Private Arrowtown and Gibbston Valley Wine Tour
Central Otago pinot noir and a gold-rush village, with a driver so the whole group can taste.
Current day-trip rates
The pickup point chooses the rate card
Auckland & Christchurch
Starts within the Auckland or Christchurch service area
- Half day
- 4 hours · 100 km
- from $299
- Full day
- 8 hours · 200 km
- from $499
- Out of town
- 10 hours · 400 km
- from $799
Everywhere else
Regional North Island and the rest of the South Island
- Half day
- 4 hours · 100 km
- from $399
- Full day
- 8 hours · 200 km
- from $699
- Out of town
- 10 hours · 400 km
- from $999
Prices vary by season and vehicle. If no vehicle is based near the pickup, driver travel is shown as a separate line before payment.
Why book this one privately
- Gibbston Valley and Bannockburn cellar doors
- Historic Arrowtown main street
- Kawarau Gorge and the bungy bridge
- Half day or full day, entirely up to you
About this day
Central Otago is the world's southernmost commercial wine region and the home of New Zealand pinot noir, with cellar doors strung along the Gibbston Valley and out towards Bannockburn and Cromwell.
Arrowtown, a preserved gold-rush village of stone cottages under the willows, sits just off the same loop and makes the natural lunch stop.
The whole point of doing it privately is that no one has to be the designated driver, and you are not tied to a group's tasting schedule.
A private driver, not a group tour or a shared ride
Highway 1 Tours & Transfers is a New Zealand owned private transfer company with NZTA-licensed, P-endorsed drivers. Everything here is a private hire: your own vehicle and chauffeur for the day, an agreed fixed price rather than a meter, and a plan you can change on the road. It is a calmer, more flexible alternative to a taxi or cab for the day, a rental car, or a seat on somebody else's schedule — and the same drivers handle airport transfers, intercity point-to-point trips and multi-day private touring anywhere in the country.
Return day or one-way? Both work — decide before you book
A private day tour does not have to finish where it started. You can do a return day, back in Queenstown that evening with the same accommodation waiting for you — or a one-way day, where we collect you and your luggage in Queenstown, sightsee along the way and drop you at your accommodation in the next town. Auckland out to Rotorua, or Christchurch through to Queenstown, are two of the most popular one-way days we drive.
Either way it is one private vehicle, one driver and one fixed price agreed before you travel. Just tell us on the booking form where you want the day to start and where you want it to finish, and whether your bags are coming with you.
Frequently asked questions
Other private tours nearby
- Private Wanaka Day Trip from Queenstown
Over the Crown Range to Wanaka's lakefront, with a private driver on New Zealand's highest sealed road.
- Private Glenorchy Scenic Tour from Queenstown
The road along Lake Wakatipu to Glenorchy and Paradise — one of the most beautiful short drives anywhere, in a private vehicle that stops at every lookout.
- Private Milford Sound Tour from Queenstown
The Milford Road and Fiordland in a private vehicle — the great New Zealand day trip, without a coach timetable attached to it.
- Private Day Trips from Queenstown
Queenstown sits within reach of the most dramatic scenery in the country. These are all private vehicles with a driver for the day — you set the pace.
Other services we offer
A private transfer is only part of what we do. The same NZTA-licensed drivers and vehicles cover tours, hourly hire, airport and cruise work, corporate travel and group bookings throughout New Zealand.
Private, luxury & multi-day travel
Private touring, chauffeur hire, honeymoon travel and a driver for your whole New Zealand trip.
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Driving on the left, kilometres to miles, money and tipping, the seasons, and travelling without a rental car.
Read visitor infoAirport shuttle alternative
Private airport transfers instead of a shared shuttle — your group alone, direct to the terminal, price agreed first.
Compare the optionsCity taxi, upgraded
A fixed-price private car instead of the taxi rank — city-by-city guides across New Zealand.
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Keep the same driver for the day and shape the route around what you'd like to see nationwide.
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A driver and vehicle held for a block of time — best when your travel starts and finishes in the same town.
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Multiple vehicles on one booking for larger parties, or a driven alternative to hiring a car.
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Plain answers on what moves the price of an airport run in New Zealand, and how a fixed total compares with a meter.
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Occasion transportConcerts & event transport
Ride there and ride home for the big nights — concerts, festivals and events across New Zealand.
Event transport
Please note: by-the-hour driver hire is only suitable when your travel starts and finishes in the same town. If you're finishing somewhere else, book a private transfer or a day trip so your fare covers the driver's travel.