Queenstown: Hop-On Hop-Off Wine & Beer Tour, 45-Min Loops

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Free cancellation

1/20

Duration5h–7h

GroupUp to 20

LanguagesEN · PT +1

Mobile ticketAccepted

Wine Tasting Without the Drive: Queenstown's Flexible Brewery Loop

You board a small-group bus (max 8 people) with a map and a choice of 20+ wine, beer, and food stops across Queenstown and Gibbston Valley. Hop off and on as you like—buses run every 45 minutes—so you can spend hours at a winery cave, take a bungy break, or grab lunch without planning the whole day in advance. Half-day and full-day tickets let you customize your own itinerary, and the driver handles the route while you skip the rental car and designated-driver logistics.

5h–7h

Step-by-step itinerary

Hop on Hop off Wine and Beer Tour

Start at Queenstown
Visit Shotover Jet boat experience
Stop at Canyon Food & Brew brewery
Enjoy tenpin bowling in Queenstown
Explore The Cargo Collective brewery
Relax and shop in Arrowtown village
Taste wines at The Winery Arrowtown
Visit Rifters Tasting Room in Arrowtown
Dine at Swiftsure by Man O’ War bistro
Experience Ayrburn venue with wine flights
Lunch or tasting at Mora Artisan Kitchen
Visit Amisfield Restaurant for degustation
Wine tasting at Nockies Palette cellar door
Try bungy jumping at Kawarau Bridge
Tour Gibbston Valley Winery and wine cave
Wine tasting at Mt Rosa wool shed
Visit Waitiri Creek winery cellar door
Stop at Brennan vineyard and cellar door
Visit Kinross Vineyard Hotel and Bistro
Enjoy Gibbston Tavern food and drinks
Wine tasting at Monte Christo Winery
Relax at Queenstown lakefront pub
Drink at Altitude Brewing lakeside tap room

The Experience

The bus pulls up to the curb in central Queenstown, air-conditioned and ready to move. You step on with a map in hand and a choice to make: Gibbston Valley's wine caves, Canyon Food & Brew's award-winning beer, or Arrowtown's 80-wine tasting room. The hop-on hop-off format means you're not locked into a guide's schedule or a fixed route. Every 45 minutes or so, another bus arrives at each stop, so you can spend two hours at Gibbston Valley Winery exploring the largest wine cave in New Zealand, or duck into Shotover Jet for an adrenaline break, then hop back on when you're ready. Groups stay small—maximum 8 people—which means the driver actually knows your name and can point out the Remarkables mountain range without shouting over a crowd.

The stops themselves are the real draw. You're not visiting generic tasting rooms; these are working breweries, family-owned vineyards, and restaurants that happen to pour wine. Canyon Food & Brew sits above the Shotover River in an open-air micro-brewery. Ayrburn is a sprawling venue with a gelato shop, lawn games, and wine flights in a room called The Manure Room—which sounds odd until you realize it's housed in a converted wool shed with actual character. Amisfield was just named New Zealand Restaurant of the Year, though walk-ins for tastings are limited to six people at a time, so you'll want to call ahead. If wine isn't your thing, there's Kawarau Bridge Bungy (the world's first bungy jump site, now a historic landmark), ten-pin bowling, and food that ranges from pizza at Cargo Collective to fine degustation menus. The flexibility is the whole point: you're not committed to eight hours of tasting if you'd rather split your day between a brewery, a bungy, and lunch.

You choose between a half-day afternoon ticket or a full-day pass, and the air-conditioned bus does the driving while you don't have to think about a designated driver or renting a car. The maps provided show all the stops and their opening hours, so you can plan your own route through Queenstown, Gibbston Valley, and Arrowtown. Some venues require bookings—Mora Artisan Kitchen, Amisfield, and Ayrburn ask you to call ahead for lunch—but most cellar doors and breweries welcome walk-ins unless you're in a larger group. The whole system runs on a simple loop, which means you're never stranded; if a stop doesn't work out, the next bus is coming in less than an hour.

What’s included

Your day includes hop-on hop-off access to the bus service with stops at 20+ venues across Queenstown, Gibbston Valley, and Arrowtown, an air-conditioned vehicle, and a map of all stops and opening hours.
Wine tastings, beer flights, food, and activities (bungy, jet boating, bowling) are available at individual venues and paid separately or booked in advance.
Half-day afternoon and full-day ticket options let you customize your own itinerary.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by HOP ON HOP OFF WINE TOURS LIMITED

Is this one for you?This works well if you want to taste wine and beer across Central Otago without renting a car or arranging a designated driver—the flexible schedule and small group size mean you're not locked into a guide's pace or a fixed route.