Good food, great wine, beautiful vistas, and friendly locals await while exploring New Zealand. Check out some places to visit in New Zealand.
As we ride Fuller’s Ferry under cloudy October skies, I’m thrilled to be exploring New Zealand once again. Our ferry is taking us to Waiheke Island for a two-day stop in a whirlwind 12-day trip. The long flight from Baltimore, one shuttle ride, and a ferry trip had brought us to paradise a stone’s throw from Auckland.
The Auckland Ferry Building fades away as we head to Waiheke Island on Fuller’s Ferry. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
When New Zealand closed its borders to non-Kiwis in March 2020, who knew this would last until August 1, 2022? Much has changed since my last trip in 2015. Auckland streets were under construction for a new underground metro line. Our shuttle driver told us the metro was over budget and far behind the expected finish date. He thought construction would last another three years.
The Ferry terminal had new vending machines to purchase tickets to either Waiheke Island or Devonport, making it easy to get onboard. Another change I noted since my last visit was many restaurants were reeling from a labor shortage, making dining out a bit more challenging. One constant was the friendly locals seemed even nicer as we did our best to invigorate the tourism economy that suffered greatly without international visitors.
I liked the new ferry ticket vending machines in Auckland. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
Waiheke
We chose a home listed with Waiheke Unlimited, a vacation rental broker, for our two-night stay on Waiheke Island. Our little bit of paradise was a three-bedroom home surrounded by lush greenery. We awoke each day to birdsong and sparse human-made noise.
Our Waiheke vacation rental home. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
The only downside was a very steep driveway that we had to roll our baggage down at arrival, then uphill when we departed. The driveway was so steep that if we’d lost hold of our big bags coming down, the bag would have damaged the house on impact! None of the drivers that picked us up or dropped us off at the house would attempt to drive down the driveway.
The home had a sleepout, a small detached bedroom/cottage, a hot tub, and a full kitchen. The location made it easy to catch the bus, and it was only a 20-minute walk to Oneroa. One of the best arrangements I made was to book transportation with Waiheke Executive Transport. Geoff and Tim took great care of us by providing ferry transfers and an excellent five-hour guided trip around the island.
The tiny town of Oneroa has some excellent cafes. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
Tim was our main driver and knew the best restaurants and wineries. His cheerful demeanor and timeliness made for one of the best guided trips I’ve ever had. Thanks to our guide, we discovered Café Fenice Italia in Oneroa, where we had delicious Italian fare with local wine. Tim also showed us Little Oneroa Beach, Whakanewha Park, and Onetangi Beach on our tour.
We liked visiting Little Oneroa Beach on this sunny day. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
There Will Be Wine While Exploring New Zealand
We also visited Batch Winery, Stonyridge Vineyard, and Mudbrick Vineyard on our tour. Dinner at Mudbrick set the bar high for wine and dining. The views over the bay and far off Auckland were stunning at sunset.
Crowd-pleasing view of downtown Auckland from Mudbrick. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
Although more time was desired to enjoy the island, we had to move on to explore the Gisborne. Our big surprise was that the ferry back to Auckland was over 20 minutes late, causing us to miss our Super Shuttle ride to the airport. Fortunately, we found a van in the Ferry building’s taxi area that could fit all five of us and our luggage. We made it to the airport with time to spare.
Gisborne and the East Cape
It amazes me that so few travelers will discover the joys of Gisborne and the East Cape. This sunny region has so much to offer. On our two-day stay, we would dine at a world-class estate, wade into the ocean to see and touch stingrays, visit two wineries and one brewery, ride e-bikes around Gisborne, and walk along the Turanganui River, the shortest river in New Zealand.
The bridge over the Turanganui River in Gisborne. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
We stayed at the Emerald Hotel in downtown Gisborne in a top-floor apartment. This well-furnished unit featured two bedrooms, a full kitchen, a balcony with sweeping town views, and a large dining room.
The view from our room at the Emerald Hotel in Gisborne. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
Where to Eat While Exploring New Zealand
We recommend four restaurants: Globe Gisborne, Thai Sunshine Restaurant, Zest Cafe, and Bushmere Arms. For breakfast, Zest on Peel Street ticked all the boxes. Excellent baked goods, an outdoor dining area, flat white coffee, and main dishes like the mini-breakfast that wasn’t so small made Zest a favorite while exploring New Zealand.
