Tauranga, New Zealand: For us it was a day to relax

After leaving port at Auckland on our Pacific Ocean Cruise, it was onto Tauranga for our third and final stop in New Zealand. The cruise ships berth at the Port of Tauranga, which is just 1km from the township of Mount Maunganui, and 7km (4.2 miles) from Tauranga city. Upon arrival in port we were greeted by friendly and helpful locals who were happy to supply visitors with maps and information. While in port the shops, cafés and golden-sand beach of nearby Mount Maunganui are all within walking distance. Since our last two stops in New Zealand were wine adventure we chose to relax and explore Tauranga.

Tauranga's Mount Maunganui, New Zealand © Spaswinefood

Tauranga's Mount Maunganui © Spaswinefood

Tauranga, New Zealand

As we exited the terminal, five minutes later we are headed towards Mount Maunganui’s to enjoy those waterfront walks. As you exit left to walk along the Pilot Bay Harbor area you will find scenic walks around and up Mount Maunganui (the hill at the opposite end of the port). 

 Off to Mount Maunganui © Spaswinefood

Waling towards Mount Maunganui © Spaswinefood

Tauranga’s Mount Maunganui is an idyllic beach and popular holiday spot. This laid-back suburb is known for the extinct Mount Maunganui volcano, and a sacred Maori site with ocean-view hiking trails. Visitors can explore its long, sandy Main Beach popular for its surf breaks, while Pilot Bay Beach has calm waters for paddle boarding. Its Mount Hot Pools complex offers saltwater bathing and spa treatments.

Main Beach, Mount Maunganui © Spaswinefood

Further along on the main beach area there were food trucks.

Main Beach, Mount Maunganui © Spaswinefood

Of course there were folks enjoying a day beachside.

Main Beach, Mount Maunganui © Spaswinefood

Soon we were back at our cruise ship, getting ready to head back out to sea, and onwards to Fiji.

 Cruise Ship, Port of Tauranga, New Zealand © Spaswinefood

 Last Glimpse of Mount Mannganui, New Zealand © Spaswinefood

Cruise ships docking in Tauranga offer many tour options, and optional day trips to Rotorua, which is approximately one hours drive from the Port of Tauranga. Rotorua's, boiling mud pools, geysers and natural hot springs offer unique experiences for those seeking such geothermal adventures. Tauranga and Rotorua are both rich in Māori history. Our Tauranga stop was a nice change of pace, to round out our New Zealand wine travel explorations. Earlier, we did wine country explorations in Bay of Islands and Waiheke Island, near Auckland. For us, Tauranga was a place to relax before moving onwards.

Exploring New Zealand

New Zealand last April, even though our cruise ship visits, offered limited time in port, we did manage to gain first-hand insights into Northland (Bay of Islands) wine country. Hence our wine stops required some careful, advance planning to maximize our wine country explorations. No matter where and how I travel, wine is always a focus for my explorations. New Zealand was no exception. If you think New Zealand has only Sauvignon Blanc then pay attention. While it is home to some of the world’s best Sauvignon Blancs, it offers much more in terms of wine diversity! It has eleven wine regions, with each region further divided into sub-regions. During our April visit to the North Island on a cruise ship I only managed to gain first-hand insights into two of its wine regions, Northland (Bay of Islands), and Auckland (Waiheke Island). It definitely required advance planning on my part to maximize our wine country explorations with a limited time in port.

We so enjoyed our very first tasting in New Zealand at Marsden Estate, Bay of Islands.

Wine Tasting with Lunch Platter, Marsden Estate © Spaswinefood

Marsden Estate, Bay of Islands © Spaswinefood

Mean while on Waiheke Island we visited Stonyridge Vineyard.

Stonyridge Vineyard, Waiheke Island © Spaswinefood

Next, we headed back across the island to Mudbrick Vineyard. 

Mudbrick Vineyard,Waiheke Island © Spaswinefood

Mudbrick Vineyard just happens to be one of the best wineries on the island, with awesome views. Given this winery has an excellent restaurant we decided to have lunch and order some of their premium wines to taste.

Relaxing at Mudbrick Vineyard, Waiheke Island © Spaswinefood

Rather than do a wine tasting in the tasting room at Mudbrick we elected to order two of their Reserve Chardonnays, and their Reserve Syrah to taste during lunch.

Given these two earlier wine country stops, Tauranga, New Zealand for us, was an ideal place to relax for a day in port, or maybe take a spa day at the Mount Hot Pools complex. This option is ideal given considerable time is needed to explore New Zealand's wine regions. Given our limited time on land in New Zealand we were able to briefly visit only two wine regions (Bay of Islands, Northland and Auckland's Waiheke Island) on the North Island. For sure my brief intro to the North Island's wine country while cruising the New Zealand's coast has inspired me to learn more, and enhanced my desire for future wine travels on the South Island. I invite you to join me in my travels in New Zealand and elsewhere at  Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon, and at Spaswinefood on Bluesky and Facebook. I look forward to sharing more on my vine-filled explorations in New Zealand. 

CHEERS!

