Kumeu: Wineries, Countryside and the Kumeu Show

Kumeu is surrounded by farmland and vineyards. For a stay, you can choose between wine-related activities and an annual event held in March: Soljans offers guided wine tours, Coopers Creek offers wine sales and tastings at its cellar door, and the Kumeu Show features sheep shearing, animal competitions and Highland dancing. The surrounding countryside gives the area a rural character. These options differ in content and timing. By first sorting out your own interests, you can consider a tour, tasting and event that suit your planned stay.

Wine tour and bistro at Soljans

Soljans Estate Winery has been family-owned since 1937 and is run as a family winery. The wine tours offer insights into winemaking and the history of the winery, and end with a guided tasting of selected wines. This brings production, history and tasting together in one guided visit. If you want to learn more about how the wine is made and the winery’s history, as well as taste the wines, the tour combines these aspects in one programme. Tour arrangements may change; check the latest information before planning your visit.

Soljans also has a bistro, where a relaxed meal is served. Food availability may change. If the bistro is important to your visit, check whether a meal is available alongside the tour arrangements; this lets you consider dining and the guided tour as two separate planning questions.

Coopers Creek: wine sales and tastings

The cellar door at Coopers Creek Vineyard is located at 601 State Highway 16, Kumeu, and is open for wine sales and tastings. It is open Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm; on weekends and summer public holidays, the cellar door is open from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Check the hours listed for your visit in advance, as opening hours may change.

The Kumeu Show in March

The Kumeu Show takes place every year in March and includes sheep shearing, animal competitions and Highland dancing, among other events. This makes the show different in theme from the wine tours: its programme includes sheep shearing, animal competitions and Highland dancing, while the Soljans tour combines insights into winemaking and the winery’s history with a tasting. If the show determines your travel dates, use the specific event dates as a guide and check them in advance.

The timing information differs: the Kumeu Show takes place annually in March, while Soljans tour arrangements and Coopers Creek opening hours are relevant to the specific visit. Check times and event dates separately if you want to include several of these activities in your stay.

Approximate travel times

Kumeu is described as a 25-minute drive from the city centre; actual journey times may vary. A ferry trip from the city to Riverhead takes 1.5 hours. These two figures refer to different modes of transport and destinations: the drive is a guide for Kumeu, while the ferry time applies to the route from the city to Riverhead. Do not treat these times as interchangeable route information, and check the connection that suits your specific trip in advance.

Discover more destinations: Big Omaha, Helensville, Matakana, Wainui, Port Waikato, Pohuehue, Algies Bay, Awhitu

For the broader travel overview: Auckland.