Decided to go for wine tasting after we had visited Skyline for the luge rides. We were able to use…read morethe gondola all evening as long as we still had the receipt so it was convenient to go back to the hotel, change, and return to Volcanic Hills. The view is beautiful and the tasting room is spacious and bright. The price for 5 tastes is very reasonable at only $20 NZ. Our servers were knowledgeable about the wine and the region. Surprisingly we loved the Chardonnay (not usually a fan)! Each of the wines were very unique, and we paid a little extra to taste the Tawny which was not included in the normal tasting menu. If you like Port, you'll enjoy the Tawny. All in all a lovely wine tasting experience!

Our tour group enjoyed a lovely afternoon at the winery during our recent trip to New Zealand…read more The wine was terrific and our hostess Paige was simply awesome. She made the visit even more enjoyable with her incredible personality and interaction with all of us. If you stop in make sure to sample the wines, and even ask Paige to dance for you....you won't be disappointed!!!

Definitely definitely definitely give this place a miss- there are so many cafes with fantastic…read morefood around town now, which are far superior to Mills Reef. This is really a convention centre masquerading as a restaurant- it lacks atmosphere and refinement. For a restaurant which considers itself 'fine dining' the staff, food and dining room lack finesse. We made a booking for a very special occasion for 11.30am. When we arrived we were told that if we ordered within 5 minutes we could order from the brunch menu as opposed to the lunch menu. This appealed to 3 out of 4 of our guests. When the maitre'd came back to us to take our order, he refused to let one guest order from the lunch menu, and the other three from the brunch menu. He said that the chefs don't allow one table to order from different menus. While incredibly frustrating, this wasn't the end of the world. We eventually all ordered- and three meals arrived all at once. We had to wait over 5 minutes for the last meal to arrive. All of the hot meals were served on cold plates! It made for a really unenjoyable experience. One of the hot meals arrived absolutely stone cold, and the bacon was severely undercooked- bordering on raw. We sent the cold meal back, and it arrived back at the table 10 minutes later having been obviously microwaved (everything, including the toast was nuked but soggy). In the mean time another member of our party had ordered a side of hollandaise sauce, because the hollandaise had been omitted from their eggs bene for some reason? It took over 10 minutes for the hollandaise to arrive at the table, and it had completely curdled and been cooked on top- it was like scrambled eggs and completely inedible. Overall the experience was horrendous. I can't recommend this place less. It's not even about the price point- but you can get a far superior meal from an upmarket cafe for a much cheaper price in town. Don't buy in to the hype- Mills Reef is incredibly dated, and the food is absolutely abysmal. To apologise for the horrible experience, we were given a $4 discount on our bill, which is borderline insulting. We didn't want or expect a discount, and were happy to pay and just never return. But after the appalling meal and service, to only offer a $4 discount? Don't even bother offering a discount at all. Unbelievable. Never again.

Good food. Our table ordered a varied selection of Mains and desserts. I ordered an eye fillet…read morewhich was cooked perfectly although I would have expected more veges on the plate. For dessert I ordered a chocolate mousse which was delish. My wife have a cheese board which was expectationaly generous. The decor is a bit inconsistent. Where we sat it felt Like sitting in a factory. Would visit again when in the area.

What a sweet find! Great service and wonderful wine!!! Stop by to enjoy the fine selection of wines…read moreand eating from full fare to sweet dessert assortments :) You will want to return a second time and third time...Please share your experiences and add to the Family Atmosphere!!! Cousy and super fantastic!!!

Quaint little yummy restaurant! The food was divine. The sous chef is a vegan so the vegetarian and…read moreGF options were top notch. The service was some of the best I have received while in NZ; very attentive without hovering. The entrance is just across from parking for the Karangahake Gorge bike path. I'm definitely keeping this spot in mind for a wedding location!