Reviews and travel ratings on Auckland Wine Trail Tours in New Zealand (91% from 71 reviews)
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Qmis
Ranking: 9/10
I was contemplating a 3 day stop-over in Auckland on my way to Australia as a solo traveler. I'm an avid wine lover so …
I was contemplating a 3 day stop-over in Auckland on my way to Australia as a solo traveler. I'm an avid wine lover so I contacted John to see if he had any availability for that weekend. I though a wine tour would be an interesting way to spend a day in the Auckland area recovering from jet lag and learning about wines that were new to me. Luckily he had a spot on the East Coast tour so I booked my flight and easily confirmed the tour with him online.
I'm so glad I did it! John is an easy-going, flexible and informative tour guide. He's also a responsible driver and knowledgeable about the history and geography of the areas we drove through on our way to the wineries. He was quite helpful with describing each vineyard before we arrived and he has a great working relationship with all of the people who work at these vineyards.
The East Coast Tour was a full day of tasting fabulous wines, meeting great people from all over the world and seeing parts of the North Island that you probably would not find on your own. It is truly beautiful scenery. We had a gourmet lunch at one of the vineyards and you can choose your meal from a real menu! We also made several stops that were not wine-related but enjoyable and interesting, such as the honey making center and the cheese shop.
This was the first of four wine tours that I took on my trip - 3 were in Australia - and I think the wine we sampled on John's tour was the best. They are all high-quality, friendly and professionally-managed wineries and most offer wines that are not available outside of New Zealand. I would have booked a different tour for the next day but it was already full. If I ever make it back there, I will definitely take one of John's other tours.
If you like wine or simply want to relax as a tourist and be chauffeured around a beautiful place and have a memorable lunch, book one of John's tours!
Melissa, Boston, MA, USA
Hi Melissa, many thanks for getting 'round to sending in a review of the tour... so pleased you enjoyed the day and had such nice things to say!!!
Looking forward to another tour next time... regards John.
johnnord
Ranking: 8/10
Part of my history is the French system of rating, in which a "10" was reserved for God, a "9" for the professor, and "8…
Part of my history is the French system of rating, in which a "10" was reserved for God, a "9" for the professor, and "8's" and below for mere morals. On that scale, John's tour easily earns an 8+. He is knowledgeable, articulate, and accommodating. I was fortunate to have him to myself for the Waterfalls and Wine tour--a morning of sightseeing, a delightful lunch, and an afternoon of mouthfuls of wonderful NZ wines. I appreciated his ability to attend to my tastes and guide my exploration of Kiwi whites.
Hi John, very good of you to take time to send in a review of the tour... very interesting system of rating... We like to be able to blame the French for things sometimes (!) so I can assume I can count this as a "10"...?
Many thanks for your generous comments, pleased you enjoyed the day.
Hope your wine made it back home safely...
LoveNZ
Ranking: 10/10
This was the best way to spend a free day in Auckland that I can think of! Not only did we have some amazing wine and be…
This was the best way to spend a free day in Auckland that I can think of! Not only did we have some amazing wine and beautiful scenery, but John and the other couple that was on the tour turned out to be amazing, fun people!
This tour gives you a view of surrounding Auckland that you might never know existed. The wineries are fun, personable and don't taste half bad either.
I had a great time and would DEFINITELY recommend this to anyone who wants a great experience in Auckland.
Emily Butlin - Phoenix, AZ
Hi Emily, many thanks for taking time to send in such a great review of the day out!
Pleased to hear you had such a good time and enjoyed the wines!
davidgramse
Ranking: 10/10
My wife and I enjoyed our Waterfalls and Wine Tour. John was an excellent tour guide and knew about the out-of-the-way …
My wife and I enjoyed our Waterfalls and Wine Tour. John was an excellent tour guide and knew about the out-of-the-way places that really showcased the beauty of New Zealand. No way my wife and I would have been able to find all of these places on our own; and even if we could we still wouldn't have know about the cultural and historical importance.
