Having contacted Geoff a few months in advance of our trip, he was timely and detailed in reply. He confirmed he was able to accommodate our two small children (3 years old & 8 months old) on the private 3 cellar door tour - this combined with the fact that he was a personalized & private one person company sealed the deal for us. Payment was settled via PayPal a week or two prior to the tour and we were set!
Booking and taking the ferry from Auckland to Waiheke (40 min ferry ride) was on us. Upon arrival in Waiheke, Geoff was standing at the Ferry terminal with our name on a sign, very easy to find! Waiting for us was a very clean and very nice Mercedes van, the perfect vehicle to spend the day checking out the island in. As confirmed, Geoff had car seats for both boys.
Prior to starting off on the day, Geoff had printed itineraries for each of us and spent time reviewing with us to ensure we did not have any requested changes. From there we were off - the first hour was spent on a bit of sightseeing. Geoff showed us several of the beaches and provided very interesting insight/history into Waiheke Island.
After the overview of Waiheke we headed to Honey House Cafe, a quaint & relatively new place where honey & olive oils are available for tasting. This was free and fun!
From there we hit our first vineyard, Te Motu. It is the third oldest wine producer on the island and did not disappoint!
Second was Awaroa, a small organic vineyard with a fun tasting and good wine.
Lunch was next, at the Passage Rock Restaurant. We had an excellent pizza and small plate, along with a surprise tasting! The perfect stop.
Our last vineyard visit on the 3 cellar door tour was Obsidian, a boutique vineyard with great wine and a fun team.
Overall, we could not have had a better day - it was FANTASTIC. We were very pleased with Geoff, his van and the itinerary he built for us. If you are looking for a bespoke, private tour for your time on Waiheke, you CANNOT go wrong engaging Waiheke Custom Wine Tours. Geoff will take very good care of you & your group!!!