12 Wine Tasting Shore Excursions in New Zealand Worth the Money

1.Picton Cruise Ship Shore Excursion Marlborough Wine Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 165 reviews · from $155Our pick

Explore Marlborough’s wine country from Picton with a small group, four to five tastings, vineyard views, chocolate, and cruise-safe timing.

“This tour was disappointing. Four or five winery tastings were advertised. Only three were provided. A complimentary subpar glass of wine was provided at a lunch we paid for so I guess that’s how they came up with 4. Unfortunately only one of the three wineries visited could be considered by someone who enjoys wine as an above average Marlborough vineyard. The other two lower tier wineries included an organic vineyard and a two acre vineyard winery in the hills outside of Marlborough valley. Disappointingly, this winery didn’t produce a Sauvignon Blanc which is what Marlborough is known for. The only better than average winery visited, the tour only provided…”

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2.Shore Excursion: Napier/ Hawke’s Bay & Premium Wineries tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 93 reviews · from $96

Review of Napier’s four-hour Art Deco and Hawke’s Bay wine tour, with Mission Estate, scenic views, honey tasting, tips, value, and drawbacks.

“The stop at Mission Winery was worth the trip all by itself. Beautiful setting and great tasting room. Just a shame this portion of the excursion wasn't a little bit longer. Highly Recommend.”

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3.CRUISE SHIP DAY Marlborough Hop On Hop Off Wine Tours

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 88 reviews · from $80

Review of Marlborough’s hop-on hop-off wine tour from Picton, with winery tips, cruise timing, costs, stops, and practical advice.

“This Marlbourgh wine country is a valley that is surrounded by mountains and is absolutely beautiful, and the Hop On Hop Off bus tour is a great way to see it. We visited two wineries (one for lunch and a tasting, and the other for just a tasting) . Both were wonderful. We also visited the Makana Chocolate Factory. They gave us a sample upon entering which was enough incentive for each couple in our group to buy some chocolate. Their chocolate is a real treat! What a wonderful day!”

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4.Marlborough Wine Region Tour from the Port of Picton

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 88 reviews · from $183

Review of the Marlborough wine tour from Picton, with small-group tastings, chocolate, coastal views, value, timing tips, and honest drawbacks.

“Beautiful scenery and very relaxing. The winery staff are all friendly and entertaining.”

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5.Shore Excursion Marlborough Wine Region Tour from Picton

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 71 reviews · from $148

Tour four Marlborough wineries and a chocolate factory from Picton in a small minivan, with tastings, scenery, and cruise-friendly timing.

“We loved that this was a “small group” tour. We were a group of 10 people in a small van . We visited 4 wineries. Our tour guide Gavin did a great job ! I highly recommend this tour. The vineyards are all beautiful!”

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6.From Picton: Marlborough Wine Trip Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 28 reviews · from $146

Review of the Picton Marlborough wine shore excursion, with four tastings, vineyard lunch, small groups, guides, timing, value, and tips.

“Marsley our driver and guide was absolutely beautiful . Excellent driver very knowledgeable about the local area. We had a wonderful 👏👏”

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7.Lyttelton Shore Excursion – Waipara Wine Tour With Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 19 reviews · from $117

Review of the Lyttelton to Waipara wine tour, with three wineries, lunch, transport, cruise timing tips, guides, value, and practical advice.

“Opted for this wine tour versus booking the same excursion through the cruise company. Really enjoyed the three wineries we toured and the lunch platter was delicious. The tour operator made absolutely sure we were able to get back to the ship in time for departure. An overall lovely day wine tasting!”

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8.Lyttelton Shore Excursion – City Highlights & Waipara Wine Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 17 reviews · from $139

Explore Christchurch highlights, earthquake history, and three Waipara wineries on a cruise-friendly seven-hour shore excursion.

“This tour was a good experience except for two of the three wineries that we visited. Our tour guide was great, and the small group atmosphere was very comfortable. We enjoyed the drive from Lyttleton to Christchurch, through the hills witRead more”

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9.CRUISE SHIP DAYS – HOP ON HOP OFF – Wine, Beer, Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 9 reviews · 8 hours · from $77Best value

Build your own Marlborough wine, beer, food, and museum day with flexible hop-on hop-off transport from Picton.

“The initial reaction was chaos when we got to the office. Only one lady seemed to know what she was doing and the stress on her was horrible. She handled it well if not abruptly. We didn’t really know what we were supposed to be doing. Once we finally got to a bus things improved.”

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10.From Picton: Marlborough Wine Shore Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 4 reviews · from $144

Review the five-hour Marlborough wine shore excursion from Picton, with winery tastings, lunch, chocolate, transport, and practical cruise tips.

“Couldn’t heard anything the driver was saying, just bad over all!!”

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11.CRUISE SHIP DAY LYTTELTON Hop On Hop Off Wine Tours to Waipara

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $80

Explore Waipara wineries, breweries, cafes, and shops on a flexible five-hour hop-on hop-off tour from Lyttelton.

“Personalized tour, JJ is great and certainly knows so much.. love her style of sharing info about area. Warren, the driver was also great although we wished he would have spoken a bit more as we drove to wineries.”

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12.Shore Excursion with Wine Tasting and Platter

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · 3h 30m · from $101

See Napier’s Art Deco streets, Māori Star Compass, coastal views, and Hawke’s Bay wines on a 3.5-hour small-group shore tour.

“Amazing! Leanne was a fantastic guide, and being in such a small group we were able to deviate slightly from the itinerary and saw so much more than planned, including an impromptu stop at the ice cream parlour and the gin distillery (to see the art deco interior). Would highly recommend!”

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