With regard to the wine tastings, John was very knowledgable about the wine regions, grape varieties and wine making processes. He definitely has very good rapport with the winery owners and managers, and it showed with the level of service we received at each winery. Thanks for a great trip.
David & Paulette - Huntington Beach, CA
Hi David & Paulette, I really appreciate you taking the time to send in your review... and for making it such a good one!
Really pleased you enjoyed the day and had such a good time...!
Many thanks for your good comments and ranking.
Regards, John.
mjavon
Ranking: 10/10
On my trip you'd think John special ordered extra rainbows for the day! While the weather tried not to cooperate it even…
On my trip you'd think John special ordered extra rainbows for the day! While the weather tried not to cooperate it eventually did and the photos turned out fantastic.
John was a very plesant and professional guide who provided a great experience and some tidbits on the area. From the Black Sand Beach and the beautiful waterfall to the winerys and a fantastic lunch (the smoked chicken was exquisite!). I would recommend this to anyone wanting to get a wide variety of sights in one day and to anyone wanting to mix some sights and wine into one day.
John, just so you know; all my wine made it safely back to the US! Hope you are well and thanks again for a wonderful day!
Matt
Hi Matthew, many thanks indeed for your great review of the tour... and for taking the time from your busy schedule to do it!
Really appreciate the comments and ranking. Pleased to hear the Malbec made it back ok!
Thanks again, John.
linny1
Ranking: 10/10
Several colleagues (from several different countries) and I joined John for the Wine and Waterfalls and the Coast to Coa…
Several colleagues (from several different countries) and I joined John for the Wine and Waterfalls and the Coast to Coast tours at the end of a recent business trip/conference to New Zealand.
This was my first time to New Zealand and I would never have imagined such beauty. The Waterfalls and Wine tour was the first one we took and it was fantastic. I learned so much from John about New Zealand. The Tasmanian Sea/Beach was the most gorgeous site of them all. I loved walking on the beach and taking beautiful photos. The lunch included was fantastic and you couldn’t ask for anything more.
The next day we went on the Coast to Coast tour. The sites and scenery were beautiful. John is very knowledgeable and it was very easy to listen and ask questions. The vineyards we visited were beautiful and the wine was phenomenal. I personally picked up several bottles. The lunch included in this tour was also very good. You were not left hungry at all.
I highly recommend both of these tours to anyone visiting or revisiting New Zealand.
Thanks again John for these great tours. I am still talking about it today. USA/DALLAS
Hi Lin... wow! Thanks very much for such a glowing report!
Many thanks for taking the time to send in your review/s...
Very pleased to see you enjoyed both tours so much.
Thanks again, John.
sara
Ranking: 9/10
great afternoon. John tailored the trip for us, worked out well.
thanks
sara
great afternoon. John tailored the trip for us, worked out well.
thanks
sara
Hi Sara & Peter, pleased you made time to send in your review... many thanks!
Pleased you enjoyed the afternoon, thanks again.
JRodriguez90
Ranking: 9/10
I did the wine and waterfalls tour. John provides a great day touring the Auckland countryside. The morning visit to t…
I did the wine and waterfalls tour. John provides a great day touring the Auckland countryside. The morning visit to the rainforest and black-sand beaches was amazing and are memories that I will have forever. John was a knowledgeable, interesting, and entertaining host, who answered all our questions, and shared insight and information throughout the day.
When it came to the wine I thought John did a really nice job of asking all of us our preferences and then trying to tailor the visits to vineyards that we would all enjoy. The vineyards were all very welcoming and had a large selection of wines to taste. I came home with some really nice bottles that are very different than what I've tasted here in the U.S.
John's tour was definitely money well spent. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in seeing some of Auckland's countryside, who enjoys a good glass of wine and wants a knowledgeable, entertaining guide.
Hi Joe, many thanks for taking the time to send in a review of the tour.
Really pleased that you enjoyed the day and have good memories as well as some good wines to remind you of NZ.
