15 Food Tours in New Zealand Worth Booking

1.Queenstown: Walter Peak Gourmet BBQ & Lake Whakatipu Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 2,713 reviews · 3h 30m · from $95Our pick

Cruise from Queenstown to Walter Peak on the TSS Earnslaw or Spirit of Queenstown, then enjoy a generous local-produce BBQ at Colonel’s Homestead. You’ll see sheep herding and shearing, meet farm animals, and return across Lake Whakatipu. The show has featured handlers such as Pete, Josh, and Joe, with dogs including Echo, Mia, and Kim.

“What a lovely steam boat to travel on, TSS Earnslaw. You even can stand on a viewing platform above the guys in the engine room and watch them shovelling coal etc. Beautiful ride. Walter peak ,so pretty English style gardens by venue where you dine. 5 star food . The grilled meats just melted in my mouth ,so flavoursome and tender. Lots of choices for starters ,mains and desserts. Would recommend the Veal and sticky toffee ! Professional service for drinks etc. Dinning self service as much as you like. After dinning you see a demonstration of sheep shearing and herding. All great fun and experience .”

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2.Walter Peak Gourmet BBQ Lunch & Queenstown Lake Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,196 reviews · from $98Top rated

Sail from Queenstown to Walter Peak High Country Farm aboard the vintage TSS Earnslaw or Spirit of Queenstown. Allow about 3.5 hours for the lake cruise, seasonal BBQ buffet, gardens, and sheep-shearing and sheepdog demonstrations. The TSS Earnslaw is the more atmospheric choice, with an open engine room and old-fashioned steamship character.

“The lake view during the cruise was quite beautiful, and the BBQ lunch was nice! They got all kinds of meat, so don’t miss it if you are a meat lover!”

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3.Taste of Waiheke Food and Wine Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 465 reviews · from $179

Take the ferry from downtown Auckland to Waiheke Island, then tour three wineries, taste local olive oil at Allpress Olive Groves, and enjoy a two-course lunch at Batch Winery. Your driver-guide, possibly Victor, Kai, Sam, or Nicola, handles the island transport and commentary. Plan carefully for the ferry ticket pickup and early departure.

“Beautiful island, great people, and excellent wine&food. You get a great trip around the island while sampling fantastic wines.”

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4.Beyond the Vines – Full-Day Marlborough Wine Tasting Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 438 reviews · from $136

Spend about six hours touring Marlborough’s wine country from Picton or Blenheim. Your guide may be Gavin, Lynley, Hamish, or another local host, and the day typically visits five wineries with tastings of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Noir, and more. Lunch is usually at Saint Clair Vineyard Kitchen and costs extra.

“Everything was fab most wonderful was our visit at no 1 and at Pask our Guide was amazing. The sharing platter at Saint Clairwe order toghether with the wines was also very good! We highly reccomend this tour!”

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5.Auckland: Flavours of our City Food Walk

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 371 reviews · from $127

Explore central Auckland from 2:30 to 5:30pm with The Big Foody Food Tours. Your guide leads a small group of up to 12 through local food stops, with tastings that may include oysters, smoked fish, cheese, dumplings, Korean food, chocolate, ice cream, wine, or beer. The walk ends near Britomart.

“Great food tour over three hours, spent walking and tasting local foods around Auckland . Interesting variety starting with an oyster, smoked fish croquette and a little Sauvignon Blanc, then various stops for chocolates, cheeses , dumplings and Korean chicken sliders . Jono is a charming and knowledgeable guide who not only knows the food scene but shares some of the history of the area. Highly recommended.”

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6.Queenstown: Wine & Food Tour, Scenic Tastings & Paired Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 276 reviews · from $132

Spend 5.5 hours tasting Central Otago wines at three Gibbston wineries, with a main course and matching estate wine included. Your English-speaking guide may be Andrew, Angus, Ed, T, or another local specialist, and the route can include Kinross, Mt Rosa, or Gibbston Valley. Hotel pickup may be arranged from selected Queenstown accommodation.

“Our group of 6 had the best time, T was an excellent guide and we had fun in the bus in between wineries. The lunch was superb. The only thing was that we were very late (2 tastings before lunch) having lunch which I think was because of how busy the day was however it would have been good to then provide snacks to keep us going to lunch. However overall an awesome day.”

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7.Auckland: Flavours of the City Walking Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 202 reviews · 3 hours · from $122

Spend three hours walking Auckland’s city centre with guides such as Sarah, Jono, Alex, or Clare, stopping for local cheeses, gourmet restaurant dishes, Kiwi classics, artisan chocolate, and a cold local drink. The route links the waterfront with the oldest part of town and leaves you near the Railway Station, with useful dining tips for the rest of your stay.

“Excellent walking tour. Learnt so much about history of Aukland whilst enjoying 5 different foodie experiences. Also discovered hidden lanes & places we would n’t find.”

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8.Napier: Afternoon Winery & Gin Tasting Tour Thu Fri Sat

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 143 reviews · from $99

Spend an afternoon tasting Hawke’s Bay wines and gin with pickup and drop-off in Napier. Visit Mission Estate, the National Gin Distillery, and Askerne Estate when the schedule allows. Guide Ross adds local wine and orchard knowledge, while a cheese board, bottled water, and souvenir glass are included.

