Tauranga Shore Excursion: Brewery, Wine & Harbour Cocktail

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/14

Duration5h–6h

GroupUp to 14

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Three tastings across six hours: brewery, winery, and a harbour-view cocktail

This 6-hour small group shore excursion from Tauranga visits a craft brewery, a winery in Rotorua with views from the Skyline gondola, and finishes with cocktails and dessert at a harborside restaurant. Your accredited driver-guide meets you at the port gate, handles all transport, and explains the beer-making process, New Zealand wine styles, and—time permitting—the kiwifruit industry on the return route. Minimum age is 18.

5h–6h

Step-by-step itinerary

Local tasting tour and scenic travel

Meet driver/guide at port gate
Visit boutique craft brewery and sample beer
Travel south to Rotorua via scenic route
Visit Volcanic Hills Winery for wine tasting and platters
Return to Mount Maunganui via scenic route
Stop at kiwifruit orchard if time permits
Dessert and cocktail or coffee at Salinity Restaurant
Return to ship-side via beach

The Experience

Your guide meets you at the port gate with your name on a placard and drives you to a boutique craft brewery where you'll learn how natural beer is made without preservatives or additives, then taste a range of their brews. From there the route heads south through countryside on State Highway 1, the same path that was originally a walking track for Māori between Tauranga and Rotorua.

In Rotorua you arrive at Volcanic Hills Winery, perched at the top of the Skyline gondola. The tasting room overlooks the town and lake, and you'll have wine and a sumptuous antipasto platter while the guide walks you through New Zealand wine styles and terroir. This is the longest stop of the day, built in time to sit with the views and ask questions about what you're tasting.

The return to Mount Maunganui takes a different route so you see more of the landscape, and if time allows, you'll stop briefly at a kiwifruit orchard to see how the fruit moves from planting to export. The tour ends at Salinity Restaurant & Bar overlooking the harbour and marina, where you choose between a cocktail or coffee paired with dessert. On the final leg back to the ship, the route passes what the operator calls the best beach in the Southern Hemisphere.

What’s included

Craft beer tasting at a boutique brewery.
wine and antipasto platter at Volcanic Hills Winery in Rotorua.
cocktail or coffee with dessert at Salinity Restaurant & Bar.
accredited driver-guide for the full 6 hours.
all transport between venues.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessible

Operated by Tauranga Tasting Tours &Charters

Is this one for you?The 6-hour timeframe fits a ship port call without eating into the rest of your day ashore—you're back at the port with time to spare before departure. If you want to explore Tauranga or Mount Maunganui on your own afterward, this tour leaves room for that.