The 15 Best Central Otago Wine Tours

1.Boutique Wine Tour – visit Central Otago, 4 Wineries & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 673 reviews · from $173Our pick

Travel from Queenstown through Gibbston, Bannockburn, and Cromwell with a local guide such as Ben, John, Phil, or Evie. Visit four cellar doors, taste Central Otago wines, enjoy a shared platter lunch, and return by hotel transfer after about five and a half hours.

“Very interesting, tasty very good organized. Very good explained in every place we've been, the company was very nice.”

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2.Queenstown Wine Tour – Gibbston Valley Cave | Kinross | Amisfield

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 209 reviews · from $170

Travel from Queenstown in a small, adults-only minivan with guides such as Emma, Vicky, or Rob. Taste Central Otago wines at Gibbston Valley, Kinross, and Amisfield, tour New Zealand’s largest wine cave, enjoy lunch at your own cost, and return to town without needing a sober driver.

“Emma and Bella were amazing hosts! We were lucky enough to be on Bella’s first tour, and she did great Emma provided a great insight into the area and it’s wines, as well as giving us plenty of time at each of the four stops Each of the vineyaRead more”

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3.Self-Guided Gibbston Valley Wineries Bike Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 128 reviews · 5 hours - 450 minutes · from $56

Ride the Gibbston Valley Wine Region independently after a Queenstown shuttle, bike fitting, and safety briefing. Follow the Arrow and Kawarau rivers to cellar doors, Kinross, Gibbston Tavern, Monte Christo, Mount Rosa, and The Church. Choose a standard bike or add an e-bike for the hills, then arrange pickup from the winery that suits your afternoon.

“An enjoyable day, was well organised and good fun. The trail is fairly easy to follow with some breathtaking views of course. The wineries are expensive, they are trying to make a living though and probably recovering from lost custom during covid times. The bike was great, I chose an ebike for a bit of extra oomph, the saddle isn't comfortable but I've never rode a bike that is. I would recommend this day out to all you don't need to be super fit just able to ride a bike competently. Thank's to around the basin 😃”

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4.Queenstown & Gibbston Valley: Hop-On Hop-Off Wine Tours

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 113 reviews · 1 day · from $77

Spend a full day following a one-way route from Queenstown through Arthur’s Point, Arrowtown, and Gibbston Valley. Hop off for tastings, lunch, gold-mining history, breweries, or adventure stops, then use the timetable to continue. Drivers such as George and Harry offer local tips along the way.

“It was great. Harry was a great driver and provided good care and commentary. Timetable was easy to read and allowed you to make your own itinerary easily.”

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5.Queenstown, Arrowtown, Gibbston: Flexible Wine Hopper Tours

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 94 reviews · 6 hours · from $59

Leave central Queenstown at noon with a local guide such as Andrew, Claire, Rob, or Angus, then choose your own mix of Gibbston Valley and Arrowtown wineries. Tastings, meals, cheese, and drinks cost extra, but your guide handles the driving and flexible pickups until about 6pm.

“The flexibility of the tour was the best we’ve experienced throughout our journey around New Zealand. T our driver was super helpful to make our tour memorable. The transport was great given we only had 4 couples on our tour and journey from one vineyard to another was fairly short. The wines at Gibbston Valley were great and the overall experience at Kinross was fantastic with the wine professional, Woody providing a very good and knowledgeable insight into their range of wines and processes. Overall a fun experience”

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6.Half-Day Canyoning in Gibbston Valley from Queenstown

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 93 reviews · from $154

Join a small group of up to 10 for a guided canyoning trip through Gibbston Valley. After safety training and a scenic drive, you will scramble, climb, traverse, abseil, and slide through the canyon. No experience is needed, but you must be fit, confident in water, and comfortable with heights.

“Had a great time with guide Brig and the other participants on this adventure down Gibbston Valley. It isn't for the faint hearted but I always felt safe due to Brig's instruction, encouragement and the detailed safety briefing. A great experiencRead more”

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7.Gibbston Valley Wines – Winery Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 88 reviews · from $29

Visit Gibbston Valley’s Home Block vineyard, winemaking facility, and large underground wine cave on a relaxed small-group tour. Your guide explains Central Otago pinot noir and pours four premium wines. The tour lasts about 45 minutes, welcomes ages 16 and over, and returns to the winery.

