Shore Excursion: Napier Scenic Highlights including Winery Luncheon
You will be met at Napier’s Aquarium (the second bus stop) on the 10 minute free shuttle bus ride into Napier.
Your tour begins with a drive through Napier’s Art Deco central business district with informative commentary. The first stop is Bluff Hill lookout, just 10 minutes from the Aquarium. The lookout is located directly above the Cruise Ship terminal, so a fantastic place to take that perfect photo of your Cruise Ship.
You will then travel down Seapoint Road, Napier’s version of Lombard Street, San Francisco. The historic and much photographed National Tobacco building is close by. There will be a 10-minute stop and your guide will provide a brief commentary about this very attractive Art Deco/Art Nuevo building.
The next stop is Hooters Classic Car Showroom. Displayed here with the other cars is a very rare 1938 - 5.3 litre V12 Lagonda Le Mans Racer. This beautiful vehicle is still regularly raced and is capable of 150 miles per hour.
The tour then travels the 10-minutes to Mission Estate Winery and Restaurant. The road takes us through what was once part of the Ahuriri Lagoon. The 7.9 Richter scale earthquake of 1931 lifted the lagoon’s seabed up by over 2 meters and so the lagoon is now farm land.
The approach to Mission Estate is through a very attractive avenue of London Plain trees that were planted during 1911. You will be given a little time to appreciate the wonderful old Seminary building and gardens before being seated for your Chefs platter that will have been preordered on your behalf. This tour allows you to select a glass of wine from the Mission’s estate range of wines.
After lunch you will be picked up and driven along the coast road via Ahuriri Marina and West Quay to the Napier i-SITE. Free shuttle buses will be available to take you back to the ship.
