Scenic South Wairarapa Full Day Tour From Wellington

I can only echo the other 5-star reviews here--our private guide, Tom, was just brilliant! His friendliness, professionalism and obvious love for his job made our day really special. He tailored the tour to our particular interests and brought us to some unique and wonderful locations and local businesses that we never would have found on our own. We may have begun the day as strangers, but left feeling we'd make a new Kiwi friend.

My husband and I did the private guided full day South Wairarapa tour with Tom as our guide. We have done many excursions and day trips in many countries and I can honestly say that this is one of the best we have ever been on. And the key ingredient that Tom brings? Connection. From our very first meeting, he made us feel very comfortable and he is so genuine and down-to-earth that you feel an immediate connection. We couldn’t have asked for a better day and Tom ensured that we were well taken care of the entire time. The various stops along the way were wonderful. Lots of opportunities for photos. We think it is a very special touch that Tom takes many pics as well and then emails them to you later on. I’ve never seen that done before. The wine tasting and lunch at Poppies in Martinborough was outstanding. The charcuterie was unique and exceptional. The tour to Cape Palliser offered astounding views and I was impressed that Tom braved the 253 steps to the top with us. I could go on because there were so many small details that Tom injected into the day. All I can say is thank you Tom , it was amazing! Bill and Lise

Tom gave me a super tour to Martinborough and Cape Palliser. I can thoroughly recommend this day out- great advice, explanations, historical knowledge and a great photographer to boot! He even arranged for the sun to come out for us as we walked up to the lighthouse.

Great guide in Tom, excellent & tasty sharing plate lunch at Poppies & great views at Cape Palliser.

If you want first class service please choose Kaewa tours!! We spent 2 day’s touring the Wellington area and had a fabulous time, they sure know how to provide a great experience and know the top places to visit in Wellington. Everything was planned and executed perfectly!!

Earlier this year my wife and I went on this wine tour. Absolutely marvellous! Tom was the perfect host, picking us up from our hotel In Wellington and looking after us superbly throughout the day. We were in New Zealand - visiting from the UK - for several weeks and there were lots of highlights but the Martinborough Wine Tour was right up there - a truly memorable day! We started the tour at C’est Cheese in Featherston and then on to the Le Gra Vineyard in Masterton - run by Brian and his lovely family - excellent wine and excellent food! After this we went to Greytown Honey - wonderful tasty honey and we couldn’t resist buying some. Then on to Poppies Vineyard in Martinborough - a different experience and some lovely wines. We went back to Wellington via Kaitoke Regional Park where the Rivendell scenes from the Lord of the Rings films were shot. Stunning! We had a wonderful day that we will never forget. If you are planning to be in the Wellington area for any time at all we strongly recommend that you contact Tom at Kaewa Tours for a memorable experience.

Amazing. Beautiful scenery with a variety of stops to interest many. The food was wonderful. I was traveling solo and felt very comfortable as a single female traveler. Wonderful day. Worth adding to your trip.

Had a wonderful day with Tom @kaewatours. Very knowledgeable and excellent guide. Would highly recommend this all day adventure. We’ll worth it!!!

It was a fantastic day! The views while driving were amazing and Tom pointed out so many interesting things. There was a bit of everything. A relaxing lunch at a winery, a lighthouse and seal colony, and a small trek into a park to see a Lord of the Rings filming site. It was a wonderful way to relax and enjoy how awesome New Zealand is!

My wife and I had a wonderful day trip with Tom exploring the beautiful Wairarapa region. Tom is super friendly, knowledgeable and well-organised. We tasted the delicious local cheese, honey, chocolate and wine, observed the seal colony on the way to cape palliser and walked up to the lighthouse to enjoy the spectacular view of the southernmost point of the North Island. On the way back to Wellington in the evening, Tom managed to lead us check the Lord of the Rings' scenes in Kaitoke Regional Park as the weather was not good in the morning. Knowing we're still in Wellington the day after, Tom offered us a complimentary drive to the top of Mt Victoria. I highly recommend Tom and Kaewa Tours if anyone plans to spend one or more days in and around the Wellington area.

