Grant is there to greet you as you step onto Waiheke Island paradise. After a brief stop in Oneroa Village we drive up to the northern face for amazing views and along the most beautiful native bush lined roads looking down to the sparkling blue water as we head towards your first Waiheke winery. We avoid the heavily used tour routes and head along the back roads. We focus on family owned wineries where the people are salt of the Earth real passionate Waihekeans doing the hard graft and the wine is the best being made from hand picked grapes from the sustainable vineyards surrounding you. These people are our friends. Every wine maker has a unique approach and our guests often comment on the relaxed flow of the tour and nice contrasting boutique wineries. You get to feel part of the scene and soak up the tangible vibe of this miraculous living island. You will get to taste up to 15 premium handcrafted Waiheke wines with amazing lunch options and get Waihekefied! The eastern side of the island is the showcases the real nature of Waiheke. Native trees and native birds everywhere. The big tours hardly venture out there and we often have the finest small wineries to ourselves. Cheers!!
A wonderful day with Grant tasting wine and seeing the sights of Whaiheke island. The day was tailored for us and we had a great time at each of the 3 wineries we visited with friendly people at each. Highly recommend this tour if you want to visit some smaller wineries and have a personal touch which you won’t get from the biggger tours.
Nice way to see the smaller boutique wineries and have a more personal experience. Great conversation with locals.
We enjoyed a delightful day celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary. Grant was very knowledgeable and flexible, making it a memorable day
This was a fun experience to a little-known gem just off the coast of Auckland, and a fun recount of its history by our knowledgable guide. A fun boat ride, followed by our guide picking us up at the dock and taking us to three great wineries, dispensing Waiheke history along the way. Fun times, great company, good drinks and good food at our last stop. A great day in the sun.
Wonderful day learning about and exploring the island. Visited three tasty small wineries and enjoyed lunch and a short walk on the beach.
Great to experience little, more off the beaten track wineries. Our guide Grant was a knowledgeable local who gave a brief history of the island and it's wineries. Wines were excellent and different (in a good way) and a fantastic lunch. A small group (there was five of us) meant we chatted more than perhaps we would've done in a larger tour which also added to the experience which was nice.
Grant was an excellent host and took us to three very nice wineries. The tastings were generous, all had wines that were different and delicious. Grant gave us a great guided tour of the history of Waiheke in a very comfortable ride. Highly recommend this tour!
First 2 wine tastings were great. Disappointed with the last tasting at Passage Rock. The family member did not really talk to us about their wines. We had to pick either white or red wines and I would have liked to have tasted both. He basically just poured us 4 wines with no detailed presentation addressed to us like the first 2 wineries. Jasper Ridge was outstanding! The winery owner was entertaining and very informative about his winery and vineyards. His wines were excellent. Casita Miro was a beautiful winery and we were provided a detailed impressive presentation on the winery and wines paired with appetizers. Our driver was ok. I felt he could have been a bit more personable.
We went on a Waiheke Island small group wine tour with Grant and he took us to 3 boutique wineries. We got to taste amazing wines and had a wonderful lunch. Grant also took us around the beautiful island. Thank you Grant.
Great small tour. Learned a lot about the island from a great storytelling native. The wineries visited were fabulous--not the busy, touristy ones but quiet ones where you could really enjoy the wines
Grant was an excellent guide. He educated us about the island, the wine, and countless other things while being entertaining, warm, and humorous. He took us to 2 very boutique and off the main path wineries to have an experience unlike any other. The third winery was still small and intimate but much bigger and we had a lovely lunch there. In all, my partner and I tasted somewhere about 18 wines between the 3 wineries, which was so much more than expected. This tour went above and beyond. It was an intimate group of 6 with Grant and it was the perfect size for our day. 10/10 cannot recommend it enough. Seriously. Book this one.
This was a unique wine tour experience. Grant is a very knowledgeable guide and took us to some charming boutique vineyards, amongst the most beautiful scenery and away from the usual tourist trails. This is a small group tour - just 8 of us, and we all interacted really well. Would thoroughly recommend. Well worth it.
An exceptional tour of off of the beaten path wineries with stunning scenery. A gourmet lunch was available for purchase at the third winery. Grant was a low key congenial guide who filled us in on the island’s history. Highly recommended.
What a great experience and a great way to see the island. Well worth it! The guide was incredibly knowledgeable and the wine was amazing!
My husband, friends, and I had a great time with Grant on this tour! He shared the history of the island with us and took us to three small boutique wineries that I don't think we would have found on our own. The island is beautiful, and it was a perfect way to end our trip to New Zealand.
Great wines and a great guide. Enjoyed the small wineries and brought bottles home. Highly recommend.
