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For visitors from the United Kingdom
New Zealand wine country, worth the flight.
Hawke's Bay is New Zealand's oldest wine region: Syrah, Bordeaux blends and Chardonnay, an Art Deco city and cliff-top golf, all within twenty minutes of each other.
British passport holders need an NZeTA, valid two years, allowing stays of up to six months, plus the NZ$100 visitor levy. Allow 72 hours for a decision. London to New Zealand runs about 24 hours with one stop, then a short domestic connection to Hawke's Bay. Hosted wine tours cost from $225 NZD per person, GST included.
You have flown a long way, so the region rewards you for staying put. Hawke's Bay puts Syrah, Bordeaux blends and Chardonnay, a cliff-top golf course and a complete Art Deco city inside a twenty minute radius. No repacking, no internal flights, no three hour transfers between vineyards.
For a British palate the reference points are familiar. The Bordeaux blends of the Gimblett Gravels read like claret grown somewhere sunnier, and the Syrah sits closer to the northern Rhône than to anything Australian.
We hold the Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism Award of Excellence, Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices, 2026 and 2027, and Qualmark Silver. We are the preferred provider to Rosewood Cape Kidnappers, Craggy Range, Porters Boutique Hotel and Mangapapa Hotel.
What it costs
New Zealand dollars · GST included · no service charge
- Hosted wine tour, 4 hoursGreat Wine Capital Discovery, per person, party of seven. $540 per person for two$225NZD per person
- Private chauffeur by the hourPer vehicle for up to 7 guests, two hour minimum$240NZD per hour
- Airport to your Napier hotelPrivate transfer on arrival, per vehicle for up to 7 guests$300NZD per vehicle
- Airport to Rosewood Cape KidnappersPrivate transfer on arrival, per vehicle for up to 7 guests$520NZD per vehicle
We publish no sterling figure because exchange rates move daily. Your card issuer converts the New Zealand dollar amount on the day. Every rate and surcharge.
Getting here from the United Kingdom
By air. No direct flights run from the UK to New Zealand and none into Hawke's Bay, so the journey is London to a New Zealand gateway with one stop, then a domestic connection. Air New Zealand flies to Hawke's Bay Airport, code NPE, direct from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and the Auckland leg takes approximately 1 hour 5 minutes. The airport sits about ten minutes by road from central Napier.
Build in a night. After twenty-odd hours in the air, most of our British guests take a night in Auckland or Wellington before the domestic leg. It costs a day and saves the first two.
Give the first day back to yourself. Arriving eleven to thirteen hours out of step, the temptation is to start at nine the next morning. We would rather collect you at eleven and shorten the route. Tell us it is your first day and we build the day around that.
We meet every flight. Long-haul itineraries slip, and we plan for it. We track the whole chain through to the domestic leg, hold the pickup, and meet you at the arrival gate by name, at no extra charge for the wait.
NZeTA, time and money
NZeTA and the visitor levy. British passport holders need a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority before travelling. It is valid for two years, allows stays of up to six months at a time, and Immigration New Zealand asks you to allow 72 hours for a decision. The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy of NZ$100 is normally paid at the same time. Apply through Immigration New Zealand rather than a third party, and confirm current fees on their site.
Time. New Zealand runs 11 to 13 hours ahead of the United Kingdom, depending on daylight saving in both countries. In practice we are a day ahead: a message you send on Monday evening is answered during our Tuesday. Email suits the gap better than the phone, and we answer between 04:00 and 23:00 New Zealand time.
Money. Our prices are in New Zealand dollars and include GST at 15 percent, which does the same job as VAT. The published figure is the figure. We take payment in the vehicle by Visa, Mastercard and American Express, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Card payments carry a 3.5 percent surcharge. Tipping is not expected and we add no service charge.
Do you need a hire car?
Driving on the left is second nature to you, which puts British visitors ahead of most. Two things still argue against a hire car.
- Jet lag and unfamiliar roads make a poor pair. Rural New Zealand roads are narrower and less forgiving than the equivalent at home, and the first two days after a twenty-four hour journey are exactly when judgement is worst.
- Someone has to not drink. This is a wine region, New Zealand enforces its limits with regular checkpoints, and the limit is 50mg per 100ml of blood for drivers aged 20 and over, lower than the 80mg limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Many guests take a chauffeur for wine and golf days and walk everywhere else. Napier and Havelock North are both easily walkable, and neither needs a car.
When to come from the UK
Our seasons run opposite to yours, which is most of the appeal. Booking a British winter escape means booking a New Zealand summer.
December through February. Your deepest winter, our peak. Warm, dry, long evenings, and the window we book out first. If you are escaping a northern January, this is the trade.
February and March. Harvest, and our own favourite time to show visitors around. It also sits after the New Year rush, so the region is busy at work rather than crowded with visitors.
March through May. Autumn colour in the vines and settled weather, overlapping the British spring. A good window if you are combining Hawke's Bay with the South Island.
June through August. Cool rather than cold, and rarely below single figures. Milder than the Scottish winter and far quieter. Cellar doors stay open and you will often have them to yourself.