Thanks again.
arunaalinajohnson
Ranking: 10/10
My best friend and I enjoyed our Matakana East Coast tour tremendously. It was certainly one of the highlights of our tr…
My best friend and I enjoyed our Matakana East Coast tour tremendously. It was certainly one of the highlights of our trip. We got to see and do so much! Each winery was a different experience and the variety in terms of wine and landscape was simply awesome. We loved everything from the cheese factory to the ancient Kauri trees. Above all, John, our tour guide, was wonderful, pointing out interesting sights along our road trip and stopping wherever we wanted (the absolutely delightful Puhoi Library!) so that we could capture our experience on film. The tour was very well planned and paced, the food excellent and the company just splendid. Thank you for a fabulous time!
Well Aruna, thank you so much for such a great review!
Also thanks for taking the time to do it...
Very pleased you both enjoyed the day and had such a good time.
Thanks again, John.
patandbev
Ranking: 10/10
My husband and I spent our last day in New Zealand on John's Waterfall and Wine tour. It was a splendid way to end our …
My husband and I spent our last day in New Zealand on John's Waterfall and Wine tour. It was a splendid way to end our holiday. John was very knowledgeable about the history, flora and fauna of New Zealand and did not tire of all our questions.
We had a lovely morning touring the beach and the waterfall followed by a delicious lunch. John made a great selection of wineries for us to visit in the afternoon and was well informed on all the wines. We had a memorable day, thank you, John
Hi Pat & Beverly... many thanks for your great review.
Very pleased you could make the time to send it in.
Great to hear you had such a good time on the tour, thanks again, John.
jlally
Ranking: 9/10
The Auckland Wine Tour was a great experience. John is very knowledgeagble on all the area wine producers, and in many …
The Auckland Wine Tour was a great experience. John is very knowledgeagble on all the area wine producers, and in many cases knows the wine makers personally. The day is well planned - we really enjoyed seeing the north island and exploring the wine makers of the area. I recommend this tour to anyone who is traveling in the North Island and interested seeing the vineyards of this area.
Hi John, many thanks for taking the time to send in a review of the East Coast tour.
Very pleased that you and your colleagues had a good time and for your recommendation.
Hope the ad's come out ok!
Thanks again, John.
cassiechamberlin
Ranking: 10/10
My husband and I did the full day wine and waterfalls tour and it was by far our favorite activity we did in Auckland! F…
My husband and I did the full day wine and waterfalls tour and it was by far our favorite activity we did in Auckland! From the very beginning, John was a great guide!
We had so many questions about everything, and he knew the answers to everything and was very patient! The rainforest, black sand beach and restaurant were all wondeful, but our favorite was the waterfall! Something I will never forget...
We then went to 3 wineries and did tasting on MANY different wines. John was very knowledge in helping suggest what we would like. There were 4 of us on the tour, and John made it seem personalized to each of us and our wine tastes (which I knew nothing about wine before this). We ended up buying 6 bottles!!
I would suggest this tour to everyone! Thanks, John, for the fabulous day! Greg and I had such a great time!
Hi Cassie & Greg... many thanks for taking the time to send in your review...
Very pleased you had a great time, many thanks for the great comments, recommendation and ranking. Hope the wines got home safely, take your time enjoying them during your Summer...
miho
Ranking: 10/10
The tour was excellent!
Though there are many wine tours in Auckland, I think that this is the best!I and my friend …
The tour was excellent!
Though there are many wine tours in Auckland, I think that this is the best!I and my friend joined half day wine tour, and visited 3 different type of wineries, which John selected for us to meet our individual requests.
Along the road to wineries, John told us about NZ wine and wineries, and, in relaxing mood, we enjoyed tasting a variety of NZ wines, which match our tastes very well, so that I couldn't help purchasing many bottles of wine!
Thank you very much for your warmhearted guide, and I hope that this wine trail tours give not only us but also many other tourists good chance to encounter wonderful NZ wines!
Hi Miho... great to hear from you, many thanks for taking the time to send in your review.
Thank you for all your generous comments & recommendation.
I enjoyed meeting you both and taking you on the tour. I hope you managed to get all your bottles back home safely... see you again next time!
Auckland (North Island, NZ)