Six shared Waiheke wine tours promise a small group, five of them with a stated cap of 10 or 11 guests, from NZ$185 (≈US$105) for four or more wineries to NZ$360 (≈US$205) with spirits and lunch. The top-rated is the Boutique Experience at ★4.92. Private day tours for just your party start at NZ$595, and some tours are priced per group of two.
Updated Oct 2026 · prices checked Oct 2026 · Sources: GetYourGuide listings
Book the Boutique Experience (NZ$209, ★4.92 from 115 reviews) for the best-rated small group day with 10–15 wines at three cellar doors. Take the Wineries’ Tour (NZ$185, max 10) for the lowest price and four or more wineries. For only your party, private tours start at NZ$595. The ferry is extra on all six shared tours.
The best small group Waiheke wine tour to boutique vineyards is the Boutique Experience: three cellar doors, 10 to 15 wines, pickup at Matiatia or your island accommodation, ★4.92 from 115 reviews, for NZ$209 (≈US$119). If price comes first, the Wineries’ Tour caps the group at 10 for NZ$185. For premium wines in a group of 11, the Premium Wines tour costs NZ$249.
Best rated
3 cellar doors, 10–15 wines, pickup at Matiatia or your accommodation. ★4.92 (115) · NZ$209.
Lowest price
4+ wineries, tastings at each, max 10, 6 hours. ★4.71 (1,023) · NZ$185.
Premium wines
3 wineries, premium wines, max 11, water and maps. ★4.77 (30) · NZ$249.
Source: GetYourGuide listings, Oct 2026
Every row promises a small group on its listing; five state the number.
Six Waiheke wine tours promise a small group and each does one thing best: the best-rated cellar tour, the cheapest, premium wines, a vineyard lunch, a gourmet day with gin and olive oil, and a spirits day. Five list Matiatia wharf as the meeting point, none includes the ferry, and the five with a number cap it at 10 or 11 guests. Prices run from NZ$185 to NZ$360 per person.
10–15 wines at 3 cellar doors; pickup at Matiatia or island accommodation
A lunch stop; the meal is at your cost
Promised on the listing, no number; sub-ratings 5.0 / 4.9 / 4.9
Tastings at 4 or more wineries
Not included: a break of at least 1.5 h at your own cost
Max 10 guests
Premium wines at 3 wineries; water and maps provided
Not included
Max 11 guests
3 vineyard tastings
A platter or a main, with a glass
Max 11 guests
2 wineries plus Waiheke Distilling Co and olive oil
Lunch with drinks at Three Seven Two
Max 11 guests
Craft beer, whisky and spirits tastings, olive oil
Platters with a glass
Max 10 guests
Same idea, one difference · 2 tours
Two more repeat a pick above with one difference, so we name them rather than rank them.
Same food-led idea as the gin and olive oil tour, with a larger cap of 15 and oysters
Source: GetYourGuide listings, group caps and live “from” prices per person, Oct 2026
A small group Waiheke wine tour to boutique vineyards feels like a day out with a few strangers who become company: one guide, one vehicle, three or four cellar doors. You meet at Matiatia off the morning ferry, taste 10 to 15 wines, and stop for lunch in the middle. Guests describe the smaller group as personal.
The caps are written on the listings: 10 guests on the Wineries’ Tour and the Whisky Distillery tour, 11 on Premium Wines, Sip and Savor and the Wine, Gin & Olive Oil tour. In practice groups can be smaller; one Wineries’ Tour guest in April had eight people and called it a personal experience.
From a guest
“The small group of 8 was fantastic, and really allowed a personal experience.”
Most listings do not name their wineries; they promise three cellar doors, or four or more, and the operator chooses. Two tours do name stops: the Scenic Wine Tour lists Cable Bay, Stonyridge and Mudbrick, and the Essence of Waiheke shows a sample plan of Mudbrick, Goldie and Te Motu, though neither states a group cap. If one estate is a must, choose a tour that names it or message the operator before you book.
Size is not always what the photos suggest. A guest on the Beach Front Lunch tour, which states no cap, expected a van from the pictures and rode a bus; the guest still praised the guide. If a small group matters, book a tour whose listing states the number, like the five above that do.
Source: GetYourGuide listings and verified guest reviews, Oct 2026
A private Waiheke wine tour is the smallest group there is: your party only, from NZ$595 for a day. Read the price basis first. The Sommelier Tour at NZ$1,500 and the Scenic Wine Tour at NZ$520, a small-group tour, are priced per group of up to two, so a couple pays that once. Three private tours include the ferry, and three are new listings without reviews yet.
