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Epicurean Tour: Brewery, Wineries, and Harbour Views
4.8
80 Ratings
Mount Maunganui
Indulge in a day of culinary delights on this local tasting tour from Tauranga. Visit a brewery, top restaurants, wineries, and enjoy a cocktail overlooking the beautiful harbour. Treat your palate!
Indulge in a day of culinary delights on this local tasting tour from Tauranga. Visit a brewery, top restaurants, wineries, and enjoy a cocktail overlooking the beautiful harbour. Treat your palate!
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Port of Tauranga Ltd - An accredited agent driver/guide will greet you at the port gate and accompany you to the vehicle for your journey. The driver/guide will hold a placard with your name.
- The Rising Tide - The Local Tasting Tour begins with a visit to a boutique craft brewery, where the natural beer production process, free from…
- Port of Tauranga Ltd - An accredited agent driver/guide will greet you at the port gate and accompany you to the vehicle for your journey. The driver/guide will hold a placard with your name.
- The Rising Tide - The Local Tasting Tour begins with a visit to a boutique craft brewery, where the natural beer production process, free from preservatives and additives, is explained, and a variety of beers are sampled.
- New Zealand State Highway 36 - Travel south to Rotorua along this State Highway, which follows the original Maori walking track between Tauranga and Rotorua.
- Volcanic Hills Winery - Upon arrival in Rotorua, visit Volcanic Hills Winery for platters and a wine presentation and tasting. The Tasting Room is located at the top of the gondola at Skyline, Rotorua. Enjoy the stunning view of Rotorua town and lake while relaxing with a glass of wine and delicious platters. This is a chance to sample excellent NZ wine and inquire about NZ wine styles and terroir.
- State Highway 33 - Return to Mount Maunganui via a different route, offering a scenic overview of the area. If time allows, a brief stop at a kiwifruit orchard will explain the industry from planting to export.
- Salinity Restaurant & Bar - The tour concludes in Tauranga with dessert and a cocktail (or coffee if preferred) at Salinity Restaurant & Bar, one of Tauranga’s most popular spots, overlooking the beautiful harbour and marina.
- Mt Maunganui Main Beach - Finally, return to the ship via what is claimed to be the best beach in the Southern Hemisphere.
What's Included
- Driver/guide
- Wine & Beer tastings
- Cocktail
- Light Lunch & Dessert
- Driver/guide
- Wine & Beer tastings
- Cocktail
- Light Lunch & Dessert
What's Not Included
- Additional food and drinks not specified
- Additional food and drinks not specified
Additional Information
Experience a day filled with Epicurean pleasures, starting with a visit to a boutique brewery, followed by a journey through the picturesque countryside to Rotorua. Ascend the gondola to a cellar door offering breathtaking views and exquisite wine! The tour concludes with a choice of a cocktail or coffee and dessert at our final venue, which overlooks…
Experience a day filled with Epicurean pleasures, starting with a visit to a boutique brewery, followed by a journey through the picturesque countryside to Rotorua. Ascend the gondola to a cellar door offering breathtaking views and exquisite wine! The tour concludes with a choice of a cocktail or coffee and dessert at our final venue, which overlooks the stunning harbour. Guests appreciate the diverse venues and the wide array of tastings. It’s an opportunity to indulge your palate!
This small group tour lasts approximately 6 hours and features a variety of wonderful sights along the way. The start time is flexible to accommodate different ship arrival times.
- Minimum age is 18 years
Location
Port of Tauranga Ltd
Salisbury Avenue
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(80 Ratings)
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Alice_h
Mar 2, 2026
This was the best wine ... - This was the best wine and tasting tour in all of New Zealand! Paul was a fantastic host. There was just the four of us, my husband, myself and a friend whom we met on this cruise. Paul drove us all over Tauranga and even around Roturuo. We had the best wine selections and the final stop was at Salinity, a marina restaurant near the cruise port. We had the best desert ever and I chose a very satisfying salted caramel martini as my drink. Paul entertained us for around 5 1/2 hours with informative stories about Tauranga and New Zealand. I highly recommend this tour as it was honestly the best tour of all our many New Zealand tours.
Review provided by Viator
Adambz4765xw
Feb 4, 2026
Enjoyed the tour - Lovely tour. Started at Brewery with some nice local craft beers including a pale ale, IPA, and stout. Some had premixed drinks like a berry gin and tonic. A cider was also available. We then went to the gondola and transited with our group of 10 halfway up a mountain for beautiful view, some nice wine and a charcuterie platter. A neat stop at a kiwi orchard was a bonus. Paul had a lot of information to share and kept us entertained.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sheila_s
Feb 3, 2026
A lot to see in Tauranga - A good overview of the area of Tauranga. Loved kiwi seeing. Wine tasting and waterfalls! Great tour guide
Review provided by Viator
Sherry
Dec 14, 2025
Great Local Tour with Tauranga Tasting Tours & Charters - Paul, from Tauranga Tasting Tours & Charters, was our driver and guide. Our ship was a little late arriving so we communicated using the Viator app to provide our status. Paul was very accommodating. This was a private tour so it was just my husband and me. The car was new and very comfortable. The tour was exactly as described in the Viator description. There was a large selection of beer, cider and gin for the first tasting so we were able to select what we each liked. The tasting room had a view of the brewing equipment and Paul walked us through the process. It was very interesting.
