining at Terroir Restaurant, set in a unique circular building, with breathtaking views of Te Mata Peak.Terroir has a rustic and casual approach, specializing in rotisserie and wood-fired cuisine.Fine glassware, cutlery and crockery set the scene for an exciting country experience.After dinner, return home to your lodge, nestled in the picturesque valley of Omarunui.Each private guest room has a spectacular view overlooking a vineyard and the expansive landscape.Imagine the ambience of Tuscany amongst the fresh green hills of New Zealand countryside!
Day 2: Kayaking & Cycling the Vines OR Food & Wine Lovers Delight Tour Enjoy the scenery this morning with some easy kayaking down a lovely river with great swimming holes, heaps of bird life and rural scenery. This is a wonderful way to take in the true essence of the countryside. After lunch, a cycling adventure awaits with the opportunity to enjoy tasting some of Hawkes Bay's finest foods and wines, while taking in the superb scenery of the Ngatarawa Triangle. Glide past vineyards, olive groves, ostrich farms, orchards, horse studs, and farmland - all on flat terrain with wonderful vistas and ten different wineries to visit. Included is the option to leave the bike and take a fifteen minute walk through farmland to the top of Roy's Hill to enjoy a spectacular 360 degree view of Hawkes Bay. The longest ride is 16.8 miles, but fewer wineries can be visited, less distance traveled, and a more leisurely pace taken, to soak up the sun and enjoy the ambiance of the wineries and surrounding countryside.
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You may choose instead to participate in the Food & Wine Lovers Delight small group tour, guided by a wine specialist - a fantastic half-day for wine lovers. Visit some of the more innovative wineries in the bay (some that are not open to the public), taste some of their wonderful wines, meet the people involved and hear their stories. During this highly enjoyable day, you’ll acquire a comprehensive knowledge of local wines, and make stops at several special food outlets enroute.
After an action-packed day in the wine country, you’ll venture back to the lodge for a gourmet dining experience. Your host, Malcolm, is passionate about food and wine, and has been a chef for 25 years at some award-winning New Zealand restaurants. Malcolm will prepare an innovative gourmet dinner for you tonight, and will help you select a perfect matching wine from the lodge’s extensive wine cellar.
Day 3: Napier – Martinborough Take a leisurely drive through Tararua enjoying the impact of early Danish and Norwegian settlers to small country towns such as Dannevirke. Stop in Norsewood at the New Zealand Natural Clothing shop for quality outdoor knitted clothing including possum, alpaca and merino wool. Take in the relaxed country atmosphere and warm hospitality. Further South the colonial village of Greytown offers a delightful shopping precinct for chocolate, arts, crafts and memorabilia. Enjoy dining at any of the region's award winning cellar-list restaurants. Your destination is Martinborough, a boutique wine village renowned for pinot noir, with several wineries within walking distance of the village centre. Drive an easy circuit through pastoral landscapes to outlying vineyard clusters and charming small villages. Sample olive oil and local cheeses and enjoy the extensive range of local wines at The Martinborough Wine Centre.
Your accommodation tonight is a contemporary country estate, just a few minutes’ walk from the village, making it easy for you to enjoy the food and wine of the region on foot. Spacious and stylish rooms have lake or woodland views, designer furnishings, New Zealand art, Internet access and private decks.
Day 4: Martinborough - Wellington A short drive today brings you to Wellington - the compact capital city known for its vibrant arts and cultural scene and rich heritage. Walk around the Harbour to Oriental Parade, visit galleries and shop in Lambton Quay. Visit the National Museum - Te Papa Tongarewa on the harbour waterfront. Ride the Cable Car to the top for panoramic views of the city and Botanic Gardens.
Located at the junction of Wellington's central business district and political heart, your five-star hotel offers stylish, elegant accommodation in a friendly and professional setting. Superbly appointed, spacious rooms are a perfect setting in which to relax and refocus. Rooms are decorated with exquisitely textured, earth-toned fabrics and soft furnishings, and the walls are accented by original artwork and photographs of early Wellington scenes.
Home to some of New Zealand's finest chefs, Wellington offers a range of cuisine and a wide selection of restaurants in the central city for dining this evening.
Day 5: Wellington – Walking Gourmet & Wellington Hidden Treasures Spend the morning discovering the culinary side of Wellington through coffee, food and wine. Wellington’s so compact, it’s ideal for this walking tour of the vibrant food scene that the city has to offer. Experience coffee roasting, explore top specialty food stores, sampling as you go, and culminate the experience by enjoying a light, three course tasting lunch with wines at a top Wellington restaurant.
An afternoon tour of Hidden Treasures will take you off the beaten track for an intimate insight into a renowned family of Māori artists who have built a thriving community around their art. They’ll open their art studio and home to you and share how they’re taking their creative legacy into the future. Then you'll uncover a fascinating slice of New Zealand’s European history – a boutique mill that uses looms from the 1890s to weave exclusive wool products for high-end fashion houses and blockbuster films like The Lord of the Rings. Wrap up the tour by visiting The New Dowse art museum, where ancient treasures sit alongside cutting-edge, modern art.
This evening you may like to indulge in a degustation meal with matched wines at one of Wellington’s finest dining establishments.
Day 6: Ferry / Picton & Blenheim Fly or cruise across Cook Strait to the Marlborough region renowned for herbaceous sauvignon blanc. This afternoon, you may take part in some independent wine tasting at renowned wineries such as Hunters, Seresin, Alan Scott and Cloudy Bay. Alternatively, you can settle into your luxury accommodation, located on a 10 acre Pinot Noir vineyard in the heart of the wine country, and get acquainted with your fantastic New Zealand hosts, John and Robyn. Robyn is one of New Zealand’s most successful foodies. She has worked as a food editor for 22 years and has published numerous cookbooks.
Dine tonight at an award-winning restaurant such as Herzog Luxury Restaurant and Winery, where an award winning global team of master chefs will spoil you with delicious market fresh cuisine served in the most decadent environment with personal service to make you feel totally pampered.
Day 7: Blenheim – Greenshell Mussel & Wine OR Queen Charlotte Track Walk Today you’ll experience the three spectacular icons of Marlborough - Sauvignon Blanc, the Marlborough Sounds and Greenshell Mussels are combined in an engaging day. Take in the very best that the region has to offer with a visit to some superb local wineries in the morning then through to the Havelock Marina for lunch and the afternoon Greenshell Mussel Cruise (operates 1 Nov – 31 Mar only).
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Enjoy a guided walk along the Queen Charlotte Track from Ship Cove to Endeavour Inlet (8.5 miles - five hours approx.). The bush is a mixture of stunning beech forest with punga ferns and other New Zealand native foliage. This day is regarded as the premier section of the Queen Charlotte Track which offers stunning across the Marlborough Sounds. Your informative local guide will explain the European and pre-European connections of this significant historical area as well as provide detailed information on flora and fauna. A gourmet lunch is included. Alternatively, kayaking is also an option for today – please see our website for other options. This evening you will return to your accommodation for a delicious dinner prepared exclusively for you.
Day 8: Fly home or extend your trip! Fly home from Blenheim or extend your stay with some fabulous South Island highlights. Less than 2 hours south of Blenheim is Kaikoura, the perfect place for whale watching, and continuation on to Christchurch. Another choice is to travel west to Abel Tasman National Park. Contact us for information on extending or customizing your trip!