Most British visitors give New Zealand two to four weeks across both islands. Three nights in Hawke's Bay sits naturally between Auckland and Wellington without adding a flight.
If February is your window, note that Napier's Art Deco Festival fills accommodation across the region. Worth building the itinerary around rather than into.
What there is to do
Claret weather, at the other end of the world.
Wine
Wine has been made here since 1851 and Hawke's Bay is one of eleven Great Wine Capitals of the world, alongside Bordeaux and Verona. The Gimblett Gravels grow Bordeaux blends on a stony former riverbed, the Syrah leans northern Rhône rather than Australian, and the limestone hills of Te Mata give Chardonnay with acid intact. Our four hosted tours cover all three sub-regions.
Golf
Cape Kidnappers sits on a headland of cliffs above the Pacific and is ranked among the best courses in the world. It is a twenty-five minute drive from Havelock North rather than a links pilgrimage. We carry players and clubs, and our covered trailer takes up to 12 sets. See golf transfers.
Art Deco and food
Napier was flattened by the 1931 earthquake and rebuilt in the architecture of the moment, giving it a concentration of Art Deco that rivals Miami Beach. Add the growers and makers on the Artisan Producers Tour.
★★★★★
"Duncan provided exceptional service from start to finish. He made the entire process incredibly easy, from booking to being flexible with timing. He even had snacks and water ready for the drive."
Bring your itinerary
Planned your trip with AI? Send it to us.
Many of our guests arrive with a day planned in ChatGPT, Gemini or another AI tool. We would be delighted to run it. An AI tool can write the itinerary. It cannot hold a tasting time, confirm a lunch table or know that a cellar door closes early that day.
- We check every stop against real opening hours, tasting times and drive times between venues.
- We make every winery, producer and restaurant reservation on your behalf.
- We return a priced, confirmed day by email, with every time stated in New Zealand time.
- Your vehicle and host stay with you for the whole day.
- From $240 NZD per hour per vehicle, two hour minimum, GST included. Venue costs pass through at cost, with no margin added.
When the day changes
What happens when a day goes sideways.
An itinerary is only a plan. A good day depends on what happens when that plan meets a delayed flight, a closed cellar door or a vehicle that cannot run. We plan for each of those before you arrive.
- A backup vehicle, always. We hold a backup vehicle on every operating day. If a vehicle cannot run, another one collects you.
- Your flight, monitored. We track your flight and start complimentary waiting from actual landing: 30 minutes for a domestic flight and 90 minutes for an international flight.
- A closed venue, replaced. If a venue on a published tour closes on your day, we substitute an equivalent award-winning estate: Black Barn for Craggy Range, Mission Estate for Church Road, and Te Mata Estate or Black Barn for Smith & Sheth, choosing one not already on your route.
- A person on the phone. Our duty number, +64 21 025 87832, answers by call or WhatsApp on the day.
- Vetted, trained hosts. Every host is Police vetted, passes driver safety testing and holds a comprehensive first aid certificate.
- Licensed and insured. Small Passenger Service Licence 0332519, $10 million NZD public liability cover, and Qualmark Silver.
Questions
What British visitors ask us.
Do UK citizens need a visa for New Zealand?
British passport holders travel on a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority rather than a visa for a holiday. It is valid for two years and allows stays of up to six months at a time. Immigration New Zealand asks you to allow 72 hours for a decision, and the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy of NZ$100 is normally paid with the application. Apply through Immigration New Zealand and confirm the current fees there.
How do I get to Hawke's Bay from the UK?
Fly London to Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch with one stop, then connect on Air New Zealand to Hawke's Bay Airport, code NPE. The Auckland leg takes approximately 1 hour 5 minutes. No scheduled international flights land at Hawke's Bay.
How many nights should I give Hawke's Bay on a New Zealand trip?
Three. That covers a hosted wine day, a golf or producers day, and time in Napier. Hawke's Bay sits between Auckland and Wellington, so three nights slots into a two to four week itinerary without adding a flight.
How far ahead of the UK is New Zealand time?
11 to 13 hours, depending on daylight saving in both countries. We state every pickup time in New Zealand time and we answer email through the New Zealand day, 04:00 to 23:00.
Will jet lag ruin the first day?
Not if we plan for it. Most British guests take a night in Auckland or Wellington before the domestic leg. Tell us it is your first day in the region and we start later and shorten the route.
Is GST the same as VAT?
In practice, yes. GST is New Zealand's goods and services tax, charged at 15 percent, and every price we publish already includes it. There is nothing to add at the end and no service charge.
How much does a private wine tour cost in Hawke's Bay?
Hosted tours cost from $225 NZD per person for a party of seven on the four hour Great Wine Capital Discovery, and $540 NZD per person for a party of two. A private chauffeur for a day you plan yourself costs $240 NZD per hour per vehicle for up to 7 guests, with a two hour minimum. All prices include GST.
Plan your visit
We would be delighted to arrange your time in Hawke's Bay.
Tell us your dates, your party size and what you like to drink. We are a day ahead of you, so send it before bed and the answer is usually waiting at breakfast.