WanaHaka Wine Tours & Maori Culture

We would like to extend our gratitude to Joe Waide (Mori tribal warrior) whos presentation and cultural performance yesterday, were outstanding. What better way to formally welcome our delegates and attendees (all Aussies) and to show our respect, our acknowledgment and admiration to the history, the heritage, to the Land, the culture and to the ancestry and people of Queenstown, via Joes reception greeting. Haere mai, ng manuhiri trangi And Joe performed his traditional welcome greeting with passion, with pride, with dignity and with a great deal of enthusiasm. It also brought about a sense of complete respect for each of us during the ceremony including the acceptance and receiving the branch, the Hongi etc. I was most impressed by this Hongi and ceremony and the commentary and feedback from our delegates has been extremely positive and ever-so respectful as well. So, we extend our many thanks to Joe and wish him all the very best. It certainly created and enhanced the Opening Address and Welcome to Congress. We will have no hesitation to recommend him for future events and obviously, if we are to return to Qtown, we will seek him out again. Kind regards, Mark Stephen Managing Director Civitas Services Australia
Mar 18th, 2023

Sure you can just visit the vineyards yourself but you'd need a designated driver. The biggest value of getting this wine tour with Joe is 1. Someone drives to the vineyard for you 2. Along the way, Joe shares stories about Maori culture Joe is very articulate and knowledgeable, open to questions if you are curious about Maori stuff. I especially enjoyed his sharing about Maori tradition and values. Personally I was slightly disappointed that I did not get to witness a Haka. From the booking page, I was under the impression that there will be a Haka performance. I guess it's not gonna feel the same anyway if only one person is performing it. Moreover, I went to 2 vineyards: Rippon & MaoriPoint. The tasting experience at Rippon was fantastic and the location was beautiful, I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I could not say the same for MaoriPoint. The hostess serving us the tasters was not very pleasant. My group felt like as if we owe her something. When she asks us about the wine, she would begrudge our opinions. As a wine newbie myself, it felt awkward and uncomfortable to give my opinion about the wine and be shot down. Anyway we did not really like the wines in MaoriPoint. I suppose this is not the fault of Joe. (I went on 20 Apr)
May 1st, 2023

Apr 11th, 2023

Incredible knowledge of the local area and beautiful insight into the Maori culture. Joe was very friendly and even arranged for a pick up from our Airbnb. Such a welcoming man, would recommend.
Mar 6th, 2023

We had a great day with our guide Joe. Joe was great and took us to 3 different wineries. My wife loved the E-Bike which made it very easy for her to bike in the countryside between the wineries. Joe was very sure to make it a safe trip and he took us on a route that minimized any traffic. We were in the countryside and on the lakeshore. What makes this tour unique is that it is also a cultural tour. Joe taught us a lot about the Mori culture throughout the day. I will do this again the next time I am in Wanaka. Make sure you bring a backpack if you buy any wine, although Joe did say he could carry some for me.
Feb 25th, 2023