Sommelier-led, 3 wineries, 2-course lunch with pairing, ferry included
3 wineries, up to 12 tastings, lunch not included; whether the ferry is included is unclear on the listing
Zipline with EcoZip, forest walk, 2 wineries; food and tastings not included; 8:00 ferry, back about 3 pm
2 wineries, a 2-course dinner, return ferry included
4x4 Jeep, 6 h, VIP tasting at 1 winery, gourmet lunch with a glass, swim stop
3 wineries, premium tastings, 2-course lunch with a glass; price basis not stated, so check it on the listing
Jewellery workshop, Stonyridge, 3-course lunch at Mudbrick, return ferry and Auckland hotel pickup
Tours marked New have no reviews yet, so they carry no stars and are never ranked.
Source: GetYourGuide listings, price basis as stated, Oct 2026
We picked these small group Waiheke wine tours to boutique vineyards from the 23 Waiheke wine tour listings on GetYourGuide. A shared tour needed a stated group cap or a small-group promise in its listing, plus reviews; each pick had to be best at one thing. Private tours are listed separately with their price basis, and tours without reviews are marked New and never ranked.
Source: GetYourGuide listings, Oct 2026
Small group tours score as well as any on Waiheke: the Boutique Experience leads with ★4.92 from 115 reviews and a perfect 5.0 for its guides. Guests single out the guide and the personal feel of a small group, and on the Wineries’ Tour they count the wines, 15 from four cellar doors. One wished for bread or crackers between tastings, so eat breakfast.
Source: GetYourGuide review summaries and verified reviews, Oct 2026
“Great wine tour - 15 wines from four different wineries. Lots of variety and a fun group to go with.”
A fair complaint
“Our only note was that we would have liked something to absorb some of the wine—either bread or crackers at the tastings.”
Boutique Experience★4.92 (115)
Premium Wines★4.77 (30)
Wineries’ Tour★4.71 (1,023)
Ten or eleven guests on the tours that state a number: 10 on the Wineries’ Tour and the Whisky Distillery tour, 11 on Premium Wines, Sip and Savor and the Wine, Gin & Olive Oil tour. Groups can be smaller on the day; one April guest shared the Wineries’ Tour with eight people. Compare the caps.
The Boutique Experience offers pickup at Matiatia wharf or at your accommodation on Waiheke, which helps if you are staying the night. Among private tours, the Wine & Art tour picks up from Auckland hotels and includes the ferry. The others meet you at the wharf. See the Boutique Experience.
Usually not on a shared tour: most listings promise a number of wineries, not names. Two do name stops, the Scenic Wine Tour (Cable Bay, Stonyridge, Mudbrick) and the Essence of Waiheke (a sample plan of Mudbrick, Goldie, Te Motu), but neither states a group cap. A private tour is the way to ask for a specific estate: the Wine & Art tour names Stonyridge and Mudbrick, and so does the Sunset Tour. Private tours.
It depends on the listing. The Sommelier Tour (NZ$1,500), the Scenic Wine Tour (NZ$520) and the Sunset Tour (NZ$700) are priced per group of up to two. The Private Wine Tour with Tastings does not state its basis, so check before you pay. Private day tours start at NZ$595; the private evening tour costs NZ$365. Private tours.
None of the six shared small group tours does; you buy a return ferry, NZ$65 walk-up, and meet the guide at Matiatia. Three private tours include it: the Sommelier Tour, the Wine & Art tour and the Magical Evening. With a walk-up ticket you pick your own sailing home, so a long day is no problem. Ferry tickets and sailings.
Often the small group tour is the cheaper one. The Wineries’ Tour caps the group at 10 for NZ$185, less than the large lunch tours at NZ$285–325. You pay more on a small group only when lunch, premium wines or spirits are added, from NZ$249 to NZ$360. Price guide.
Ask the operator through the booking: the listings sell seats per person and don’t state a group buyout. If you want the van to yourselves, a private tour is the guaranteed route, from NZ$595 for a day or NZ$520 per couple on the Scenic Wine Tour. See private tours.
Book the small group Waiheke wine tour to boutique vineyards first, then the ferry for the sailing it names, usually 9:00 or 10:00 from Downtown Auckland. A cap of 10 or 11 limits the seats on each departure, so book early. Prices are live “from” prices per person, checked Oct 2026.
Cancellation terms are shown on each tour before you pay.