CELEBRATIONS FOR FRIENDS & FAMILY

Let us supply transport and arrange venues for your family celebration your Hens’ Party your business Social Club outing.

It’s always enjoyable to celebrate together as a group in a relaxed & convivial atmosphere. We can ensure that your outing is tailored to your specific requirements relating to venue time constraints and budget.

Transport is door-to-door.

All of our current tours will be able to return home within 24 hours if there is a Lockdown.

Sunday Lunch

Come on our circuit of monthly Sunday Lunches to a range of venues or book a date that you require for a special occasion.

SUNDAY, MAY 4 - STRATOSFARE RESTAURANT ROTORUA

We're returning to several of our previously-visited venues because of client request. Ride up on the gondola to Stratosfare & experience great food, service & views.
As you dine, the floor to ceiling windows [ will help you to enjoy] the panoramic views of Lake Rotorua and Mokoia Island. The contemporary ambience features luxurious Italian marble, granite, schist, timber and David Trubridge lights...
Featuring a stunning array of freshly prepared buffet and cooked-to-order dishes highlighting locally sourced seafood, meat and produce, Stratosfare will take you on a gastronomic journey.
From the tidal mussel tank, ensuring the freshest mussels you can find, to the flame rotisserie, Art of the Grill chef station, seasonal salads and delicate cooked-to-order crepes, this restaurant is a unique and decadent Rotorua dining experience that you'll want to return to again & again. ( - excerpt from Stratosfare website)
Price $140.00pp. includes transport, gondola and "all you can eat" from a gourmet buffet meal. Details at:

Sunday Lunch in the Clouds

SUNDAY 8 JUNE- VILAGRAD WINERY, OHAUPO, LUNCH

We are travelling from Tauranga to Vilagrad Winery, Ohaupo, for one of their famous, delicious Sunday lunches.

As well as the usual pick-ups available, we can pick up en route, travelling over the Kaimais, at Matamata i-Site & the Hinuera ValleyTreat yourself (and/or someone else) to a great day out!! No food prep, no dishes. Just time to enjoy the day. As usual we will stop for a glass of bubbles en route at Karapiro, & (Paul's famous sausage rolls!).
COST: Door-to-door transport & extensive smorgasbord Lunch . Bubbles & sausage rolls- $140.00pp. Details at:
VILAGRAD SUNDAY LUNCH - 5 JUNE | Smore Newsletters for Business

JULY 27 - BRACU ESTATE, BOMBAY

We went to Bracu for their Sunday Roast last July, & the group travelling on that trip asked if it could be an annual event. Bracu have just confirmed that over Winter they will provide a Roast Beef, a Pork Roast option and a third roast which will alternate each week as Chef's choice.
Each Main will come with all the trimmings, with roast vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, and kumara. The beef option will also come with Yorkshire pudding.
Further menu details will be published, as they become available.
Transport + 2 COURSE | $158.00 PP - Entree & Main or Main & Dessert

Transport + 3 COURSE | $178.00 PP - Entree, Main & Dessert

Transport + 3 COURSE & DRINKS PACKAGE | $208.00 PP | - Entree, Main & Dessert
(The third option Includes two beverages from the house beverages list and tea or barista coffee.)

Urban List commented in a review:

"Don’t fork out on those tickets to the Mediterranean—you can road trip there instead! Bracu is calling your name for a leisurely lunch that wiles away the hours. We’ll see you there."

Upcoming General Tours:

Mid-Week Tours & Garden-Related Tours

We travel monthly to areas our clients have requested or that we have chosen

WEDNESDAY MAY 7 - HODDERVILLE FARMS

Recently, Paul took a retirement village to Hodderville Farms, Putaruru. He thought it was an interesting visit, so we have decided to redo the visit for our other clients.
Hodderville has an interesting history. It was operated 1929-1989 by the Salvation Army.
In May 1917, the Salvation Army had bought 2,400 barren acres, with the intention to establishing an orphanage. Plans changed & the land was utilised for a Boys' Home & productive training farm. establishment.
Currently, Hodderville Farms is a dairy farm.
They now also have a plant nursery specialising in the production and sale of native trees, shrubs, and grasses for riparian planting and the reforestation of land not suitable for grazing.
Leaving Tauranga, after pickups, we will stop in Putaruru for tea/coffee & biscuits, before travelling on to the farm, where we will have a talk about its history & the nursery. Take your lunch, which you can eat after the talk. Then we will have a tour of the nursery & one of the farms.

COST: 95.00 pp (Door-to-door transport from Tauranga, Mt Maunganui, early Papamoa or en route), tea/coffee, biscuits, Hodderville costs.