Sharon

April 2024

Tauranga, New Zealand 

© Spaswinefood

Port of Tauranga, New Zealand © Spaswinefood

Auckland, New Zealand © Spaswinefood

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We did so enjoy those earlier introductions to New Zealand Wine Country. In terms of wine insights I left obviously with many questions and ideas to explore later. For sure visiting wine country while cruising the New Zealand's coast  has inspired me to learn more, and enhanced my desire for future wine travels in the South Island. I invite you to join me in my travels in New Zealand and elsewhere at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon, and at Spaswinefood on Bluesky and Facebook. I look forward to sharing more on my vine-filled explorations in New Zealand. 

Our Pacific Ocean cruise included wine tasting adventures

Call me a wine romantic for whenever, I travel, I always find a way to focus on wine. While we rarely take cruises, last spring on our way back from Australia we took a repositioning cruise from Sydney to San Francisco. Before leaving Sydney we (John and I) did wine tasting of Chateau Tanuda wines, and we even managed a wine trip to the Hunter Valley. Likewise, two of our stops in New Zealand we turned into wine adventures. Yes, I looked for ways turn part of our cruise into wine adventures. I know there are wine cruises but most cruises are not. Hence, I checked for any wine events besides the wine packages offered on most cruises these days. Fortunately on this cruise, I also discovered Food and Wine Pair Tastings. We attended two of these events during our South Pacific Travels in April.

Pacific Cruising: Enjoying Wine and Food © Spaswinefood

This post will feature the first event where they featured food pairing with wines from around the world. The event was held in one of the ship's special dining room options at lunch time. They had a five course lunch menu that featured five wines from around the world. Let me introduce the wine and food pairings.

Wine #1: M. Haslinger & Fils, Brut Champagne, NV

Haslinger & Fils, Brut Champagne, NV © Spaswinefood

Champagne in the Glass © Spaswinefood

Food Pairing:  Mediterranean Temptation: An Array of Marinated Sea Delights

Mediterranean Temptation © Spaswinefood

A Closer Look: Mediterranean Temptation © Spaswinefood

Vegetarian Option: Caprese Salad

Caprese Salad © Spaswinefood

Wine #2: Feudi di San Gregorio, Greco di Tufo, DOCG Campania 2021

 Feudi di San Gregorio, Greco di Tufo, DOCG Campania 2021 © Spaswinefood

 In the Glass: Feudi di San Gregorio, Greco di Tufo © Spaswinefood

Food: Beef Carpaccio

Beef Carpaccio © Spaswinefood

Vegetarian Option:  Grilled Vegetable Salad

Grilled Vegetable Salad © Spaswinefood

Wine #3: Cloudy Bay, Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Cloudy Bay, Sauvignon Blanc 2021 © Spaswinefood

Checking the Wine Aromas © Spaswinefood

Food: Fontina Cheese Soufflé

Fontina Cheese Soufflé © Spaswinefood

Wine #4: Silver Oak, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley 2018

Silver Oak, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley 2018 © Spaswinefood

Silver Oak, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley 2018 © Spaswinefood

Food: Herb Crusted Lamb Chop

Herb Crusted Lamb Chop © Spaswinefood

Vegetarian Option: Spaghetti

Spaghetti © Spaswinefood

Wine #5: Opus One, Napa Valley 2015

 Opus One, Napa Valley 2015 © Spaswinefood

 Opus One, Napa Valley 2015 © Spaswinefood

Food: Beef Tenderloin

Beef Tenderloin © Spaswinefood

Vegetarian Option: Grilled Soy

Grilled Soy © Spaswinefood

We enjoyed this wine and food pairing lunch, as did most participants. The Vegetarian options were well done. The ship's staff was well versed in catering to dietary needs. Getting to taste a wide variety on wines over lunch was awesome. It is always appreciated to start a lunch with Champagne. The M. Haslinger & Fils, Brut Champagne was a good wine to kick-off the tasting.

Enjoying Wine and Food While Cruising the Pacific © Spaswinefood

On a personal note, I loved being introduced to the Italian wine Greco di Tufo, DOCG Campania. Greco di Tufo is a grape that was new to me. It is the unique grape varieties that catch my attention. Whether my wine travels have take me to Bulgaria, Greece, Georgia, Italy, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, or North America I am finding myself drawn to the indigenous and local grape varieties. The next wine, New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc from Cloudy Bay, with its tropical aromas, is often a favorite with Sauvignon Blanc lovers. It definitely rounded out the white wine pairings.

I suspect many came to taste the Opus One. The 2015 Opus One gets great reviews, as does the 2018 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon. Given the price difference of these two wines I suspect that most would likely choose the Silver Oak. Although the 2015 Opus One, Bordeaux style wine with its elegance of finer tannins make it worth the higher price tag for some. 

While typically my wine country travels takes me to wine regions around the world it was fun to have this wine adventure at sea. It certainly added excitement to those sea days, which are numerous on a repositioning cruise.

Cruising the Pacific: Wine and Food  © Spaswinefood

I invite you to join me in my travels in the Pacific Ocean and elsewhere at  Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon, and at Spaswinefood on Twitter and Facebook. I am so looking forward to sharing more on my vine-filled explorations. 

CHEERS!

Sharon

April 2024

Australia to San Francisco

© Spaswinefood

Wine Tasting while Cruising the Pacific Ocean © Spaswinefood

A Food and Wine Pairing Lunch © Spaswinefood

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I'll end with the two wine quotes at the end of the menu for the above tasting:

I only drink wine on two occasions, when I am in love and when I am not Coco Channel

A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world Louis Pasteur