When was the last time you spoiled your tastebuds with wine, cheese and ocean-fresh seafood, taking each day as it comes, lapping up a long, well-deserved holiday? You can’t remember? Not for a while? Never? Our New Zealand wine tours are perfect for travellers who need to treat themselves ASAP – rain or shine, these all-season gastronomic adventures will add a certain zing to your year, without necessitating a long flight and most of your savings.
Sound good so far? Imagine then, combining delicious foods and wonderful wines with natural splendour and thrilling excursions, creating a perfectly balanced holiday for anybody. Explore the classic New Zealand wine trail with Kirra Tours, beginning in Hawkes Bay and concluding in Marlborough. Interested? Take a closer look below.
The Basics
- Length: 486km or 302 miles
- Included Wine Regions: Hawkes Bay, Wairarpa, Marlborough
- Transport: Self-drive or luxury coach
- Perfect for… travellers who have taken the highlights tour of New Zealand; wine lovers; foodies; affordable luxury seekers; those who are able to stay for a longer holiday.
Region 1: Hawkes Bay
Hands up if you’re a cabernet sauvignon fan? How do you feel about merlot? Syrah? Red wine in general? Welcome to Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand’s red wine capital and one of the oldest wine regions in this part of the world. Every cellar door displays the subtle excellence of the local wine scene, as famous wine-makers retain their renown by constantly balancing innovation with tradition; every drop is a new journey and each glass a dream – fall in love with good wine again.
Off the Wine Trail: Why not take a couple of hours to explore the Art Deco history of Napier, a spirited town with a lot to say if you take the time to listen. Feeling a bit more adventurous? A Gannet Beach Safari is more your speed, tying up coastal beauty, bumpy thrills and countless photo opportunities into one neat package.
Region 2: Wairarapa
New Zealand wine isn’t just about winning awards – no, Wairarapa wine makers take it a step further by combining each creation with passion, love and gastronomic delights that only serve to elevate each sip. Although the Marlborough region beats out this combination of three separate (but harmonious) sub-regions in sheer size – 22907 hectares to a modest 995 – some of your favourite New Zealand wines spring from this area. There’s something about this region that leaves visitors spell-bound and wanting more; it’s genuine, laid-back and knowledgeable.
Off the Wine Trail: You don’t need to be a Lord of the Rings fan to enjoy the curiosities of Weta Workshop, the world-renowned masters of film, makeup, effects and costuming. Let your imagination run wild, before heading into the treetops for a spell of ziplining through a thick beech forest.
Region 3: Marlborough
Dive into the bustle of the Marlborough region and lose yourself in a maze of vine rows, cellar doors and restaurants. This isn’t the place to live cautiously, as every bottle of wine will tempt your hands to react on impulse, bewitching your senses with reds and whites, as tasting tables are filled with rows of glasses and delicious cheese boards, close your eyes in pleasure. Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it? Pace yourself, you have over 30 cellar doors and 120 wineries to explore. When you’re not haunting the hallways of wineries, why not go café hopping in Wellington? Your stomach will thank you!
Off the Wine Trail: Speak to one of our New Zealand adventure specialists and organise a kayak tour of the resplendent Marlborough Sounds, or if history gets your heart racing, check out Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre.
Are you over-settling for okay wine on a Saturday night? Live like a royal for a week or two. You know you deserve it.