The wine tasting was in a restaurant that is part of complex called Skyline Rotorua which also provides activities such as a zip-line, mountain biking and luge rides. There were great views of the valley from the restaurant and from the gondola on the way up and down. We tasted several good wines from the Volcanic Hills winery (note that, as described in the tour, this is a tasting, not a visit to the winery or vineyards). We were lucky to be there when the owner was there and enjoyed visiting with him and gaining his perspective of the wine industry. Our favourite wine was the rosé and we bought a couple of bottles. The charcuterie board that we shared was very tasty, especially the chutney! It complemented the wines very well
Our last stop was at a marina for a cocktail and dessert. It was a pretty spot, not far from our ship.
Along the way, Paul provided information about New Zealand industries and culture. We made a few short stops to see a beautiful beach, a kiwi plantation, and a lovely waterfall where people were white water rafting.
We enjoyed this tour very much. We also felt it was good value as it included the tasting fees, drinks and food, and the gondola ride. We definitely recommend this tour with Tauranga Tasting Tours & Charters.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sherry_a
Dec 14, 2025
Great Tour with Tauranga Tasting Tours & Charters - Paul, from Tauranga Tasting Tours & Charters, was our driver and guide. Our ship was a little late arriving so we communicated using the Viator app to provide our status. Paul was very accommodating. This was a private tour so it was just my husband and me. The car was new and very comfortable. The tour was exactly as described in the Viator description. There was a large selection of beer, cider and gin for the first tasting so we were able to select what we each liked. The tasting room had a view of the brewing equipment and Paul walked us through the process. It was very interesting.
The wine tasting was in a restaurant that is part of complex called Skyline Rotorua which also provides activities such as a zip-line, mountain biking and luge rides. There were great views of the valley from the restaurant and from the gondola on the way up and down. We tasted several good wines from the Volcanic Hills winery (note that, as described in the tour, this is a tasting, not a visit to the winery or vineyards). We were lucky to be there when the owner was there and enjoyed visiting with him and gaining his perspective of the wine industry. Our favourite wine was the rosé and we bought a couple of bottles. The charcuterie board that we shared was very tasty, especially the chutney! It complemented the wines very well
Our last stop was at a marina for a cocktail and dessert. It was a pretty spot, not far from our ship.
Along the way, Paul provided information about New Zealand industries and culture. We made a few short stops to see a beautiful beach, a kiwi plantation, and a lovely waterfall where people were white water rafting.
We enjoyed this tour very much. We also felt it was good value as it included the tasting fees, drinks and food, and the gondola ride. We definitely recommend this tour with Tauranga Tasting Tours & Charters.
Review provided by Viator
323jpt
Dec 9, 2025
Not to be missed! - Excellent tour. Paul is very knowledgable about wine and the area - he made us feel welcome and went above and beyond to make the tour fun and interesting. Would highly recommend,
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Judy_k
Nov 23, 2025
Paul was a fantastic... - Paul was a fantastic travel guide. We learned so much about the area. Also he showed us a kiwi orchard which wasn’t on the itinerary. It was a fabulous day.
Review provided by Viator
Daniel_h
Oct 22, 2025
Great tasting tour! - Great tasting experience in Tauranga with Paul. He was an excellent host, and despite the small tour size, had a header in the van so everyone could hear his island commentary. Stated with a beer/cider/gin tasting with a “flight” of 5 samples you choose, a winery sample on a mountain accessible via gondola, and back in town to a dessert with coffee or cocktail. All tastings were fabulous, and mixed between Paul’s tour and commentary about the island. Great activity for a cruise port stop!
Review provided by Viator
Lisa_h
Oct 18, 2025
Great Shore Excursion - We had a great time on our tour. Paul met us at the port and we headed out for a brief tour of Tauranga. We stopped at the beach before heading for a beer tasting at Rising Tide. Then off to Rotorua for our ride up the Skyway and a wine tasting. Then back to the city for a delicious cocktail and dessert.
Throughout the whole tour Paul shared great information about Tauranga that gave us insight into the area.
We definitely recommend the tour for visitors.
Review provided by Viator
Randy_r
May 12, 2025
Sipping from the Mountain Tops - On this tour you get see a lot that is not included in the description making it a great value. We saw a lot of Tauranga and the surrounding country side with stops for beer, seltzer and wine tastings. The wine tasting is at the top of a ski lift with an unbelievable view of the surrounding country side. The owner of the winery and vineyard conducts the tasting and provides an entertaining dialogue and exceptional explanation of the differences between NZ, Australian and American wines and the reasons why. Also make a quick stop to see how kiwi are grown.
Review provided by Viator
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