Kumeu Wine Tour from Auckland: wineries, food and Muriwai Beach

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/9

Duration4h–6h

GroupUp to 10

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Taste Kumeu's Chardonnays and Pinot Gris, then walk the cliffs where gannets ride the wind

A full-day wine tour from Auckland that visits three carefully selected Kumeu wineries for tastings paired with food, includes a leisurely lunch at The Hunting Lodge, and finishes in the rolling countryside of Muriwai. From August to March, the tour stops at the Gannet Colony where around 1,200 pairs of gannets nest on the cliffs above the black-sand beach. Hotel pickup is included; minimum age is 18.

4h–6h

Step-by-step itinerary

Kumeu wine tasting and Muriwai visit

Visit Soljan’s Winery
Wine tasting at The Hunting Lodge
Enjoy lunch at The Hunting Lodge Lawn Bar
Visit Kumeu River Winery
Explore Muriwai Gannet Colony and beach
Optional tasting at Hallertau Brewery

The Experience

The day starts with pickup from your Auckland hotel and a drive west into Kumeu Wine Country. Your first stop is Soljan's Estate Winery, a family operation that has been making wine for over 80 years. You'll taste their estate-grown Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Pinotage — varieties that thrive in Kumeu's clay soils — and see how the winery blends modern technology with traditional methods, including hand-made 65-year-old totara barrels used to age their Founders Tawny Port.

Lunch happens at The Hunting Lodge, a casual dining spot built around the Lawn Bar, an outdoor space where you can sit and take your time. The share-style menu brings generous charcuterie boards with cheeses and cured meats, alongside freshly made pizzas with a range of toppings — all included in the tour price and paired with wines from the estate. This is where the pace slows: there's no rush between tastings, and the social atmosphere is built into the stop itself.

After lunch, the tour moves to Kumeu River Winery, world-renowned for Chardonnays that compare to top white Burgundies. You'll taste their range of estate and single-vineyard expressions, and may also sample their sparkling wines made in the traditional méthode with extended ageing. Then comes the shift to landscape: the tour heads through rolling countryside toward Muriwai. From August to March, you'll visit the Gannet Colony, where around 1,200 pairs of gannets nest on the rugged cliffs and two vertical-sided islands. Their two-meter wingspans master the onshore updrafts above the black-sand beach that stretches 60 kilometers along the coast — a wild West Auckland experience that sits outside the usual wine-tour itinerary. The day ends with the drive back to the city.

What’s included

Hotel pickup from Auckland.
wine tastings at three Kumeu wineries (Soljan's Estate, The Hunting Lodge, and Kumeu River).
share-style lunch with charcuterie boards and pizzas at The Hunting Lodge.
all wine pairings throughout the day.
seasonal access to Muriwai Beach and the Gannet Colony (August to March).
live English-speaking guide for the full day.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcome

Operated by Coast To Coast Tours Limited

Is this one for you?The four- to six-hour timeframe leaves room to linger over tastings and lunch without eating up the rest of your day, and the addition of Muriwai's cliffs and black-sand beach means you're not spending the whole tour indoors at wineries — the landscape changes halfway through, which is what makes this different from a wine-focused itinerary alone.