Start your small-group tour with hotel pickup in Auckland before heading to the Matakana Coast, located less than an hour's drive away. Your first stop is the Honey Centre in Warkworth, a family-run establishment boasting the largest display of live bees in New Zealand. Watch the buzzing insects at work and taste an array of natural honeys, such as manuka and clover, along with mead (honey wine) and fruit wine.
Continue your wine tasting at a local winery, where your guide points out the complex aromas, flavors and textures of award-winning wines.
Visit Brick Bay Wines and their Sculpture Trail for a wine-tasting and art extravaganza. Sensitively sited along an easy walking trail, around 45 carefully chosen sculptures are given room to breathe in a stimulating interaction between the natural environment and the artistic impulse.
Returning to Brick Bay’s Glass House, sample their handcrafted wines followed by a delicious platter lunch made from many locally-sourced ingredients as you reflect on your experience of ‘art and wine entwined’ at Brick Bay.
Next, tantalize your taste buds at Chocolate Brown with a sampling of decadent handmade chocolates along with a refreshing tea or coffee.
Finally (time allowing), stop at the Parry Kauri Park and view some spectacular Kauri trees in a magnificent bush setting before completing your full-day tour with the return to Auckland and drop-off at your hotel.
Please note: due to seasonality, winery tours and lunch venue are subject to change.