The tour was fascinating, including sightseeing along the coast, wine tasting, lunch and even a drive thru Wellington. As delightful as the tour was, it was our guide, Tom Collier, who really made it special. He is everything you would hope for in a tour guide- entertaining, knowledgeable, friendly, a very good driver and very responsive to our particular interests. We highly recommend the tour and, especially, Tom Collier.

The tour guide was very polite and attentive to each location. There were exchanges and brief introductions along the way, especially to the distant seal habitat and lighthouse. The seaside scenery was excellent and the trip was pleasant. At the end, the tour guide gave me a gift chosen by my wife before leaving. I really appreciate his kindness.

Tom was a fantastic guide. Not only did he know the region, he was able to personalize what he talked about to our interests. We even took some side tours for additional LOTR scene spotting. I was most excited to see the seals and they didn't disappoint. Tom was enthusiastic and excited to share the area with us. When looking for a tour of the area definitely book with Kaewa Tours!

Such a great tour with an amazing tour guide! Apart from a well planned exciting day, there were so many small personal touches before, during and after tour! An absolutely great experience and fantastic photos and memories for years to come!

Tom was a really great guide and everything about this tour exceeded expectations. We visited some beautiful spots and always felt that we had the ability to tailor the experience to our needs. The lighthouse and seal colony were truly beautiful and were the pinnacles of the day.

What a wonderful tour! Tom, a lovely guy, gave us a comprehensive guide to Wellington, with an informative, fun and entertaining day, taking lots of great pics, and a delicious lunch on the way….

Literally Tom is the best tour guide ever..Thank you Tom. Tom was the perfect host and guide. Tom is really knowledgable about the areas and he answered all our questions. Lunch was superb. The tour is well planned and thought out and not rushed. Toms attention to detail is fab including hand gel and water at the beginning of the day and a beautiful gift of reclaimed timber coasters to take home. Tom took amazing photo with his camera and sent them to us.. Tom thank you we had the most perfect day and would recommend you 101% to anyone going to Wellington This is an outline of our day with cruise ship pick up We headed up to Wrights Hill in Karori, arguably the best view over Wellington and the harbour. We drove through the Botanical Gardens, past the entrance to the Bolton Cemetery (Wellington’s first cemetery) then a steep drive down Bolton Street where the motorway went through the cemetery in the late 1960’s requiring the relocation of over 3,000 graves. We then stopped at the Parliament Grounds where we viewed the iconic ‘Beehive’, Houses of Parliament and the Parliamentary Library building. We drove past Te Papa, the QT Hotel (which used to physically be where Te Papa is) and along Oriental Bay stopping at the Wellington ‘Blown Away’ sign at the entrance to the Miramar Peninsula. We drove around the Miramar Peninsula and stopped for lunch was taken at Scorch-O-Rama cafe at Scorching Bay overlooking the Wellington harbour. After lunch we continued our drive around the Eastern Bays stopping at the lovely seaside suburb of Seatoun. Here we could see Steeple Rock, 200 metres offshore which is where the Inter Island ferry TEV Wahine capsized resulting in the loss of 51 people on 10 April 1968. In fact, 2 further people died later as a result of injuries sustained. We continued our coastal drive dropping on to the south coast at Breaker Bay where we could see the infamous Barrett Reef which was the reef the Wahine struck. We also viewed the Wahine Memorial (propeller) at Wahine Park, Breaker Bay. We then headed back though the Airport and up to ‘Wellywood’ – the eastern suburb of Miramar where a number of movie post production studios (Stone Street Studio is Sir Peter Jacksons studio) as well as the famous special effects studio – the Weta Cave and Workshop where we viewed a number of special effects including Tom’s ‘Precious’ Gollum all created by the clever people in the Weta Workshop. Back through the Airport short cut, under the runway and along the south coast passing the ‘Leaning Tower of Wellington (ATC tower), Lyall Bay, Houghton Bay, Island Bay and Owhiro Bay. A visit to Wellington on a nice day is not complete without a visit to the Brooklyn Wind Turbine for fabulous views all over the city and harbour. We then headed back into the city for a trip on Wellington’s famous Wellington Cable Car where after much stress for some of my guests I do in fact meet my guests at the top! The Cable Car has been in operation for over 120 years. And lastly, we visited headed up to the Mt Victoria lookout for another majestic view over the city and harbour, oh and let me not forget – the Basin Reserve where the mighty NZ Cricket team were about to pull off quite a remarkable test win against England

Very friendly guide, fascinating views, funny seals, delicious meals and a lot opportunities for photos! Excellent value! Definitely worth it! Also want to say thank you to Tom and the Poppies staff!