Grant , Was very knowledgeable about the island history, and the winery industry on the island. We went to some brilliant boutique wineries on the eastern end of the island. We had a great day. Robert.
We enjoyed the day with Grant and fellow guests. There were 3 small wineries with great ambience and generous wine tasting at each. The itinerary was relaxed and we all went with the flow to the point we weren’t quite sure what was next. The initial guided tour with tons of knowledge shared but when countered with additional questions the answers were a bit strong which may not be enjoyed by some and can be seen in the other reviews. Our group didn’t mind and totally understood the current tug between the paradise like island and the many who come to visit and want a piece of that experience! All and all we had a good time together on a beautiful day and certainly enjoyed the wine and all the people at each winery. Thanks Grant!
Great trip, really good to visit the smaller family run vine yards a bit off the beaten track. Got to see a lot of the island too. Grant, the guide was informing, friendly and entertaining and always wanted to make sure we were having a good experience, giving us options.
A wonderful view of the backcountry and an educational experience. A great opportunity to see how people live and conduct successful wine business
We had the most wonderful day exploring Waiheke Island with Grant as our guide. From start to finish, the experience was relaxed, thoughtful, and truly special. Grant’s knowledge of the island and its history added so much depth to the tour, and we loved learning along the way. He took us to beautiful wineries that weren’t overrun with tourists, which made the tastings feel personal and peaceful. Every stop offered delicious wines and stunning surroundings, and there was never a sense of being rushed. One of the highlights was getting to know the other couples on our tour, it felt more like spending the day with friends than being on a typical excursion. The atmosphere was warm, welcoming, and fun. This was easily one of the highlights of our trip. We can’t recommend Grant enough for anyone looking for an authentic, relaxing, and memorable Waiheke wine tour experience. We would do it again in a heartbeat!
Grant was a great a knowledgeable guide! He brought our group together and was open to adjusting the tour as the weather changed and to fit our needs! Thank you for a great experience! We wish we had more time on Waiheke!!
Fabulous little tour of the island and some smaller out-of-the way vineyards. Grant did a great job hearding us around and was very knowledgeable and laid- back.
We had an a fun day on this wine tour thanks to Grant! From the moment we booked, he went above and beyond — reaching out right away and discovering we were already staying on the island, he kindly offered to pick us up from our accommodation and even built in time for us to grab a quick coffee and breakfast in Oneroa before the rest of the group arrived on the ferry. At the beginning of the tour, Grant drove us around Oneroa, highlighting different sites and sharing how the island has changed and developed over the years. His knowledge and storytelling gave us such a great appreciation for Waiheke Island beyond just the wine. We visited three boutique wineries, each one fun, welcoming, and personal. Our favorite was Passage Rock Winery. The small group size was perfect — relaxed, intimate, and never rushed. We had an enjoyable and very memorable day! We couldn’t recommend Grant more highly!
Amazing experience. Grant does a fantastic job showing you the real Waiheke. Away from the crowds. Fantastic properties and encounters. Private and boutique touch.
Grant was informative, funny, charismatic with a witty since of humor. We lucked out as the other people changed their tour day so we had grant to ourselves and he did not disappoint. His selections were perfect
Nice option to be catered and taken to the distant boutique wineries. Great service at the 3 wineries we visited, and no crowds of large buses etc. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, however we found him to be unfriendly, opinionated and vocal about issues/politics unrelated to wineries. His arrogance left a very sour taste on this tour and we wouldn't go again.
Wonderful experience wine tasting on Waiheke Island. Our guide, Grant, was friendly, knowledgeable and experienced with the small family wineries we visited. Our small group allowed for a very personal experience at each winery.
We had a wonderful day exploring Waikeke Island with Grant. We visited 3 unique wineries and enjoyed the stories of each of them. We found several wines that we especially liked. Grant shared his love of this island with stories and showing us beautiful vistas, vineyards, and beaches. We really felt we got to experience the true flavor of this beautiful island.
This was the perfect tour for us...away from the large wineries that attract the big busses. Grant took us to 3 lovely unspoiled boutique wineries offering great wines and personal attention. He also went off the besten track to show us the "real" Waiheke. Highly recommend!
Fantastic tour! Grant is a great guide and his chosen wineries were all excellent. We learned about the island and its unique culture as well.
We took the ferry at the time our tour guide suggested from CBD and arrived on the island and was greeted by our driver/tour guide. We were a small group and everyone got along great. We stopped at a beautiful art studio and then proceeded to 3 wonderful wineries. All very different. We then proceeded to have a nice lunch and a stop in town. We then proceeded to the ferry terminal for a ride back. It was a great day on a beautiful island
Grant was a very knowledgeable tour guide and did an excellent job communicating with us prior to pick up- the wineries he took us to provided a unique and enjoyable experience, I felt like I learned a lot about the island and overall we had a really fantastic time- I highly recommend this tour!
