My husband and I were visiting Auckland for a few days, and we had the pleasure of having Phil to…read moreourselves for a tour of the fish market and several shops that specialize in products of New Zealand. We also toured three wineries for tastings, with lunch at one of them, and Phil provided a wonderful array of cheeses to accompany the tastings. Phil's knowledge of the wineries and of New Zealand, in general, made our tour fun and educational as well! We can truly say that the day with Phil was our favorite of all our excursions in New Zealand. We would highly recommend him and hope to have the pleasure of engaging his services in the future.

From the owner: Personal Tour Guide - Phil Parker is your host. Phil is a fourth generation New Zealander and has…read morebeen running his highly recommended, one-man tour company since 2000. Phil is also a local wine writer, and published author of Random House's 'The Mad Keen Wine Buff's Road Trip' Phil will show you the beautiful Auckland wine growing countryside and breath-taking coastline. His wine tours aren't just for the serious wine enthusiast. They are for anyone who's keen to enjoy NZ's world-famous wines, share our beautiful scenery - and most of all - have fun! Phil looks forward to meeting you.

I had the best time on the Coast to Coast tour - definitely one of the highlights of my trip to New…read moreZealand! John was a fantastic and knowledgeable host, and he impressively runs all of these tours on his own. There are several different ones to choose from, but I believe he only runs 1 per day, so make sure you contact him well in advance to get the tour you want. I ended up making a last minute reservation and it just so happened he was running the tour I wanted the next day. I chose the Coast to Coast tour because I had limited time in Auckland and wanted to get a feel for both the east and west coast regions and wineries. We visited 5 wineries total and got to sample a plethora of wines at each one. We also got to enjoy a beautiful and delicious platter lunch at Ransom Wines against a stunning backdrop. The price of the tour was very reasonable with the 5 winery visits, lunch, door-to-door transportation, and tour guide. All very high quality, and much less expensive than the other wine tour companies I researched. Overall a fantastic experience - highly recommended!

I and my friend from Japan, we had very good time together with this tour…read more Waterfalls and sightseeing, Karekare Beach where has black sand, wine tastings... All good We had nice platter lunch, we wish we could had more time to enjoy our beatiful lunch and wine though. But we learn N.Z. culture as well. It was amazing day! John, Thank you for everything.

This company is very organized! I booked this tour through Viator and the owner communicated to me…read moreimmediately about the procedure to get to the Island. The tour guide was very informative, went to 3 vineyards ( postage stamp, Stony Ridge and Cable Bay Vineyards). Lunch at 372 - fabulous day!

The booking process was very easy and the communication was clear and timely. We booked an earlier…read moreferry (9:15) through Island Direct. It was nice to have some time after departure to have a coffee and walk around the shoreline. The bus was parked right outside and Caleb gathered everyone up and we were off! I'll update this review at the end of the day.

It is the ferry normally runs in all port of Auckland. We travelled to Waiheke Island through them…read more It was very comfortable ferry. Has food , coffee counter. Restroom available and the crew was really friendly. There were upper and covered decks. Nice to be above to see the view. The sail was kinda rough because it was windy and it rained. Tickets can be purchased through website or on the spot. Just go to the Auckland Ferry terminal. The brick booth house .

We bought round trip tickets in advance of our trip. Loading was only a short walk from our hotel…read more We were headed to Rangitoto. The shuttle took off exactly on time. We sat on the upper floor and it was very neat and clean. Seating was tables and we had nice views out the window. The ride was smooth. Staff was friendly. The shuttle arrived right on time to pick us up as well. The return trip was on a bigger boat. Again everything was clean inside with some comfy couches to lounge on after a day of hiking.

One of my absolute favorite wineries to visit in New Zealand-it never disappoints! They are…read morecurrently expanding, and I can't wait to see the finished look once construction is complete. The service is always immaculate, and the views are simply breathtaking no matter where you sit. It's the perfect place to relax, sip, and take in the beauty of Waiheke Island. A must-visit spot when you're on the island!

So Sad Steve White doesn't own this place anymore... We arrived with a party of 8. Automatically…read moresat us on the patio with a patio menu... We wanted Lunch. So, we followed the sign to the restaurant which leads us back around to the host stand. We asked to order stuff from the restaurant and we couldn't. We HAD to sit inside the hot-box restaurant. I'll give it to the host who warned us that it was hot... Why not leave us on the patio and give us the restaurant menu which was 10 feet away.... I Don't Get It... I hope they fix that Greenhouse restaurant. That Window Roof will cook you during the summer months. This table was in the middle where we sat... The tables by the railing had breeze. we could see people's hair blowing around while we baked in the sun in the middle. The tables in the back were in the shade, (which were open. A Chinese family were sat by the railing and they ask to move to those tables and did move to the tables in the back shaded tables).. I really feel like that french guy, (host), sabotaged us with that horrible table. this place is losing its touch... im sad... I really like this place...

Tantalus Estate - Waiheke Island…read more Tantalus Winery is located on beautiful Waiheke Island, an easy and very pleasant 40-minute ferry ride from Auckland. Once on the island, you can hop on a hop-on/hop-off bus or take a local bus--both make getting around simple and stress-free. The estate itself is stunning. There's a winery, a restaurant, and a brewery, and we chose to sit outside to fully enjoy the vineyard views. The setting is peaceful, lush, and absolutely gorgeous--one of those places where you instantly want to slow down and take it all in. The food was excellent. I tried green-lipped mussels for the first time--smoked and marinated--and they were delicious. Even better, they were served without shells, which made them incredibly easy to eat. The kingfish appetizer was a standout: fresh, beautifully prepared, with a dollop of avocado and a coconut-style aioli that was truly special. A real "wow" dish. We also did a wine flight, which made the experience fun especially given the range of wines available. The only downside was the music--it was blaring a bit too loud. In such a serene, Zen-like environment, it competed with the natural beauty rather than enhancing it. This is a place where you just want to sit, sip, and absorb the surroundings. That said, Tantalus is absolutely worth the trip. Incredible setting, memorable food, and a wonderful way to experience Waiheke Island.

