Wine Trip
new zealand
Travel to New zealand wine country with us!
Here is a recommended itinerary and travel stops if you are heading to the New Zealand for a wine and food vacation, or if you are thinking about going in the future.
Travel Tips were in part furnished by Ezra Wicks of Kily Imports and Wild Eyed Wines in Seattle WA. @kilyimports and @wildeyedwines
Some maps and travel information also provided by New Zealand Wine at nzwine.com
From Seattle and most of the west coast it’s about a 15 hour flight to Auckland New Zealand, the primary city of entry for international flights.
A word of caution if you are extending your trip to include Australia. The two countries have some restrictions on products that you can’t bring back and forth, such as honey so make sure don’t bring certain food products between the countries.
Short flights function similar to bus system here, and it’s the best way to get from island to island. They are pretty frequent and cheap.
New Zealand is also know for extreme outdoor sports and adventure travel. If you are brave enough to try out things like bungee jumping or sky diving this is the location for you.
Wellington New Zealand
Take a short flight from Auckland down to Wellington as a base for any North Island wine destinations. This is a great local wine ship to get your trip started right.
Hawke’s Bay
Hawke’s Bay and sub areas like Gimblett Gravels are the prime area in New Zealand for growing bolder red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Cab Franc. Hasting or Napier would be your destination to explore this area further.
Central Otago
Central Otago has some amazing Pinot Noir’s and is an up and coming wine region, its also very beautiful. Queenstown is your main travel hub here, and there are many great wine producers to choose from.
Marlborough
Known primarily for Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough is also very pretty. It will have many of the bigger name producers, fancier tasting rooms and is very tourist friendly. Nelson is a good hub city.
Auckland
Though not a great wine and food destination itself compare to some other parts of the country, it is still a very dramatic city, with top end restaurants and will service as your primary travel hub for this trip.