Waipara Hills: Address, Phone Number, Waipara Hills Reviews: 4/5
Waipara Hills
Waipara Hills
4
About
On State Highway 1, set amongst the vines is the iconic stone building that is home to Waipara Hills. Here you'll discover an operating winery, cellar door and seasonal cafe. Just 45 minutes drive north of Christchurch.
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4.0
154 reviews
Excellent
79
Very good
31
Average
16
Poor
14
Terrible
14
50kimma
Christchurch, New Zealand2 contributions
Disappointing management experience
Jul 2021 • Friends
A nice lunch that unfortunately didn’t end well for the following reasons.The Manager needs to step up & start leading her staff & set a better example in how to manage & look after customers. Sometimes exceptions to the rules need to be made when the staff themselves have slipped up & made errors. I do not know of any good business that would expect customers to pay for something that they did not order. We had two different waitresses who came to our table one after the other & both asked us the exact same things, so clearly there was no system in place & they are not instructed to serve a specific table, hence we got an extra side plate we did not order. We ordered 1 grazing platter & 1 deconstructed platter, when they brought the plates out there was 1 given to myself & another shared by two others plus a small side plate which we assumed was part of the deconstructed platter as they came together. When we had finished & went to pay, we noticed there was an extra falafel plate which we did not order, but when we mentioned this the Manager told us, you ate it, you have to pay for it, even though the two waitresses admitted they had mucked it up & it was their mistake, the Manager still insisted that we pay for it & then said to us when they came to ask you if everything was ok with the food etc we should have brought it up then, but why would you bring it up when you genuinely thought it was part of the deconstructed platter, maybe if they were brought out separately it would have been picked up but they were brought out together & put on the table together. The waitresses were very nice but they did just not have any efficient systems in place which is what good managers are surely employed to do & also train & help there staff provide excellent service. Isn’t good business about treating customers well & making good judgement calls to retain customers for the future it was not about the money as we did pay for it even though we did not order it. I feel the Judgement call she made in this particular situation was very poor & one I feel a good manager would not make & for this reason would not return nor would we recommend the winery cafe to others.
Written 17 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
reneexl
Invercargill, New Zealand60 contributions
Yum
Jun 2021 • Couples
We had a wonderful lunch at this winery. Deconstructed platter was amazing. We brought a bottle of wine to bring home too 😄
Written 13 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jude Baker
1 contribution
Fabulous lunch
Jun 2021
Beautiful lunch today at Waipara Hills. 4 of us did the wine tasting first, then the main meal. Excellent service and fabulous food. Cooked and presented to perfection. You would go a long way to find this quality elsewhere. It pays to book as they were quite busy.
Written 4 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
STW2012
Rangiora, New Zealand54 contributions
Lunch at Waipara Hills
May 2021 • Friends
Waipara Hills Cafe is on the main road side so you I can’t miss it. Its an imposing building with a double door entrance into the wine tasting area and a restaurant to the back with great views of the vines. The food is exception with something for everyone and a mix-and-match option. Recommend it for lunch on your journey either south to Christchurch or northwards up the Winery Trail. A delicious lunch with wine tasting to start you off right.
Written 17 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
120Petunia
Timaru, New Zealand183 contributions
Well worth a visit
Apr 2021 • Friends
Right from the moment we arrived the staff made us very welcome. Do go on a lovely fine day so you can take a walk around the grapes. There were some pintos left on the vines which we were told 'for the birds' and to taste. Our food was beautifully presented and absolutely delicious with the wines that were recommended. We will definitely recommend to friends and visit again soon.
Written 29 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
GARH21
London, UK52 contributions
Fabulous Winery in Waipara
Apr 2021 • Friends
Just can’t rave and rate this winery enough. Had an awesome experience not only the wine tasting with Dion who was fantastic and very knowledgeable as well friendly but the food was great as well. Venue is awesome and the outside area is great. Well worth a visit if you are in the Waipara area.
Written 17 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
scoots634
Rangiora, New Zealand59 contributions
Beautiful spot with delicious food and great service - bravo!
Mar 2021
We were a walk in with no booking on a Sunday at 12.30pm and found wonderful service, fast and efficient without rushing. We ordered the lamb pitas, fries and spring rolls. Lots of food for two people - probably didn't need the chips but of course we ate everything. The lamb pitas are to die for. Beautiful location and nothing to fault. Great experience for my husband's birthday. Thank you.
Written 18 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
jondc93
Palmerston North, New Zealand11 contributions
Inhospitable Hospitality
Jan 2021 • Friends
Went to Waipara Hills Winery for lunch with Boyfriend. Went to the restaurant reception and asked availability for lunch. A pretentious obnoxious female waiter/receptionist said “We are fully booked and have absolutely no tables!”
There was no offer of other services (wine tasting) or even a pretence of seeing if could fit us in for lunch at a later time. I had been to Waipara Hills Winery before and enjoyed it, hence reason coming back. But the sheer lack of service, empathy or interest in trying to accommodate us for lunch, left a bad taste in our mouths and unfortunately will not be visiting again anytime soon. Hospitality is all about service and to be frank there was none.
There was no offer of other services (wine tasting) or even a pretence of seeing if could fit us in for lunch at a later time. I had been to Waipara Hills Winery before and enjoyed it, hence reason coming back. But the sheer lack of service, empathy or interest in trying to accommodate us for lunch, left a bad taste in our mouths and unfortunately will not be visiting again anytime soon. Hospitality is all about service and to be frank there was none.
Written 24 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
mncrbest
Stroud, UK652 contributions
Slick,efficient,big and right on the main highway.
Mar 2020
Large retail experience as you walk in the door then a limited guided tour followed by an eight wine tasting at the raised counters in the entrance lobby. Included in the tasting were two Rieslings and one Gwertztraminer. Then a terrific lunch. Generous size multi meat sharing plates all washed down with copious quantities of Pinot Noir. Warm sunny Sunday lunch which attracted large crowds to this easy to get to venue being only about half an hour north of Christchurch.
Well worth a visit.The restaurant offers a high quality wide ranging menu and professional table service and lets you linger over lunch with no hurry to go for a second sitting.
Well worth a visit.The restaurant offers a high quality wide ranging menu and professional table service and lets you linger over lunch with no hurry to go for a second sitting.
Written 26 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
barbarajandrews
Melbourne, Australia111 contributions
what a wonderful find.
Mar 2020
This place is like an oasis in the desert. Food was wonderful, coffee good and I'm sure the wine wauld have been great except that I don't drink. Building is interesting and the art work and decor works well. I had a prawn taco for lunch and the baked Brie with caramelised onion was so tasty.
Written 13 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
9jac
Carterton, New Zealand5 contributions
Why most reviews only get a thumbs up as response to their comments
foodthatsings
Buderim, Australia934 contributions
Because it’s a fabulous place to be 😎