“Great tour host, who was knowledgeable and funny. He helped explain the winemaking process in an understandable way. Wonderful wine. Beautiful scenery. The wine cave is really cool.”

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8.Original Premium Half-Day Gibbston Wine Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 82 reviews · 5h 30m · from $118

Spend about five and a half hours with Queenstown Wine Trail, established in 1992, visiting three Gibbston cellar doors. Expect guided tastings, Central Otago wine stories, a lunch stop at your own cost, and a small-group van ride led by guides such as T, Claire, Angus, Ed, or Andrew.

“I want to mention that the guide was awesome. Master T, that's the man! If go on this tour, ask for him if you want a trip full of good music (and vocals!), tips and good humour.”

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9.Gibbston Valley Half-Day Canyoning Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 66 reviews · from $117

Head from Queenstown into Gibbston Valley for a four-hour beginner-friendly canyoning trip with Canyoning New Zealand. In a small group, guides such as Stefan or Briggs lead you through rock, waterfalls, swims, slides and abseils. You need water confidence, English and a medium fitness level.

“Awesome fun... would recommend this as a must do. Will do the full day activity when next in Queenstown”

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10.Golden Hills Horse Trek in Central Otago

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 55 reviews · from $142

Join Golden Hills Horse Treks near Cromwell for a relaxed two-hour ride through fruit orchards and Central Otago hills. Karo, Jasmine, or another local guide matches you with a well-trained horse and adjusts the pace for your experience, with views over Lake Dunstan and the Mt Pisa Range.

“The ride was amazing and the view was beautiful. All 4 horses are wonderful and we had a great time! Jasmine and Carol were excellent guides.”

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11.Arrowtown to Gibbston – Iconic Arrow River Bridges Bike Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 41 reviews · from $58

Travel from Queenstown to Arrowtown, then ride a marked trail beside the Arrow River toward Gibbston. Your bike, helmet, map, and return transport are included. Pause at the Kawarau Bungy Bridge and finish at Gibbston Valley Winery. Choose a standard hardtail bike or upgrade to an e-bike.

“Great ride through the countryside. Ups and downs but doable. E bikes are a great option too! The winery was very nice.”

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12.Gibbston Half-Day Private Wine Tour with Hotel Pickup

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 30 reviews · from $222

You’ll spend about six hours with Susana or another Queenstown Winery Tours guide, visiting four changing cellar doors in Gibbston. Hotel pickup, up to 20 Central Otago tastings, a shared cheese platter, scenic stops, and professional photos are included.

“This was one of the best experiences we had on our trip! It is also one of the best wine tours we have been on. Susana is an extremely knowledgeable and friendly guide. Her relationships with the various wineries lead to excellent tasting exRead more”

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13.E-Bike Adventures Through the Wineries in Gibbston

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 22 reviews · from $83

Start at 10 a.m. with pickup from your Queenstown accommodation, then ride an e-bike from Arrowtown along the Arrow River Bridges Trail to Gibbston Valley. You’ll pass gold-mining relics and bungy sites before choosing a winery stop. Nick and the Whizzy team provide bikes, helmets, and return transport.

“The trail was beautiful and watching the bungee jumpers was fun to watch and the wine was great. Had a beautiful lunch at Gibson Winery. Pick up and drop off service to your accommodation was great!”

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14.Gibbston Valley Wines – Wine & Cheese Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 21 reviews · from $29

Meet at Gibbston Valley Winery at 2pm for a small-group tasting of four wines and four handmade Oamaru cheeses. The 45-minute session takes place in a private room beside the cheesery and deli, with return transport from Queenstown available as an added convenience.

“We did the wine tour. Four wines and cheese pairing. This is new world wine. It is very good but don’t expect the depth and complexity of wines from established wine countries like France and Italy. The cheese is from their cheesery where yRead more”

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15.Jet Sprint Boating in Gibbston Valley, Queenstown

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $92

Ride Oxbow Adventure Co’s custom four-seat jet sprint boat around a purpose-built Gibbston Valley racetrack. A professional driver takes three passengers through rapid acceleration, tight island turns, and several high-speed laps. The ride lasts about 10 minutes, with helmets, spray jackets, and a safety briefing included.

“This was the best experience I had around Queenstown. Way more exhilarating and adrenaline pumping than other jet boat rides around QT. A truly unique experience feeling that G force. Would highly recommend it.”

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