Lyttelton Shore Excursion: Christchurch City Highlights and Waipara Wine Tasting Tour
4.0
9 Ratings
Christchurch
Experience the best of Christchurch city and indulge in wine tasting at three stunning wineries in the Waipara region on this Lyttelton shore excursion. Explore city attractions and enjoy breathtaking views before savoring the flavors of local wines.
Duration: 7 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Lyttelton - The default start time is 8.30am or up to 1 hour after your ship commences disembarkation, depending on what time your ship docks.
  • Sign of the Takahe - Best spot to admire some spectacular views over the City, Canterbury Plains and Southern Alps.
  • Mona Vale - Mona Vale Gardens with its picturesque ponds and water.
  • Christchurch Cathedral - Christchurch Cathedral damaged by the earthquake and the rebuild that is taking place.
  • Waipara - will have lunch & tastings at a Waipara Winery followed by tastings at another 2 wineries in the Waipara area
What's Included
  • Worry-free Shore Excursion Guarantee
  • Lunch included
  • Knowledgeable driver/guide
  • Comfortable in-vehicle air conditioning
  • Convenient port pickup and drop-off
  • Enjoyable wine tastings
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Embark on an all-encompassing morning exploration of Christchurch city, complete with a midday meal and sample tastings at three exquisite wineries in the Waipara area, accessible from Lyttelton.

This tour encompasses notable city sites including the Mona Vale Gardens, heritage structures, botanical gardens, and a remarkable vista of the southern alps and canterbury plains from the Sign of the Takahe.

After your city exploration, relish wine tasting at 3 renowned wineries in the Waipara region.

  • At time of booking, cruise ship passengers must provide the following information: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
  • Please note that activity times and schedules can be slightly amended depending on your cruise ships timetable.
  • Photo ID required for tasting wine - passport recommended
Location
Lyttelton
Sh74,
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.0
(9 Ratings)
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X8072xyterryw
Apr 4, 2024
Great Guide, Great Company, Great City! - Had the absolute best day with Di... She was a lifetime local and had so many great stories and was so engaging and personable. The morning tour of the city with just two other people was beautiful and Christchurch is at the top of our list to come back and discover... One day off the cruise ship wasn't enough! After the morning, we picked up more people and headed to the wine tastings. The small group we had from around the world became fast friends. We had such an amazing afternoon of wine tasting, beautiful views and friendly people. We didn't want it to end! Thanks for the great day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Terence_w
Apr 4, 2024
Best Guide, Best Company, Best Day! - Had the absolute best day with Di... She was a lifetime local and had so many great stories and was so engaging and personable. The morning tour of the city with just two other people was beautiful and Christchurch is at the top of our list to come back and discover... One day off the cruise ship wasn't enough! After the morning, we picked up more people and headed to the wine tastings. The small group we had from around the world became fast friends. We had such an amazing afternoon of wine tasting, beautiful views and friendly people. We didn't want it to end! Thanks for the great day!
Review provided by Viator
Peggybaker12
Feb 22, 2024
Christchurch and Waipara valley worth the visit - This tour was wonderful, our tour guide Joseph picked us up at the port of Lyttleton and drove us over the pass to Christchurch then to the Waipara valley. We visited small family owned vineyards for our tastings and lunch. The lunch was creative and delicious.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sherryb_j
Jan 23, 2024
Informative Tour with Wine as a Bonus - We had a great time with Andrew. He gave us a tour of coasiyfrom Littleton to Christchurch. We also toured Christchurch with history of the region. He is very proud of his home region and that makes for a wonderful tour. The wineries were also fun. After the first wine tasting room everyone loosened up and we had a great time at the other two. This is definitely a good tour when you visit this area.
Review provided by Viator
Bruce_a
Apr 12, 2023
A great time! - Our Tour guide Tania was the best! And thanks to Lizzie for keeping us updated and for her patience and positivity!
Review provided by Viator
Suzysanaa
Apr 12, 2023
Tasty experience - We booked this day tour having docked in lyttleton on a cruise ship for the day. The tour operators were mindful of our itinerary and ensuring we got back to the ship on time. We had Tania looking after us and she was fantastic. She was very knowledgeable and
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sharonc_g
Apr 12, 2023
Why are children allowed on a wine tasting tour? - The wines were good as was the lunch. We waited over an hour for a woman towing 3 children - and our tour guide finally got the go ahead to leave without them so we missed one of the planned wineries due to this delay. Also had a family group on with 3 children - WHY????
Review provided by Viator
Jami_b
Apr 17, 2023
Great tour but please re-think the winery choices - This tour was a good experience except for two of the three wineries that we visited. Our tour guide was great, and the small group atmosphere was very comfortable. We enjoyed the drive from Lyttleton to Christchurch, through the hills with stops to take photos of the outstanding views. Unfortunately, two of the chosen wineries were less than enjoyable. At the first stop, we were ushered into a separate room where the winery owner poured a variety of wines without even telling us what we were sampling. We had to ask questions to pull information about his winery and the wines they offered. This was the strangest wine tasting experience we have ever had. The second winery, Waipara Hills was beautiful, and lunch there was great. Unfortunately, the person pouting the wines and talking about them, and the winery, was rude and condescending. I understand this is not the fault of the tour, but our suggestion would be to re-think the choice of wineries (or at least talk to the proprietors about those representing their brands). The third winery, Torlesse, was outstanding. It was not grandiose like the nearby Waipara Hills Winery, but the owner was very hospitable, and explained their wines with pride. They have an outstanding tawney port, and a very good white port (something we have never seen anywhere else in the world). This is the only winery at which we made a purchase, though we were prepared to do so at the other two until the poor experiences. Our rating was based on the winery choices -- everything else about the tour was great!
Review provided by Viator
Isabellem1228
Apr 20, 2023
What a mess and a disappointment! - If I were you reading this review, I would seriously reconsider other options for a tour provider and find any agency to organise my tour other than "Leisure Tours", unless you want to risk your day being ruined. We were unable to hop on the bus due to out-of-control delays in disembarking the cruise; so I can't comment on the tour itself. However, more important than the tour and sightseeing is customer care. We were literally left behind in the middle of nowhere, despite having our friends on the bus begging the tour guide to wait or get in touch with us as we were experiencing delays disembarking the cruise. We tried everything to get hold of the guide or a customer care representative to find alternative ways to join the tour or get some options on whether we can get on an alternative tour to profit from the only one day we are spending in Christchurch. Our family included 2 adults and 2 kids, aged 8 years and 3 years; imagine how horrible it was for us to run from one bus to another and ask every person around for our tour bus without getting any direction or response from the customer service, who decided to just leave the meeting location after waiting for some time (which is understandable) BUT without even trying to get in contact with us to ask our whereabouts or give us any alternative option (that is horrible!!) I appreciate that they waited and had to leave; however, what annoyed me was their lack of responsibility, their negligence and their ignorance of the basic fundamentals of running a tourism agency. On top of all the frustration they caused, they have even refused a refund (a total of $460), and not even offered a partial refund. Certainly, I don't recommend this agency; we bumped into another family who was also left behind in Christchurch. This family was also supposed to join "Leisure Tours" group for a different tour to ours. The whole experience was so disappointing! I will definitely stay away from and not recommend "Leisure Tours" in any of their destinations as customer care is core to any business, and they don't seem to know this principle.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
July 2024
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