Martinborough Wine and Wild Coast Tour from Wellington

Travel from Wellington through the Remutaka Ranges on a full day tour that combines inland wine country with the south Wairarapa coast. Along the way, your local guide provides commentary as the landscape changes from range views to vineyard country and then to the exposed coastline.

In Martinborough, enjoy wine tastings at a selection of wineries, followed by lunch at a vineyard restaurant. The route then continues south, with a stop at the summit of the Remutaka Ranges for wide views, and the option to visit C'est Cheese or Schoc Chocolate in Greytown for tastings of local products, depending on the day’s plan.

On the coast, the tour visits Ngawi and the North Island’s largest permanent seal colony. There is also a drive by of the Putangirua Pinnacles in Aorangi Forest Park, known to many as the “Paths of the Dead” from The Lord of the Rings.

At Cape Palliser, climb the 252 steps to the lighthouse at the south easternmost point of New Zealand’s North Island. From the base, look out across the Pacific Ocean, Cook Strait and along Cape Palliser itself. The day ends with dinner at the Lake Ferry Hotel on the shores of Lake Onoke before returning after around 10 hours on the road.