14 MAY - EDEN PARK TOUR

"Relive great sporting moments as you go behind the scenes on New Zealand’s most famous stadium tour.
You’ll be guided by expert historians who are passionate about sports and the Park.
Feel the tension of the players’ tunnel*
Take the hot-seat in the coaches’ box*Have photo opportunities with the best views of the stadium
Sense the excitement of the changing rooms*
Visit the ‘hallowed turf’ on the historic No. 1 field*
Tour guests have the opportunity to purchase a wide variety of Eden Park merchandise at the conclusion of the tour" https://edenpark.co.nz

We plan to leave Tauranga, after pickups, by 7.30, stop at Ngatea, en route, & arrive at Eden Park at mid-day
Cost, including transport & Seniors price at the venue: $130.00pp. A deposit of $30.00 must be made on booking. This deposit is non-refundable but is transferable.

12 JUNE - A CENTURY OF MODERN ART EXHIBITION, AUCKLAND ART GALLERY

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki ha announced A Century of Modern Art as its special winter exhibition this year.
A Century of Modern Art traces the birth of modern painting, beginning with the Impressionists in the 1860s, and follows its evolution through key movements such as Post Impressionism, Symbolism, Cubism, Surrealism, Constructivism, German Expressionism, Bauhaus, De Stijl, Precisionism, and Colour Field Painting and Abstract Expressionism.
The exhibition includes works by Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, Helen Frankenthaler, Édouard Manet, William Merritt Chase, Amedeo Modigliani, Berthe Morisot, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Camille Pissarro, Robert Rauschenberg, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, James McNeill Whistler, among others.
COST: $106.00 - Door-to-door transport.
Please note, entry tickets will be at additional cost. That price is not yet available

26 JULY - FIBRETRON, MYSTERY CREEK

ITS BACK AGAIN!! This awesome event is coming back for you to enjoy. Put the date in your diary and prepare to be a besotted knit-wit treated with lots of yarns! Bring your patterns & colours to match to and immerse yourself in all the material "things luscious" that you love."
Get ready to unravel some fun as Purple Sprouting brings you Fibretron 2025. Returning to the fabulous Bledisloe Function Centre, Mystery Creek, Hamilton, this festival is the ultimate destination for yarn and fibre enthusiasts from all over the country.
You'll find independent yarn dyers, knitwear designers, and raw material producers, all under one roof. Whether you're a seasoned knitter or just someone who loves fibre crafts, you won't want to miss this event. Explore an endless array of yarns made from all sorts of animals, including sheep, alpaca, and llama. You'll find everything from raw fibres, batts, spinning wheels, needles, notions and more.." www.fibretron.co.nz Details at: FIBRETRON. JULY 26 | Smore Newsletters for Business

Hen's Parties

If you’re thinking of having a Hens’Party, prior to your wedding contact us to plan a day of fun!

Winery Tours Tailored to Your Requests

Travel to the Hawke's Bay for a weekend of wine appreciation. Taste the delights of Kumeu or Matakana. You choose the destination we’ll suggest the venues for your consideration to ensure you have a great time!

GIFT VOUCHERS ARE AVAILABLE FOR ALL OF OUR TOURS

Give a gift voucher for a birthday or anniversary, a “thank you’ to that special person.

21 SEPT. - ANNUAL PIRONGIA CRAFT FAIR

The Pirongia Craft Day is on again this year!
Held in Pirongia's main street, Franklin Street, this craft day is an annual event which has been happening for over 43 years. It is one of the biggest markets in New Zealand. The day is organised by dedicated local arts & crafts people, who endeavour to keep the day "New Zealand Handmade & homegrown".
Only genuine NZ-made crafts & products are permitted to be sold.
Entertainment is provided by groups ranging from pipe bands to hip-hop groups.The road is closed from 6.00am, to enable 200 pre-allocated sites to set up, ready for opening at 9.00. Come with us to enjoy this unique vibrant, friendly day!
$80.00 pp (Door-to-door transport from Tauranga, Mt Maunganui, early Papamoa or en route).
Details at:
Annual Pirongia Craft Day | Smore Newsletters for Business

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23 - MAYWARD GARDENS & BEE NZ

Our clients loved this tour in March & asked to repeat the trip in Spring. Mayward Homestead Gardens are high in the hills of Whakamarama, so it's little cooler & the owner tells us that the best time to visit will be a little later in the season.

Bee NZ venue, as well as producing exquisite honey, also makes beautiful candles, chocolates, skincare & other delights. We will receive a presentation, tasting & factory tour on our arrival at the premises in Katikati. Many will take the chance to restock their honey supplies.

After a short stop in Katikati, we will proceed to Mayward Gardens, Whakamarama.

This large country garden, in a bush setting features ponds and streams enhanced with massed plantings of rhododendrons, azaleas, maples, hostas, irises, and azalea mollises. A short bush walk beside a sparkling stream meandering through stunning natives adds particular interest to the unique garden.

We will have a light afternoon tea at this venue (tea/coffee, biscuits)
COST Door-to door transport (Tauranga, Mt Maunganui, early Papamoa, early Lakes) & all other costs except additional food/drink- $65.00 pp.

SUNDAY 9 NOVEMBER - KATIKATI GARDEN RAMBLE
Join us for a day of relaxation & inspiration as you visit beautiful urbam & rural gardens throughout the Katikati area. An event proudly brought to you by Katikati Rotary. Put the date in yiur diary. We will give details of cost & gardens we will visit, when more information becomes available.

