Country, Coast, and City & Wellington Highlights – Twin City Combo

We begin from the Napier Information Centre and head south along beautiful Marine Parade with views across the bay towards Cape Kidnappers. Then we’re into the Hawke’s Bay countryside with its orchards, vineyards and gently rolling farmland. After a brief stop at stunning Craggy Range winery with views of the range of hills from which it takes its name, it’s a visit to New Zealand’s biggest honey producer where you can taste a wide range of both native and exotic honey.

Te Mata Peak has great cultural significance to locals as well as providing amazing 360-degree views around the region. Get a great feel for the sequence of your tour from the summit. Next, we head through the beautiful village of Havelock North and the historic town of Hastings – the region’s largest. Enjoy both Art Deco and Spanish Mission style architecture as we drive through this food production centre. We’ll stop at a traditional roadside fruit stall for you to sample some of the wonderful produce grown here in ‘The Fruit Bowl of New Zealand’.

As we head back towards Napier another treat of the tour is a stop at a boutique chocolate producer that sits out in a beautiful rural setting. You can sample their wares and pick up a couple of special treats to take away with you.

Finally, we return to town via the historic fishing village of Ahuriri before a guided driven Art Deco tour of Napier itself as a fitting end to your special experience of Napier’s ‘Country, Coast & City’.

Welcome to the ultimate tour or Wellington designed specifically for cruise visitors to New Zealand’s capital city.

Your tour of the place that Lonely Planet describes as “The Coolest Little Capital in the World” begins when your Driver/Guide, Gavin, meets you shipside. The first stop is an opportunity to get your bearings and there’s nowhere better than the summit of Mt Victoria with stunning views across the city and harbour. This sets the scene for your day.

We then turn east and head first to the Roxy Cinema which has been so beautifully restored to its full Art Deco glory. Perhaps grab a refreshment in Coco Cafe or simply wander the two levels and enjoy the stunning interiors. Next, we’re off to world-famous visual effects creators Weta Workshop and The Weta Cave where you can find how all the magic of movies such as Avatar, Lord Of The Rings and King Kong was made.

We then take a wonderfully scenic drive around Wellington’s wild southern coastline stopping at the Te Kopahou Reserve Visitor Centre before we gradually make our way back to the centre of the city. A visit to Wellington wouldn’t be complete without a ride up to the Botanic Gardens in the iconic Cable Car. More stunning views across the city back towards Mt Victoria where we started our day.

A quick stop at New Zealand’s Parliament Buildings and ‘Beehive’ executive wing is next and then on to visit the beautiful historic church of Old St Pauls with its astonishing wooden Gothic interior. Finally, we follow the waterfront to visit Te Papa Tongarewa, the National Museum of New Zealand. There’s time to wander here before we make our way back to your cruise ship and the end of the tour.

Wellington is a fabulous, compact little city with so much to offer. Let us take you beyond the expected and enjoy some of the many highlights our capital has to offer.