My friend and I spent some time trying to figure out what the best scenic tour in Wellington, New Zealand is. We are both experienced travelers and we have a good feeling about what is worth your money and time. Tom, a guide and owner of Kaewa tours, provided us with one of the most welcoming and informative tours of Wellington we could not imagine of having. He loves his job and he loves his city and he will show you everything you have planned on seeing plus more. He is very professional but also a nice and friendly person. We would have not been able to see and fall in love with Wellington if it wasn't for Tom. Thanks to him we are planning on going back and revisit New Zealand. We offers a wide range of tours around. We highly recommend his business!!!

If you are going to Wellington, you need to hire these people as your tour guides. Gina took us to the light house, to see the seals, to a winery—everything was perfect. She tailored the tour to our wants and needs. She was fabulous. The area is so beautiful and worth spending the day exploring. I cannot imagine how any other company could have provided better service.

Had a fantastic day out with Tom, where he showed us all the best spots around greater Wellington. From delicious wines to stunning views and an insight in the life of a beekeeper 😍🐝🍷

Amazing day discovering Wellington with Tom, thank you for giving us the best tour and all your great insights. Highly recommend ! Best, A, E & R

Thank you so much to the amazing Tom Collier who made our day one to cherish for a very long time. Tom is a very warm, friendly, caring person. And we got along well straight from the beginning. He is very professional and sticks to his itinerary well including his OH&S duty of care. He goes over and beyond what is on the activity sheet. He doesn't seem like he was working when he was with us. He was really enjoying what he does and it made us feel that we have a long time friend we haven't seen for long while who is just taking us for a joy ride around Wairarapa and his personal favourite places. He was equally disappointed that the weather wasn't on our side when we reached the summit 555 and we couldn't take pictures. Likewise, the C'est cheese tasting closed before we reached the place and he was not happy that we didn't get to experience this. It was quite late when we got back to Wellington. However, he went over and beyond to take us for an extra drive around town to Wellington's best kept secret spaces. Amazing! And really enjoyable. Our best moments includes Honey tasting at Greytown, lunch at Poppies, Cape Palliser lighthouse, watching seals at the seal colony and of course, Rivendell (Lord of the Rings location set), which I originally thought was just a fantasy land. The big bonus was he brought his Canon DLSR professional camera with him and happily took candid pictures of us (with our permission, of course) to fully document our happy day. Again, thank you so so much Tom and Kaewa Tours for an incredible 5 star experience. You rock!

I really enjoyed the whole day out but especially the honey tasting at Greytown Honey. The owner was very friendly and passionate about what she does and the different honeys were. Lunch at the winery was also amazing. However the Palliser lighthouse was the crown topper for me because I was intimidated by the steep steps but made it to the top which really felt amazing and was a great way to end the day.

Relaxed day chocka full of food, wine and beautiful scenery. We saw so much in a few hours. So many outstanding boutique businesses in this lovely area I need to come back and explore more! Thanks Tom, you were the perfect host and ambassador.

Tom was an amazing host. We had the best day. A big high light for me was the seal colony, but also Poppys winery . We will have great memories from our day . Thank you Tom :)

Had an absolutely wonderful day with Tom Collier from Kaewa Tours exploring the Wairarapa region and south coast! Tom has thorough knowledge of the region and tailors the itinerary to the individual's interests, all the while supporting local business and opting for eco-friendly initiatives. Despite having to fit in plenty of activities and long road transfers, nothing felt rushed and Tom makes sure you're comfortable at each step. Warmly recommended!