The next day, we had a quick stop in Napier. We were only there for a few hours and due to rough waters we only had one gangway. This meant that up to 3,000 people were trying to get off at the same time. The line snaked from the gangway all the way back through the casino, just trust me when I say that it was a LONG line.
I had done some research on the Hawkes Bay wineries – and knew that there would likely only be time for one. We landed on Church Road Winery – they’ve been around for over 125 years. The Hawkes Bay region is New Zealand’s oldest – and voted 12th best in the world.
We had called ahead and secured a tasting reservation. The prices were about the same to wine tasting in the USA. One thing that we noticed is that most of the wine tasting in NZ was about 30 minute appointments, which varies dramatically to what we are used to with California wine tasting! (You could easily spend 2 hours at one spot).
We definitely liked these wines the best out of the other places that we had been to. And the venue was stunning! Since the wine tasting was 30 minutes, we realized that we could sneak in another winery. But… it would have to be in town closer to the cruise ship.
Our server had recommended Urban Winery, which is where we were headed. It was a cute spot in town, although you could tell they did some of their production there on site. The girl working was incredibly overwhelmed that “so many people just want to do tasting flights.” I was a little baffled, considering… they are a winery? Anyway, she wouldn’t serve us tastings. She almost let us walk out the door, but I decided to ask if we could get a glass.
At this point, I think she might have realized that she was about to lose money. (Mind you – important to note, I think there were only 6-8 other people inside). So she decided she could serve us glasses. So that’s what we did!
The interior was really cute, and I loved their branding. I’ll just say that if you are planning on going there – lower your service expectations.
We didn’t get to see much of downtown Napier, but it is known for having Art Deco architecture. We wished we would have more time there!
We made our way back to the ship, and this time we tried the Italian themed restaurant. We had wonderful service, which was a great way to end the night!
Up Next:
- Hobbiton
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