What a big year it's been at Prinsy's Tours. We've launched this new website, enjoyed hosting hundreds of Lions fans, and been spreading our wings doing some recon in Martinborough and round the country at tourism events. But the icing has seriously been put on the cake this week, after we were floored to receive the Visitor Experience Award for Small Business at the Hawke's Bay Tourism Awards.
Wow. Quite simply, we were jolly enough just to have put our best foot forward in entering the awards. Then being finalists, and ultimately winning the highly competitive 'Visitor Experience' category, well, let's just say the eyes got a bit steamy! Going through the awards process really makes you put yourself out there, and look at your business through a new lens. It's a great initiative put on by Hawke's Bay Tourism, who back our industry tirelessly and are a big part of the reason this region's tourism economy is growing year on year, and why the standards for guest experiences here just keep soaring. Prinsy's was also a finalist in the People's Choice award - so thank you immensely to all who voted for us, your voices were definitely heard! We'd also really like to thank our amazing team, our wonderful guests whom it's a pleasure to host, the support from Jodi at InHouse Marketing, the judges for a fair and rigorous process, Hawke's Bay Tourism again and also Sally Jackson from the Napier City Council (previous winner when she was with the Art Deco Trust) for her helpful advice and mentoring on the awards process. Hats off to all the other entrants, finalists and winners; we know what a challenge it is and we're proud to be a part of this fantastic industry with you. Now, time for a glass (or two) of yummy Hawke's Bay wine to celebrate! Recently the Prinsy's Wine Tour crew were lucky enough to head down to Martinborough for an overnighter, under the guise of "research & development". Why? We wanted to explore the area and find the very best spots to take our guests, as part of our new Guided Transfer service (which can include a trip from Wellington to Hawke's Bay via some nice wee hotspots). What a hard life!
On this trip our team checked out the local winery & tourism scene, and felt we needed to share a couple of our favourites, if you're ever heading that way. Martinborough Township If you don't know much about it, Martinborough is a small historical township in the Southern Wairarapa - a little over an hour from Wellington. It's got 20-something wineries and a boutique, laid back feel. Plus, the town and surrounding wineries are nice and condensed so it's easy to explore and make the most of your time. Must-Do Wineries Highlights of our own wine tour definitely included:
Pukaha Mount Bruce Wildlife Sanctuary Heading back to Hawkes Bay from Martinborough, a great way to break up the trip is a stop at the wildlife centre at Mount Bruce, where they do lots of great work with conservation and education. The walk through native bush even has wheelchair access and it's a great chance to see rare and endangered birds of New Zealand, including the only white kiwi in captivity, as well as other native wildlife. Planning your own trip? For more information on a Guided Transfer of your own (to make the most of travel time between Wellington, Hawkes Bay and/or Auckland and anywhere in between), talk to us today - we'd love to help plan the perfect trip for you and show you the sights through local eyes. In Hawke's Bay we are lucky enough to have some pretty nice autumn and winter days, which means you can make the most of many attractions year-round. On the days when the weather isn't playing ball there are always loads of options to stay entertained too. We think these 5 things are great to do in Hawke's Bay during winter:
Cheers, Hamish Owner & Tour Guide Thanks to Hawkes Bay Tourism for some of these photos.
Every now and then we are lucky enough to be involved in a momentous event in Hawkes Bay. Later this year, one of those events takes place as the Lions rugby team tour New Zealand and make their way to the provinces. We're all geared up to take all the touring Lions' fans out to see our little slice of paradise in Hawke's Bay and have already had several few jump on-board our wine tours in the last couple of weeks. We can't wait! A few years ago we were lucky enough to have ex-Lion Gareth 'Coochie' Chilcott join us for a wine tour. Gareth and his group of mates had a great time, even providing Prinsy's Tours with this awesome testimonial: "During my six weeks down in New Zealand for the Lions tour, without doubt one of the finest days was when myself and friends went on a wine tasting tour of Napier and Hawke's Bay with Prinsy's. Hamish our guide was great and of course the scenery and wine were outstanding. This year we got all excited and dressed up in our rugby finest for a wine tour of our own - check out the pics below!
If you or your friends are keen to explore Hawke's Bay, we'd love to take you out and show you the sights and tastes - no matter which team you roar for! |
Hamish & Diane PrinsIn this blog, the owners of Prinsys - and your future tour guides - keep you updated and help you make the most of your time in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. Archives
July 2021
Categories
All
|
|
©
Copyright 2021 Prinsy's Tours. All Rights Reserved