Auckland West Vineyard Tour with lunch and tastings incl

Cross Auckland Harbour Bridge and head into West Auckland for a wine tasting journey through one of New Zealand’s longest-established wine regions. This area has been central to the country’s wine industry since the early 20th century, with many family-run vineyards shaped by Croatian-descended winemaking families over several generations.

Your day includes tastings at three vineyards, beginning with the Waimauku property linked to the Ivicevich family, whose winemaking story started in Croatia before they settled in New Zealand in 1935. At Sunnyvale vineyard in West Auckland and the Waimauku site, you can taste the wines while looking out over the vineyard and surrounding area near Riverhead Forest.

At The Hunting Lodge, the experience centres on seasonal food and wine. The estate follows a pasture-to-plate approach, producing what it can onsite and using local produce through the year. This site in Swanson is also part of New Zealand wine history, as Matua Valley’s first winery site, where the first marketable quantity of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc was produced in 1974. Lunch is served here with a glass of wine.

You will also visit Kumeu River Wines for a small tour of the winemaking and bottling areas, along with tastings among the vineyard surrounds. Soljans vineyard, founded in 1937 and one of the country’s oldest owner-operated vineyards, rounds out the day.