We booked this activity through Viator several weeks in advance. We received confirmation and…read moretickets. We arrived at the pickup location early and messaged the operator to ensure we were in the right location. We did not receive a response. Contacted Viator directly who spoke with the operator wan advised that we had not been out on their calendar. We had one day in Auckland and were left with no tour as everything else was booked. So unprofessional and they didn't even respond to us. I would give them zero stars if I could. Nothing was offered to compensate for this oversight.

We took many wine tours during our New Zealand vacation and this was by far the best. John, the…read moreowner operator provided our group with a great selection of Auckland area vineyards and wineries. We didn't just visit the tasting rooms, John provided us a detailed cellar tour where he explained the entire wine making process. We were given excellent commentary on New Zealand, various trends, and the economic forces at play. It was a very informative drive through the region as we made our way from winery to winery. It was a perfect way to spend our final day in New Zealand as we were also able to hire John to transport us straight to the airport at the conclusion of our tour. I highly recommend NZ Wine Pro.

Aorangi Peak is a destination spot on the top of a mountain where you can dine, drink fine wine,…read moreget the best view in town, and sleep for the night. It's rather hard to get to but after spending a night here in there 4 room lodge I had to put this place on the yelp map. Restaurant: They're food is exquisite. We had a three course meal of deer carpaccio, mushroom soup, scallops, lamb and steak. It was so filling and delicious that for dessert we had to opt for just coffee. But I'm sure it would've been a treat. Their wine selection is also quite fantastic. The owner is a huge fanatic and he even has wine posters and a dusty wine cellar that you can choose from if you have the time. Lodging: The place we stayed in was huge. Four bedrooms with a total of 6 beds. There are signs on how to keep yourself safe from the possums and the extremely hot water of the area. The view from the backyard is actually a better view than you would get at the top of the gondola ride (which is a 40$ excursion in the town) Overall the experience was grand. The owner showed us his unique collection of antiques which included toys so archaic that describing them would need a history lesson.

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.

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.

We had the set menu for lunch which was amazing but way too much food. Ended up taking most of the…read moredelicious beef spare ribs home with us. Wonderful wines and excellent attentive friendly service. The venue looking tired however. They are in the middle of renovations which added to the messiness. I hope they are planning on upgrading the toilets. Ive seen cleaner toilets in public bars!

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!

This place is very appealing visually. I did the reserve wine tasting, which should have been the…read morebest of the best, but they were merely okay, unfortunately. Their reserve syrah had a VERY off-flavor to it. We brought this up to the server, and he quickly ran off to check with someone. When he returned, he said something like "oh, that's the typical floral something or other". We've experienced this before, and it turned out then that the cork was bad. This was likely the same situation. At the very least, I would have expected Tantalus to pour another taster for us to make sure there was nothing wrong with the first pour. That didn't happen though. The reserve chardonnay was good.

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.

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!!!

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.

We walked into the bistro ready to have a terrific dinner experience based on their website photos…read moreand the warm, inviting appearance as we walked up. The ambiance was nice and felt like a cozy ski lodge. However, the hostess wasn't exactly warm or charming. She seemed to have a bit of a control issue. When we moved one of the 2 chairs at the 4-top to another side of the table, she expressed her displeasure and stated that we had to make sure that we gave the table next to us enough space, but there was definitely enough room for a small pony to walk through. The server was pretentious. The vibe we got was that he was busy with something else and could barely be bothered to share the specials and take our order. Because we weren't getting a great vibe, we decided just to order overpriced drinks instead of drinks and overpriced food. Do NOT order the old fashioned unless you like them super sweet. My husband is a fan of old fashioneds and had never had a ridiculously sugary drink as this before. The espresso martini was okay. Definitely not worth $26 though. This place is definitely overrated.

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.