A wonderful day of beer and wine tasting, stunning scenery and a lovely cocktail and desert to finish the day off! Our guide Paul was knowledgeable about wine and clearly loves where he lives. His sense of humour and quick one liners kept us engaged all day. The trip was well organised and we were picked up and dropped off at our accommodation in a timely manner. Would highly recommend.

What a wonderful day spent with Paul as our guide. Meeting him from our cruise ship was easy, and in a flash we and several other couples were whisked off to explore Taranga and Rotorua. Paul’s love of his homeland shines through, as does his deep knowledge of wine. His quick wit and commentary during our tour made for a delightful outing. Can’t recommend him more enthusiastically.

The tour was okay however it didn’t match the TripAdvisor description. The description involved a trip to the Karangahake Gorge and 2 wineries followed by a stop at a historic hotel for desert. The tour proprietor told us he no longer does business at the described wineries and instead would drive us 1 hour South to Rotorua for a wine tasting at the gondola/ entertainment center there. And instead of a second winery stopped at a brewery for beer tasting. Lastly the the desert stop was at a regular restaurant at the Tauranga harbor. Unfortunately 3 days earlier we had already been in Rotorua, and at the gondola center. And half of our party didnt drink beer. While we made the best of it, he should have updated his trip description once he discontinued working with the winery described. It sounds like that change was made a while ago.

This was a lovely day out and about experiencing some of the sites of Tauranga and Rotorua. We had a small group which was excellent as we were able to get to know Paul and utilise some of his experience in the area and in wines. He was super friendly and accomodating and we felt very welcome. Would definitely recommend it as a nice way to go and see the sites supporting an awesome local operator. My one piece of feedback was to potentially look at getting the van regassed for the aircon or replaced as it was a little hot in the back and maybe wasn't ideal on a hot day to be sweating quite a bit, but I had already flagged this with Paul at the time.

Very impressed with our tour operator, Paul shared his experience with the area and wines, making our tour memorable. The wines were excellent as well. So glad we took this tour.

Paul was a fabulous guide and host, showing us the beautiful sites, sharing his knowledge and insights. We had a great day visiting a brewery, having a trip on a gondola to a winery, all along scenic roads with amazing views. A lovely day out.

The owner / tour guide / driver was excellent in explaining many local cultural developments and business contributions for this area including primary labor occupations and import/export products. Paul took us to a local Tauranga microbrewery for a beer, gin or cider sampling with 5 selections on a paddle, picked from 35 or more locally made drinks. While sampling our drinks, Paul gave a summary of beer making using stainless steel tanks and described the ingredients in detail. Next, we took a ~ 1 hour drive to Rotorua, where we rode a gondola (cable car) up the side of a mountain to the wine tasting location on the summit. The owner of Volcanic Hills Winery Tasting Room (at the top of the Skyline Gondola) was Brent, and he did a great job describing the primary wines grown in New Zealand and we had 5 samples for tasting along with a platter of lunchmeat, Gorgonzola cheese, red pepper chutney, and rye and white bread. After that we were driving back to the port as Paul stopped on the side of the road and showed us a kiwi farm (behind tall hedges for wind protection) and told us about the differences between green and gold versions of the kiwi fruit (or Chinese Gooseberry). Lastly, we stopped at a local marina and bar about 3 miles from the port where our ship was docked and we proceeded to have cocktails and a dessert. Back to the ship and now it’s time for dinner. Oh the life onboard a cruise ship…

Paul was waiting for us when we got off the ship with a sign with our name on it. He was very organized and super nice, We were unable to go to the winery that day and he felt badly so we did everything else as advertised and then he took us to a very nice- nicest restaurant that I have ever been on on a tour- and paid for our lunch and bought us wine! His van was clean and nice and he also took us to a lovely yacht club for drinks, too.

The car was a luxury limosine. We ate and drank so well and so much at the first two stops we cancelled the last two. We were full and everything was delicious. The driver knew the history of the area and went out of his way to discover what we wanted to do and to do it. I am really glad we found the Taranga Tasting tour and we met Paul. I will definitely book another of their tours if I I am in Tauranga

My husband and I had a fantastic day with Paul going to the Waitomo Caves and Kiwi House! Both stops were beyond our expectations. The day was well planned with a stop for lunch and a little wander around town.

What a fabulous day we had with Paul, his guided tour was exceptional. Showing us around Mt Manganui and Tauranga was very informative. With it being Kiwi fruit picking season, we saw them being loaded at the port, he showed us a kiwi fruit farm and explained how it all works. Onto the craft brewery where we had a tasting paddle, very nice beer, cider and gin. After visiting a lookout we had a 2 course lunch at the White House restaurant, fabulous food. Went to the only winery and was privileged to be able to have a taste of 8 wines. Back into Tauranga we stopped for a dessert and cocktail. A great way to end our tour. I highly recommend a day out with this company

Excellent excursion with Paul. Not your everyday scenic tour, but a great local experience. A brewery stop with a tasting flight, followed by a charming lunch, then a detailed wine tasting at a local winery. We ended at the marina with a gourmet dessert and cocktail. Paul provided just the right amount of commentary; local sights, kiwi farm, etc. He was punctual, professional, and congenial. We had a nice day and would definitely recommend this tour.

Operator was very willing to work with out cruise ship schedule but it caused 39 min of backtracking and it wasn’t entirely clear why the lunch could not have been done before the beer and thus avoided the backtrack. Or possibly lunch at a different place but honestly lunch was one of the best we have had so I don’t think that is a good idea. Wine was good but not outstanding.

Staying with family in the Mount we had a free day, contacted Lyn on Monday night to be told there was availability for Tuesday, very responsive to enquiry. Paul picked us up at our accommodation, rang ahead of time to ensure he knew the location. Paul was a fabulous guide giving us information on the area, taking us to sample beer/cider/gin. He took us to see kiwi/avocado farms then on to lunch in a beautiful restaurant. Next stop was the winery, we sampled 8 wines to which Paul provided information and answered any questions we had. Our day finished with another beautiful restaurant stop for dessert and a cocktail, getting dropped back to our accommodation. An all round fabulous day. A small intimate group as there was only the two of us and another couple from a cruise ship. Good luck with your future trips.

Fabulous tour with Paul (owner of Tauranga Tasting Tours) .. Paul took us to the Waitomo Caves and the Kiwi House. The tour was extensive and Paul was professional and so knowledgeable! We loved the tour to see the glowworms and we even got to see a Kiwi bird at the sanctuary (very exciting because these birds are nocturnal and very elusive!). We had a wonderful day and highly recommend this tour company!