We had such an amazing time on the winery tour! Grant is a great tour guide. All the vineyards were fabulous and it was so much fun. I would 100% recommend this tour for everyone headed over to waiheke island.
We visited three beautiful vineyards and had great tastings. Each winery was amazing and Grant was so kind and funny! He is very knowledgeable about the island was fantastic.
Fantastic tour round the island by Grant. A wonderful mix of unique wineries with an excellent selection of wines, plus a picture perfect lunch stop. Our route seemed to feature non stop amazing vistas. A perfect day.
Seemless pickup from Waiheke ferry! Small group and interesting choice of small boutique wineries. Enjoyed the drive also with information on the history, locations, geography etc to background on the wineries! Great overall experience and help from gorgeous weather!
My husband and I booked the tour with at the last minute. Grant met us at the ferry terminal and gave us a tour of the island before stopping at our first winery. He was very knowledgeable about Waiheke and we were able to see parts of the island that we wouldn’t have had access to because we didn’t have a car. Grant took us to 3 different wineries that were off the beaten path and they were all great. We are not wine people and know nothing about wines, but each winery had something new to teach us. The food at the wineries was also delicious. We saw other big buses packed with tourists so we were very glad to have booked with Grant for a smaller more intimate experience. He was nice enough to drop us off at our dinner reservation at the end of the night. Great wine tour with waivino!
My wife and I took this tour with Grant on our honeymoon. 10/10 please book! This is an amazingly beautiful tour with a local guide. Grant is so knowledgeable and friendly. The wine is superb and the views are immaculate. This intimate tour was a perfect end cap for our trip. Cannot recommend enough!
Visiting Waiheke with Grant as lead was the most enjoyable part of my North Island visit! Grant treats this not just as a wine tour, but a whole introduction to his HOME. He brought us around the island, not just to wineries, but also for short stops at beaches, scenic view points and even a local art gallery! The wineries we visited were really good and not the usual / commercial ones that other tours are doing. Had an amazing time with our other companions as well!
Very enjoyable tour! Grant was highly knowledgeable of the island and shared lots of fun and interesting facts with us. He was incredibly friendly and was kind enough to take us from our accommodation to the village for breakfast before the tour began as well as drop us back afterwards. The wineries and views we were taken to were splendid and the fellow tourists whom accompanied us were lovely. We loved every minute of the tour.
We had a wonderful day visiting small wineries. The wines and lunch were fantastic. Enjoyed that this was a small group tour and Grant shared with us the history of the island as well as showing us much of the island. A fantastic day!
Grant is undoubtedly the best tour guide on the island. He only takes you to the best stops, no corporate "money makers". All the vineyards are local and the best quality. Would highly recommend to anyone.
This tour was beyond amazing. If you want a backstage pass to some of a most exclusive wineries, and one on one with the wine makers, this is the tour to pick. You will have exclusive treatment and VIP access due to the relationships of this tour. Worth every penny. We will be back and only utilize this exclusive service! Thank you, Grant!
Instructions for the ferry, where to meet were clear and easy to follow. We found our amazing guide, Grantt waiting for us upon arrival and enjoyed an incredible day of history and culture of Waiheke as well as storytelling and learning about the special wineries we visited - this was a big highlight of our trip and truly grateful to Grantt for his care and aroha for us!
Fantastic day with Grant showing us his Island. The 3 wineries were all different & lunch at Paradise Rock was amazing. Grant literally went the extra mile for us ! Thank you
My family of 5 had a wonderful tour on Waiheke with Grant. He was extremely knowledgeable about the island and took us to some beautiful vineyards/ wineries. It was the perfect day!
We were very happy with the tour. Guide was very professional and selection of vineries was excellent. Will definitely recommend this tour for wine enthusiasts.
Well it was a shocking day, but Grant made it a very enjoyable one with a lot of interesting facts and visits to lovely wineries
We are so glad we chose to go with Grant and Waivino tours! One of the reasons we chose to go with his tour is that he has smaller groups than those other tours. This was our first time to Waiheke Island, and he gave us a great tour around the island while telling us a lot about the history of the island. We made stops along the way at some beautiful lookout points. The three wineries we went to were exceptional! Each winery was different and the tastings were wonderful! We also made a stop in the downtown area for a gelato before we headed back to the ferry. This tour was one of the highlights of our trip to New Zealand! Thank you, Grant!
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