BAY OF PLENTY TASTING TOUR

The Bay of Plenty Tasting Tour commences by visiting a boutique craft brewery, where the process of producing the natural beer with no preservatives or additives is explained & a range of beer is sampled. (If you're not a beer drinker, you can choose samples of cider or beer.)
We then travel South to Volcanic Hills Winery, Rotorua, to have sumptuous anti pasto platters & a wine presentation & tasting. The tasting room at this venue sits at the top of the Skyline gondola. During your visit you will be able to soak up the magnificent view overlooking Rotorua city & lake, while relaxing with a glass of wine & something to eat.
The tour returns to Tauranga for dessert & a cocktail (or dessert & a coffee, if you prefer) at one of Tauranga's most popular restaurants, Salinity Restaurant & Bar, overlooking our beautiful harbour & marina.
We then return you to ship-side (or to local accommodation) via what we claim is the best beach in the Southern Hemisphere.

Time permitting, en route, we stop by a kiwifruit orchard & explain the industry from planting to export, and stop to make a brief walk into Okere Falls, a beautiful waterfall in picturesque native bush.
Total duration approximately 6 hours
A minimum of 2 people must be booked.
COST: $300.00pp. (Transport (including gondola), tastings, platters coffee or cocktail, dessert. N.B. Additional beverages are at the client's cost).

NB: Tourism NZ Autumn campaign. Book directly for March to May & get a 15% discount!
Promocode - Autumn 321
Details at:
Tauranga Tasting Tours | Smore Newsletters for Business

MATAHUI DISTILLERY - MAKE YOUR OWN GIN!

Have an exciting & enjoyable afternoon learning about the art of distilling by creating your very own gin!

This will take approximately 3hours, and includes drinks, snacks and tastings, plus your own unique gin that you create!

You'll have a selection of ingredients (botanicals) to choose from, a miniature still and expert help on hand to make your own gin.

You will blend, bottle and label your gin ready for you to take away with you at the end of the session.

It's fun, informative - and you take your creation home with you!

$195 per person per still or $245 for two people sharing a still.

Door-to door transport $65.00pp. (Minimum of 6 people, maximum of 10)

LOCAL TASTING TOUR - ON DATE OF YOUR CHOICE

The Local Tour commences by visiting a boutique craft brewery, where the process of producing the natural beer with no preservatives or additives is explained & a range of beer is sampled. (If you're not a beer drinker, you can choose samples of cider or beer.)
We then travel North to Te Puna to have a light lunch at one of Taurana's top restaurants, The White House, Te Puna. During your lunch you will have a tasting & presentation of at least four NZ wines of quality.
We go up a short distance to the Minden Look Out which has 360 degree views of the Coastal Bay of Plenty, before returning to Tauranga for dessert & a cocktail (or coffee) at one of Tauranga's most popular restaurants, Salinity Restaurant & Bar, overlooking our beautiful harbour & marina.
We then return you to ship-side (or to local accommodation) via what we claim is the best beach in the Southern Hemisphere.
Total duration approximately 6 hours
A minimum of 4 people must be booked.
(This tour is only available Tuesday-Sunday, because of venue closure.

COST: $195.00pp. (Transport, tastings, lunch, dessert. N.B. Additional beverages are at the client's cost)
Details at:
https://www.smore.com/x3azd-tauranga-tasting-tours

TAKE A CHOSEN GROUP OF FRIENDS ON A SPECIAL DAY OUT!

Do you want to give Dad a special day at The Aviator Experience, Thames? Go to the Waitakaruru Arboretum, Scotsmans Valley (recently on TV)? Have friends that want to go to the Cambridge Raceway for the Trots, the Zealong Tea French Restaurant? For a game of golf? To a show in Auckland? Or to a favourite venue for a special celebration?

Our 14-seater vehicle can take your group & make sure your en route requirements are met.

Cambridge - $650.00; Hamilton - $740.00; Auckland - $1110.00; Taupo - $850.00; Rotorua - $550.00; Paengaroa - $400.00

Other destinations can be travelled to - just send us your requirements & we'll send you a cost at no obligation. The cost includes a covered luggage trailer, if required &, of course, driver.

MATAHUI DISTILLERY GUIDED TOUR

You may not be a gin aficionado, but learning about the intricacies of gin-making is extremely interesting. Choosing from the multiplicity of "ingredients" to effect the optimum taste is a real skill.

Come with us to meet the distillers, explore the garden and distillery, learn how they make their exceptional gin and what makes them different.
"During your tour you'll visit our working distillery and productive garden, and finish with a curated tasting in our Cellar Door. You'll learn how gin is made, our "garden to glass" philosophy, and experience the many different ingredients we use." (matahuidistillery.com)
We will then return you to your pick-up point.

COST (Miimum 10 pax): $110.00 per person - transport, tour, tasting