Wonderful views, friendly, but slow service, and delicious cuisine. It took over two hours to make…read moreit through a three course fixed price lunch. And no, it was not crowded. The lunch itself was very good. Highly recommend the lamb rump roast.

The tour includes driving you around Waiheke and tastings at 3 wineries. They will pick you up from…read morethe ferry or downtown. Julie was a lovely guide and bus driver. They have pre-booked tastings at the wineries and thus you get a tour of the vineyard and some information about the history, etc. Our tour had 10 people on it. My only critiques are that they don't give you that many tastings at the wineries (3-4) and they don't allow substitutions if you don't like whites or reds. Also they give you an extra 30-45 minutes at each winery after the tasting has ended, which was perhaps a bit too much time. I figured out you could take a public bus from the ferry terminal that will drop you off right in front of many of the wineries, so not sure its fully worth the money (though this tour does take you to ones that are not available by public bus). You do get better value for money with this tour though compared to many other tours we looked at.

Wow, went last weekend on a magic day Went to the casual…read morerestaurant and had half the menu it was so good Service was great really good vibe Bread starter is a must Loved it

One of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever experienced was eating dinner at Mudbrick. The view is…read moredivine, and the garden feels so quaint and picturesque that I was completely wowed. It's nice coming here for the ambience alone! They have two or three course dining options and I went with the two course plus a bread order which ended up being the perfect amount of food. The dishes were surprisingly innovative for being a winery restaurant, and I really appreciated the pairings they suggested with each dish. I especially liked their Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot options. It's definitely pricey, but I am glad I got to try dinner here. Only catch is that it's quite difficult to get a car back home - we had dinner at 7:30 pm and it was a bit harrowing getting a taxi. The hotel will help call for you but our driver double booked himself for extra business so we stood outside almost half an hour in the dark. Regardless, the restaurant itself was great and worth the trip.

Day was beautiful. Had a tasting out on their patio…read more This was our 4th wine tasting in the same day, I was feeling pretty spent from the wine tastings from the 3 vineyards before. I did tiny sips and wasn't ingesting anymore liquids down, only tasting them. It's a nice vineyard. Since I had so much to tastes by the last stop. I was feeling pretty mellow and chilled. I just sat under the protection of the shading on the patio and watched everyone else continue their tastings. My friend was still going strong. I was out. I spent the rest of the wine tour hour taking in the vineyard estate.

Obsidian was our first stop in New Zealand off the plane from the US…read more We landed in Auckland at dawn, dropped our bags at our hotel, boarded the Waiheke ferry, took the bus to Onetangi, walked the length of the beach, hiked up the hill, and found our way to the cellar door. All you need to know about the wine is that it was worth that effort. The winery is situated in a hollow (American for small valley) and housed in a Quonset hut. We enjoyed our tasting on a shaded outdoor patio. Our hosts were friendly, which in New Zealand is basically assumed. Obsidian is perhaps the most remote of the Onetangi wineries, which made it the perfect place to start our day. We spent the rest of the day working our way back toward the main road - stopping at Casita Miro and Te Motu - before catching the bus back on Onetangi Rd. back to Oneroa and the ferry.

Rangitoto was definitely a highlight of our visit to Auckland. We had a free day and wanted to get…read moresome exploring in, so we took the 10:30 ferry ride on over which was quick and beautiful. The range in microclimate hiking to the summit was fascinating. There were times where it was unbearably hot and then others when it was cool and wet. So interesting! The views, unsurprisingly, were magnificent.

We booked this tour through Fullers/360 Discovery Tours. They made it very simple to find the…read morecorrect dock, pick up our ferry tickets, and hop on board to the island. It was a fun little cruise to Rangitoto and then a very well organized tour and hike once there. We boarded an open-sided cart pulled by a truck/tractor, and it drove us all over the island - with our guide pointing out neat sights along the way, including volcanic fields, old dwellings where the WWII soldiers used to bunk, and some flora and fauna that we passed: birds and pōhutukawa trees (of which Rangitoto is the largest forest in the world). We stopped at the foot of the summit, and those who wanted to venture to the top hopped onto the boardwalk that runs alongside the mountain. It was an easy climb along the flat winding boardwalk, but the views do get a little daunting for those afraid of heights. There is a stop along the way called the crater summit track. Here you can walk around the edge/ring of this very large and very deep volcanic crater. There were lots of beautiful trees and scenic views to stop and see/snap photos of along the way. You can see Motutapu Island from the summit, where it connects to Rangitoto. Our guide said that some people hike from Rangitoto to Motutapu along the causeway connection, but we did not have time for that on this tour. Once we snagged our photos at the top of the summit, we headed back down and then boarded the vehicle again to meander back around the island to the dock and start our journey home. Overall, I would say this island (as part of a tour or a self guided hike with your own ferry pass) is a great way to spend a day. Hiking, beautiful views, and the sights of New Zealand that you don't get from just staying in Auckland!