Breakfast at Zest Gisborne was excellent. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
We were glad my friend Catherine recommended Bushmere Arms out in the countryside for lunch. Owner and chef Robin treated us to a fantastic fresh fish and lamb lunch. Bushmere Arms is a popular wedding and special event venue with spectacular gardens.
Bushmere Arms features gorgeous gardens and excellent cuisine. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
For dinner, we loved Sunshine Thai with very affordable fare and BYOB. The sizzler platters with either lamb or shrimp were fantastic.
We loved the sizzling lamb chops at Thai Sunshine Restaurant in Gisborne. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
Another excellent choice for dinner is Globe Gisborne, where the menu takes customers worldwide from starters to mains to desserts. Our group of five enjoyed the Jamaican jerk shrimp, beef Bourguignon, and charcuterie platter. Globe Gisborne is a short ten-minute walk from the Emerald Hotel, which makes it easy to stroll back to the hotel after four bottles of wine!
Wineries and More While Exploring New Zealand
Thanks to Experience Gisborne co-owner Katrina, we got a bike tour, wine tour, lots of local knowledge, and an emergency shuttle ride to the airport when local taxis failed us. Gisborne is one of the most important grape-growing regions in New Zealand. Chardonnay is king here, but excellent gewurtztiminer, chenin blanc, and other varietals are worth trying. Matawhero Wines was our first wine stop, and co-owner Kirsten Searle poured us the best chardonnay we had on the trip. Matawhero is one of many dry-farmed vineyards in the area. Kirsten told us, “If grapes have to struggle, the wine quality improves.” It seems dry-farmed vineyards are becoming popular.
A lineup of Matawhero wines. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
The Vines @ Bushmere Estate was our second wine stop. Not to be confused with Bushmere Arms, the winery. We liked the bubbly amelia, white and rosé, and the chardonnay. Next up was Sunshine Brewing for a taste of local beer and brewpub culture. After trying beer flights, we were impressed with their suds.
Four tasty craft brews from Sunshine Brewing Gisborne. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
While three of us toured wineries, my wife and sister opted for the stingray tour at Tatapouri Bay north of Gisborne. They loved wading out to the shallows in boots provided by the guide, where stingrays greet the group. Stingrays have individual personalities and are fun to interact with. A lobster and an eel joined the party for a memorable ocean adventure.
Nelson
There is so much to do in the Nelson region that it requires a story of its own. The short version is to walk this historic town with excellent restaurants, one of New Zealand’s best art scenes, easy and moderately strenuous hiking, and very friendly locals.
Red Art Gallery in downtown Nelson. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
Wellington and Martinborough
To end our trip on a high note, we spent the last two and a half days in Wellington and Martinborough. We arrived in Wellington with typical rainy and windy conditions. After checking in at the Airport Motel, we headed to downtown Wellington for lunch and a look around during our trip to explore New Zealand.
The local i-SITE (information center) recommended the Wellington Museum. We liked that the museum was indoors and free. Don’t miss the exhibit of the Wahine, a ferry that crashed into the rocks near Wellington during a storm that produced 100 mph winds.
The Wellington Museum is an excellent free attraction. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
After our museum visit, we zipped up our coats and pulled our hoods tight to battle the weather. We sprinted about 100 yards to Dockside, a waterfront restaurant on Queen’s Wharf. Lunch menu standouts included fish and chips, seafood chowder, green lip mussels, and two bottles of Squealing Pig Sauvignon Blanc. Half the fun of vacation is having excellent wine with lunch!
Green lip mussels are one of my favorite foods to eat in NZ! Photo by Kurt Jacobson
The rain let up, and we spent the rest of the day in the downtown area, rode the vintage Wellington Cable Car up Mt. Victoria, and walked the Lady Norwood Rose Gardens. After our walk, we caught a pair of Ubers back to Queen’s Wharf, where we had too much fun at Shed 5 munching appetizers and drinking wine.
Lady Norwood Rose Garden is a worthy place to visit while in Wellington. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
Martinborough
Blessed with 14 wine regions according to the map on the home page of New Zealand wine, we did our best to enjoy four of them. One of my favorite wine regions is the Wairarapa because of Martinborough and its food and wine scene. I planned to take the train from Wellington to Featherston and catch a wine tour in the Martinborough area. However, due to track maintenance scheduled for up to two years, there were too few trains to take us back to Martinborough.
