Martinborough - just a stone's throw from central Wellington - is one of New Zealand's most prestigious and awarded wine areas. This full-day tour includes tastings at three boutique wineries, showcasing some of the finest local drops from the region, and travels through beautiful natural scenery featured in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. For those less inclined to wine, stop at a local brewery to try some craft beers.

Try samples at three of Martinborough's most-loved wineries, plus a brewery stop
Enjoy one wine tasting accompanied by a delicious gourmet lunch platter
Tour includes hotel or cruise ship transfers in an air-conditioned vehicle
Tasting fees are included, and wineries can ship any purchases internationally

What's Included

Driver/guide
Live commentary on board
Hotel pickup and drop-off
GST (Goods and Services Tax)
Tasting fees
Tour escort/host
Transport by air-conditioned minivan
Air-conditioned vehicle
Transport by private vehicle

Gratuities
Lunch

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Wellington isite Visitor Information Centre
111 Wakefield Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
The Wellington iSite at 111 Wakefield Steet is the alternative pick up point if you are not arriving off a Cruise Ship or your Hotel is outside of the CBD pick up zone.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

09:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER BOOKINGS: Your pick-up time will be 45 minutes after the ship has docked (even if your ship has been delayed or arrives early) with 8.45am being the earliest pick-up time. For the convenience of other guests, please ensure you arrive at the tour area promptly as the tour may not wait for you. Look out for the Xplor Tours guides who will greet you. Please select "The Wharf" option as your pick up location and enter your ship name in the additional booking details. NON-CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER BOOKINGS: Pick up times may differ from tour start times if there are multiple guest pick-up locations. We will contact you in advance of your tour with your estimated pick-up time if this is the case.

What To Expect

Poppies Martinborough

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Te Kairanga Wines

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Palliser Estate

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
MINIMUM age is 18 years
Cruise Ship Passenger bookings should select the following option as their pick up location which is the Port: 151 Aotea Quay, Pipitea, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
Cruise Ship Passenger bookings should add their ship name in special requirements field.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 18 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

27 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 27 reviews

Winning time

Christine_M, Feb 2023

We weren't crazy about the wines, but the lunch was great and the views fabulous. Enjoyed the day for sure.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Glad you still enjoyed your experience, despite not finding a wine that was right for your palate. It's an interesting tour and certainly gives you an experience of our countryside away from the city atmosphere. Thanks for your review Christine.

Beautiful drive & great wines

Jerome_B, Feb 2023

Beautiful scenic drive & great wines. Stopped in the park where The Lord of the Rings filmed the Rivendell scenes. Driver was very good & informative.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Jerome. I hope it created good memories of your time in Wellington.

A day with wine.

Nancy_M, Feb 2023

Three of us from the cruise ship took this fun tour with Dean as our guide and driver. He was so informative, interesting and entertaining, we all had a wonderful time. We visited three wineries and had lunch at Poppies, out under the trees. It was a great day and we highly recommend Xplor and Dean. Thank you for such a great time.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Dean is an awesome guide Nancy (as are all of our guides). So glad you left Wellington with memories of a great experience and welcoming guide. We'll make sure Dean sees your comments.

Great wine tour

margaretcaissie, Feb 2023

Had a lovely wine tour and a great lunch. Highly recommend this tour. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and took us to a nice park which was unexpected. We enjoyed it.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

So good to hear our guides are doing a great job and you enjoyed your experience with Xplor. Thanks for your review, much appreciated. If you can remember your guide's name and let us know we will make sure he sees this.

Like wine? Take this excursion.

Michael_L, Jan 2023

Beautiful area to visit. Marty, our driver, made the trip fun. Poppies was a bit over priced on the lunch they provided.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you for your review it is really appreciated. I'm glad you enjoyed your wine tour with Marty.

Out n’ Back with D

Chet_S, Jan 2023

We visited several out of the way wineries and D provided colorful commentary on our surroundings! The wineries were very good and the lunch that was served Far surpassed our expectations. As a final touch we viewed the harbor from Victoria Bluff just before returning to our ship. kudos to D!

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you for your review it is much appreciated. Dion is a fun guide and I am glad he looked after you and you enjoyed the tour.

Top wine trip

Cheryl_W, Dec 2022

Excellent service with top wine and a lovely lunch,the guide knew his stuff and was very friendly and helpful.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thank you for your review it is really appreciated. Glad you enjoyed the tour

Great wine exploration

Steve_C, Dec 2022

Marty was phenomenal. Wealth of knowledge and very accommodating. Going to Poppies Winery in Martinborough is a must. Not only is her wine outstanding, her vivacious persona and ease of talking with is second to none. Lastly, her lunch platter is the best I’ve ever had!

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thank you for your review it is really appreciated, and I am glad you had a good tour

Marty made the day.

Robert_S, Dec 2022

Originally I was bummed that the tour guide Richard wasn’t our guide as I had read rave reviews about him. However, Marty, our tour guide was fantastic. Just a genuinely kind and friendly person - we really enjoyed our day with him. He took us to the sights we wanted to visit, the wineries were fabulous and the company was great. A heads up that lunch is not included at the winery, which was a bit odd as the food was pre-selected for us. But a great tour overall

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thank you for your review it is really appreciated. I am glad you had a good wine tour experience with Marty.

Martinborough wine.

Barry_S, Nov 2022

Our driver was very helpful when I wasn’t well on the journey in. The drive in was spectacular. The wine tastings were interesting. The lunch was excellent. The inclusion of a brief stop at Rivendell was an added bonus.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Hi Barry Thank you for your review it is really appreciated and I am glad you enjoyed the tour