The Prinsy's Story

The Prinsy’s Tours Team

We pride ourselves on having an exceptional, passionate team who work together and share new learnings so that everyone delivers a first-rate experience. Our team truly are our greatest asset. Each team member adds their own flavour, but the essence and quality remains the same.

Regardless of who guides your winery tour this time around, you’ll be sure to learn our mantra: “The only good wine is the one you like!”.

Hamish, Ian, Kerry and Rob hard at work

Ian Claridge

(the bold Bordeaux blend)
Brought up in Wellington and having moved around a bit, Ian will share loads of facts about wine, North Island geography, and one of his passions: Art Deco. His love of the arts is portrayed in his tours – animated and engaging – a curator of the group experience. He’s also unofficial vehicle presentation custodian, ensuring the Prinsy’s crew keep their vehicles immaculate – it must be a hangover from his days on the car yard.

Just like a Bordeaux blend – the king of the reds – Ian’s knowledge is deep, broad and dances delightfully on the palate.

Kerry Hogan

(the earthy Tannat)
In a previous life he was in Management for the Department of Conservation. Today he’s combined that outdoorsy passion with an ever-evolving thirst for knowledge – on a tireless adventure to find the new, the interesting, the magic spots across Hawke’s Bay.

On your tour with Kerry you’ll become VERY familiar with his catch phrase: “Did you know?”.

If Kerry were a wine he’d definitely be a Tannat – one of the healthiest red wine grapes, earthy and oozing passion.

Rob Taylor

(the subtle Merlot)
On your tour with Rob you’ll be hosted by the perfect gentleman. Observant and considered, he’ll quickly and quietly sum things up to build the experience around you. Rob’s wine knowledge is extensive and his background includes owning a local business, raising twin boys, and babysitting truckloads of grapes from one side of Hawke’s Bay to the other during vintage.

He has a knack for bringing out the best in people and making sure your trip is memorable, and like a good merlot Rob is gentle, mellow and pairs well with lamb on the barbie.

Jill Foster

(the bright Bubbly)
Ever the entertainer, our delightful guide Jill loves bringing enjoyment to your wine tour experience. Like a Hawke’s Bay bubbly, Jill is a rare gem who brings vivacity and fascinating niceties to the party.

Believing holiday relax mode is one of the finest states of being, Jill loves taking all manner of people out and sharing with them the region she’s spent the last 25 years immersed in.

When you tap into Jill’s cellar you’ll catch whiffs of her lifetime involvement in local theatre, as well as perspectives from having lived in many of NZ’s major cities, working as a PA and with children for many years.

It is all about you though – on your tour Jill will enjoy tapping into your interests, finding remarkable facts for you to ponder over a nice glass of you-know-what.

Hamish Prins

(the boss Chardonnay)
Hamish has had his gumboots firmly on farm soil since he was a teenager, and hasn’t looked back. Years of living the rural life has left him with an in-depth knowledge of agriculture, horticulture and viticulture, as well as extensive knowledge of the geography and rich history of Hawke’s Bay.

Put simply, he can shear a sheep almost as quickly as he can knock the top off a bottle of bubbles with a saber sword in the art of sabrage.

The years spent driving across the region and making solid connections means Hamish has access to a treasure trove of undiscovered hidden gems and places where he can get you behind the scenes.

As a wine Hamish is the unequivocal Chardonnay – relaxed and straight talking, with the occasional ability to hit you over the head with a plank of French oak, he punches well above his weight.

Grant Hammond

(the fresh Rosé)
Diverse, fresh and elegant, Grant is the epitome of a typical Hawke's Bay Rosé.

The newest (freshest) member of the Prinsy’s family, Grant is distinguishable by his Fedora hat purchased during a wine tasting holiday in Spain a number of years ago. That hat has almost as many stories as Grant, which he will gladly share during your tour.

Having worked for one of New Zealand’s largest wine producers, Grant has an easy knowledge of Hawke's Bay and New Zealand wines. A knowledge happily gained through not just sampling, but also bending the ear of some of our best local winemakers.