We stopped for this sunny view of the Martinborough area. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
Plan “B” was once again put into action. I rented a car and bravely drove us through Wellington and over the Remutaka Range into Featherston. We stopped briefly at the historic Royal Hotel for coffee and pastries and then moved toward Martinborough.
A stop at the Royal Hotel for baked goods and flat whites dissolved the stress of driving over the Remutaka Hills. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
More Wine Touring
Matthew, at Martinborough Wine Tours, picked us up at our hotel and gave us a fun wine tour to remember. We started at Poppies Martinborough, my favorite regional winery and the best vineyard platter.
The vineyard platter at Poppies is my favorite in all of New Zealand. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
Poppie’s wine-tasting room had been renovated since my visit in 2015. Poppy poured our wine and entertained us with her stories, knowledge, and wit. We hated leaving after 90 minutes, but Ata Rangi and Nga Waka wineries were up next.
Poppy preps us for a taste of her amazing rose. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
Ata Rangi and Nga Waka had new tasting rooms that wowed us with their beauty and functionality. Our hostess for wine tasting at Ata Rangi was Vanessa Paton, the owner’s daughter. Vanessa guided us through tasting some of New Zealand’s best pinot noir.
All of us liked the Ata Rangi riesling and chardonnay samples too. When nature called, I was surprised at the high-class restroom because of its artsy hand-painted wallpaper. I felt like I was in the Ritz Hotel in France; such was the beauty of the bathroom.
Upscale restroom at Ata Rangi’s new tasting room. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
At Nga Waka, we were impressed with the Lease Block Pinot Noir and the sauvignon blanc. We bought both at the Martinborough Wine-Merchants in downtown Martinborough and shipped them home. After our tour and wine shopping, we had dinner at Union Square Bistro & Bar at the historic Martinborough Hotel.
Roast gurnard filet at Union Square. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
The service was slow, but the food was quite good; the grilled halloumi starter was my favorite. We finished our food tour of Martinborough the next day at Café Medici with flat whites and gorgeous egg dishes for breakfast in their outdoor dining area.
Cafe Medici flat white and salmon eggs beny. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
Back in Wellington
We arrived in Wellington with only nine hours until our flight to Auckland. So much wine had been purchased in Martinborough that we needed an extra suitcase for my sister and me. Briscoe’s near the Wellington airport came to the rescue with affordable baggage options.
With wine luggage attained, we drove to Zealandia, on the edge of Wellington, for a walk in the wild. Re-wilding is catching on worldwide, and Zealandia is doing its part. They couldn’t have brought back native wildlife in the reserve without the NZD 2.5 million fence and many traps. With cats, rats, stoats, possums, and other invasive mammals mostly under control, visitors see nature as it should be in New Zealand.
Zealandia visitor center. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
On our self-guided walk through the dense forest, we saw several of the 40+ species of wildlife. The kakas were the most fun to watch at the feeding stations set up for this curious native parrot.
Other wildlife highlights included tui birds, tuatara—a prehistoric lizard, and a kereru—wood pigeon. Zealandia offers a complimentary shuttle, way better than driving as I did, that picks up and returns visitors at the downtown i-SITE or the top of the Cable Car.
Articles Related to Exploring New Zealand
- Postcards As I Wander: Dizzying Heights Above Auckland
- From Art to Architecture: Exploring Melbourne, Australia
- 3 Spectacular Australian Island Destinations You Simply Cannot Miss
- Exploring Nelson, New Zealand
- New Zealand in Pictures
- Exploring New Zealand Wine Regions
Last Sip
We celebrated in the Wellington Airport’s Air New Zealand premium lounge for the last night in New Zealand with all-you-can-drink wine and good buffet fare. The 8 pm flight to Auckland was easy enough, and checking into the Heartland Hotel Auckland Airport was just as simple, especially with a free airport shuttle.
We flew home on Saturday afternoon on United Airlines’ re-established San Francisco route with thoughts of the next trip on our minds. If you go, check out these locations and take at least three weeks to explore New Zealand, the land of the Kiwis. Let Wander With Wonder be your guide when planning your next adventure to New Zealand or Australia.
0 Comments