Piha Waitakere Rainforest Wine Tour from Auckland
Description
Drive up through the Henderson Valley for spectacular elevated views of the Waitakere Ranges from the Aratkai Visitors Centre. This protected regional reserve was originally used for extracting native timber in colonial days as Auckland was being settled in the 1860’s. We then visit the beautiful West Coast black sand surf beach settlement of Piha. Take walks on both North and South Piha beaches. Enjoy a 25 min stroll through the Rainforest. Take photos of ‘Lion Rock’ After a 50 minute drive through rain forest, taste wine and take an open menu one course lunch at Soljans Vineyard Restaurant. Established ion 1937, Soljans provide an innovative menu with a range of local fresh fish, steak, lamb, chicken, vegetarian and other dishes. In the afternoon we visit pictureque West Brook Winery where they have a unique portfolio of varietal whites and reds which you can enjoy overlooking the vineyard.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Piha is a west Coast Surf beach settlement 50 km from Auckland with a population of around one thousand residents. It is isolated without public transport and is popular for surfing, nature and hiking. Considered one of the jewels in Auckland's crown it is a great day trip for people to swim surf, hike, camp or just relax on the black sand beaches and take in the stunning forest and scenery.
Soljans Estate is a fifth generation Croatian family of winemakers. Taste wines from their Auckland Vineyard they and varietals from grapes grown in Hawkes bay and Marlborough. They also have an excellent award winning vineyard bistro where you will enjoy and open menu one course lunch.
Pioneers in New Zealand winemaking since 1944, Kumeu River specialise in producing Estate Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Methode Traditionelle from grapes grown on their own ten Kumeu and Huapai Vineyards. Mate’s barrique fermented Chardonnay is considered one of the best wines in the country. After gaining his bachelors degree in Oenological Science in Australia the wine maker Michael Brajkovich MW became New Zealand’s first Master of Wine and has been a Chief Judge of the Air New Zealand Wine Competition. You will enjoy a tutored tasting of five wines in the cellar door then go on a fascinating behind the scenes tour through the actual winery where you will be shown first hand the process to create barrel fermented Chardonnay. From the start to the end of the process, pressing grapes then down into the barrel room and finally back through the tank farm and bottling line. No other tour company can show you this.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
There are three Hotel location pickup points, including M Social Hotel 196-200 Quay Street by the port for cruise ships Let us know your accomodation and we will let you know the closest pickup point for you. If bookings permit we may be able to collect you from up to 12 major hotels
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Minimum drinking age is 18 years
- Dress code is smart casual
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- A minimum of two people per booking is required
Reviews(215)
John is by far the best guide we've ever had. The experience he provided went far beyond wine tasting. Not only did we enjoy exceptional wines, but we also gained valuable insights into New Zealand's culture, history, and geography. John's passion for what he does shines through in every part of the tour, and he thoughtfully adapts the experience to your interests and pace. I highly recommend this tour to anyone-it's engaging, memorable, and suitable for guests of all ages.
Great day tour with a lots of variety. Picturesque scenery and friendly wineries topped off with a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic tour guide. Highly recommended.
Amazing experience and tour with John! He was the absolute best tour guide and knew the best places to go that were not crowded and you could get the full experience without feeling overwhelmed or rushed. From the relaxing beaches and waterfalls to his great knowledge about wine and the wine making process, the day exceeded expectations and I highly recommend booking with NZWinePro for an incredible experience!
John is incredibly knowledgeable, engaging and above all, flexible. He was able to put together an amazing itinerary at the last minute. The respect that he has among his peers is very evident and he was able to leverage those relationships to plan a memorable experience for my daughters and me. It goes without saying that the views were spectacular and the wine and food were top notch. I highly recommend this experience to everyone and thank John again for this exceptional tour!
Our schedule got seriously messed up when a cyclone swept through the Auckland area. That said, John was fantastic working with us to accommodate our schedule, and was able to combine our group with a couple who were touring with him on the day we finally made it to Auckland. The winery tours were excellent - we learned the history of the families who came to New Zealand to establish their businesses, and lunch at Soljans was outstanding! Our visit to the shore was a little rainy, but we still were able to see the black sand beaches and the areas where gannets were recently gathering. Big thank you to John for his efforts to make our visit to Auckland a pleasure!
John was the perfect operator, initially unobtrusively giving us an outline of our day, then honing in on our questions in detail. His knowledge turned out to be encyclopaedic: statistics flowing constantly, making our trip most worthwhile. Totally rrcommend him for the best experience, both for sightseeing and wine tasting.
Hi Ken, Thanks for your high praise. I am so pleased you enjoyed your tour to Piha, and enjoyed the rainforest, other inclusions and commentary. It was a pleasure to be your guide and I hope you'll follow NZWINEPRO® on Insta or Facebook to stay in touch. Best regards - John McFarlane
The beach was something else to see in person, pictures don't show how awesome the view is. The lunch and wine sampling was top notch. John with his many years of doing tours was very knowledgeable and made things run smoothly but you felt never rushed.
Great time. Beautiful drive great guide great wines at beautiful vineyards. Wonderful lunch have the catch of the day.
This excursion was absolutely fantastic. The views were breathtaking and the stops were made were perfect. John was the perfect guide. We went to two wonderful wineries and stopped for a spectacular lunch of fresh fish. John went way out of his way to make this adventure a day to remember. My sister and I had the best time and we loved every minute of it. I needed to buy a medical device and asked John where I can buy it. He not only told me where to get it, but he went out of his way to take me to this place to buy it and drove me back to the hotel. This man is an angel and we were lucky enough to have met him.
Very inclusive tour with beautiful scenery, great wine tastings at 2 local wineries, delicious meal. Guide very engaging and knowledgeable. Took in beaches, lake views, rainforest, waterfalls, etc. Be prepared with comfortable walking shoes, layered clothing.