Diane Prins

(mother Viognier)
Di is the camp mother and coordinator behind the Prinsy’s experience, scheduling tour bookings, keeping everyone in line and making sure they’re all dressed for the occasion.

Lucky guests who get to visit the Prinsy’s homestead and gardens on their excursion are treated to the fruits of her labour – turning fresh produce from the orchard or fields into tasty morsels, using the recipes she’s gathered and adapted over the years in the farm kitchen.

Like a Viognier – arguably the mother of all wines – Di is well rounded, balanced and one only needs to stroll the Prinsy’s garden to appreciate her bouquet.

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Our History

On a sunny day in October 2003, after an eventful rural hunting and fishing tour, our German guests had the insightful thirst for a drop of wine at the end of the day. “What a good idea!”.

So gradually a winery stop was introduced into the Prinsy’s Rural Experience, then one winery became two, then three made a decent half day wine tour…

Next thing, some other clever guests said “Oh, why don’t we make a day of it and include lunch!”. The full day wine tour was born.

It’s fair to say the transport has come a long way as well. Originally the air conditioning in the first Prinsy’s van was ‘window operated’, there were bench seats with no headrests… a classic rural experience.

Our next van was luxury – it even had carpet, over the shoulder seat belts and real air conditioning!

These days the Prinsy’s fleet has risen to meet the desires of our discerning guests on exclusive wine tours and transfers, as expectations for quality have risen and travellers become more sophisticated, with a mix of quality vans and luxury European SUVs.

From jumping up and down when our first wine tour booking phoned in, to today being across numerous booking platforms, we’re thoroughly enjoying the ride. Following steady growth, the essence of Prinsy’s Tours remains ever humble, and committed to quality, bespoke small group tours and transfers that exceed our guests’ expectations.

In 2017 & 2018 we were delighted to win the Hawke’s Bay Tourism Visitor Experience Award (in the small business category), be runners up for the Supreme Award and in 2018 we were also runner up for the Essence of Hawke’s Bay Award.

We absolutely love what we do, and are incredibly proud of the reputation Prinsy's team has gained and maintained to the present day.

We very much look forward to hosting you!

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From humble family beginnings...

...we listened and built on the experience...

...to get to where we are today.

Why We Love Hawke’s Bay

There’s no other region in the country that has the tempered climate and sunshine hours Hawke’s Bay experiences, the variance in soil structures in one area, and the life-giving aquifer that feeds our region from under the earth.

As a tour operator we believe the local industry succeeds with the ‘One team, one dream, Hawke’s Bay’ attitude. We love supporting other tourism operators and community groups – we’re full of recommendations on other places you can enjoy when you’re here so be sure to ask!

Every day we believe we’re awfully lucky to live in Hawke’s Bay – where else can you drive in or fly through and you can see everything growing in abundance? Apples, stone-fruit, kiwifruit, veggies – the richness of produce can be seen everywhere year round.

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Committed to Sustainability

Through the Tourism Industry Aotearoa we have joined the initiative to drive every tourism business in New Zealand to be sustainable by 2025, and Prinsy’s Tours is committed to living by this every day.

The 14 Tourism Sustainability Commitments are split into four key areas:
1. Economic – achieving economically sustainable tourism
2. Visitor – achieving visitor sustainability
3. Host Community – achieving sustainable host communities
4. Environment – achieving environmentally sustainable tourism

We have a genuine belief that our industry can help to shape a sustainable future for New Zealand, allowing our industry, people and environment to thrive. Naturally this will pay off because it means we can continue to do what we love – showing our beautiful country off to the rest of the world.
Some of the environmental efforts we make every day include:

Joining in on tree planting days to repopulate our region with native flora and fauna
Keeping our vehicles well serviced to ensure their efficient running
When hosting cruise ship groups at our homestead we have a zero plastic philosophy and compost all food scraps
No single use crockery or utensils are ever used on a Prinsy’s tour
Following and sharing the Tiaki Promise to care for New Zealand’s people and place

We invite you to join us on a wine tour, rural tour or something more exclusive and hear our first-hand stories about our environment and vibrant region. As well as exceeding guests’ expectations, we pride ourselves on leaving only footprints.

View our Sustainability Charter

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