“Some lovely places to visit and interesting to find out more on the wineries history and development, etc. Our guide Ross was lovely, and the lady from Pask Valley winery was great, so knowledgable and passionate. Not as keen on the Askerne Estate and wasn’t as much detail given or interaction, didn’t live up to Pask or the Mission Winery”

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9.The Tastebud Tour, award winning food tour of Auckland

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 124 reviews · from $170

Spend four hours tasting Auckland with guides such as Kath or Elle, traveling by air-conditioned minivan between markets, cafés, food shops, and lunch spots. Expect New Zealand produce, coffee, seafood, baked goods, wine, and city views. The route changes by day, with farmers markets on weekends and a coffee roastery on weekdays.

“Our first full day in Auckland and what a send off to our bucket list trip. Our guide, Elle was friendly, funny, knowledgeable and just to ticket to overcome any lingering jet lag that was trying to hang on. Amazing food scene in this city and Elle is THE expert. Amazing variety, outstanding quality at each of several stops and delicious food. If you do nothing else in NZ, do this tour!”

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10.Queenstown: Wine Tasting Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 104 reviews · from $134

From central Queenstown, your English-speaking guide collects you around 10am for a six-hour wine tour through Gibbston. Visit Gibbston Valley, Kinross, Mt Rosa, and The Church, tasting 18 or more wines in a Mercedes van with Wi-Fi and Spotify. Guides such as Do, Shanay, Alana, and Holly are known for warm, personal hosting.

“Our guide Do (pronounced Doe) was exceptional. She took care of us so well and was excellent company. It was great to be part of a smaller tour where we got a chance to ‘get to know’ the other members of the group. Highly recommended!”

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11.Gourmet Food and Wine Tour with Lunch and Wine Tastings

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 83 reviews · 6h 30m · from $196

Spend about six and a half hours touring Gibbston, Cromwell, and Bannockburn with an English-speaking guide and a small group of up to 12. You will visit four premium vineyards, taste cheese and cool-climate wines, enjoy five wine-paired lunch dishes cooked in wine barrels, and stop in historic Arrowtown and Old Cromwell.

“Amazing Day out. Door to door pick up with wonderful Guide and extensive local knowledge. Every winery was stunning with premium wines. Lunch was super tasty and filling with delicious meats and accompaniments. 5 star rating and such a relaxing experience. Thank you very much!”

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12.Napier: Winery + Gin Tasting Tour with Lunch Thu Fri Sat

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 75 reviews · from $134

Join guide Ross for a 5.5-hour Napier tasting tour through Mission Estate, the National Gin Distillery, and family-run Askerne Estate. You’ll enjoy a generous platter lunch with wine, several tastings, cheese, and biscuits. The route runs Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with seasonal changes possible.

“Our tour with Ross was great! We had an amazing lunch at Mission Estate, charcuterie board and a glass of wine of our choosing, and then a tasting of 6 different wines from various years. We got to explore the cellar and the grounds, which offering spectacular views. Then we went to the National Distillery and were able to try 4 different gins and a different spirit of our choosing! Our last stop was Askerne which has 17 different varietals, which makes it hard to choose what to take home. Our host and driver Ross was wonderful and full of information about the area!Read more”

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13.Auckland Food Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 73 reviews · from $135

Spend three hours walking central Auckland with a local guide such as Alex, Debbie or Liz, stopping at least four times for New Zealand food. Expect seafood, beef, cheese, a meat pie, chocolates and hokey pokey ice cream, plus city history and practical dining tips. The small group is capped at 10, but drinks cost extra and the tour is not suitable for vegans.

“My wife and I had a great time learning about the Auckland food scene with Liz. She took us to some off-the-beaten path places that were excellent. She also threw in detour stops to make sure we checked off some New Zealand favorites. It was a great way to spend the day and learn about other things to do in Auckland as well.”

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14.Marlborough: Full-Day Wine and Seafood Tour with Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 57 reviews · 7 hours · from $191

Spend a relaxed day pairing two Marlborough winery visits with a three-hour Seafood Odyssea cruise. Guides such as Andrew, Karen, Lucinda, and Maureen lead the day, while the boat serves local green-lipped mussels and salmon. Pickup is available in Blenheim, with Picton pickup by arrangement.

“We had a great time on our wine tasting/mussel cruise! Enjoyed both Nautilus and Saint Claire wineries. We wish that Andrew had told us we could purchase wine to take with us; we didn’t, thinking about leaving it in a van while on the boat. He, in fact, told us the best place to buy wine was in the grocery stores. Sadly, we missed the opportunity to buy Saint Claire wines because they were closed on our last remaining days in Marlborough. And the wines we wanted from our various tastings in the Blenheim area were not in any of the three grocery stores we checked. That aside, the food…”

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15.Full-Day Wine Tasting Tour in Auckland with 3-Course Vineyard Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 31 reviews · from $123

Spend about five hours on Auckland’s Kumeu Wine Trail with Auckland Scenic Tours. Visit West Auckland wineries, taste Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, and less common varieties, then enjoy a three-course vineyard lunch with meal-time drinks. Pickup is offered, groups are limited to 16, and guide David is praised for adding Auckland history to the wine story.

“David was an exceptional tour guide. Could not have asked for a better person. We came from Canada and were only expecting him to talk about wine. We also got an in depth history on Auckland. He went above and beyond. Highly recommended. You will not be disappointed!!”

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