About

Owner/Operators Zane Kennedy & Elissa Kennedy

Based in Nelson, Wine, Art & Wilderness is an Owner/Host Business Class visitor activity provider. Wine, Art & Wilderness provides luxury and private wine, nature and art tours in the Marlborough and Nelson regions of New Zealand.

Fully catered wine, nature and art tours are leisurely, informal and designed  to cater for all levels of fitness. They are essentially a soft adventure – enticing, always rewarding  and taken at a relaxed pace. Transported between sites in the luxurious comfort of a Mercedes, we follow less traveled routes, that provide a spontaneous insight into interesting local attractions, historical and contemporary New Zealand life.

With vast experience in nature conservation and the wine industry, we focus on interpretation and interactive guided experiences, opening doors to introduce the wine & art personalities of Nelson and Marlborough, ensuring visitor expectations are always exceeded.

Tour guides

All Wine, Art & Wilderness guides have come strongly recommended for their professionalism, insider knowledge and expertise and all have long experience in the New Zealand tourism industry.

Michelle

With experience in Travel and Hospitality I have recently moved back to New Zealand with my young family after spending the last year living and traveling abroad. I've always had a passion to see the world and meet different cultures so it was great to teach our children to be global citizens.

I'm a born and bred South Islander and love the Nelson and Tasman region for its National Parks, beaches, wine and locally grown culinary delights.

Luxury vehicles

With Wine, Art & Wilderness, you will travel in style. We run a small Mercedes-Benz fleet in sizes to suit each group; vehicles that will guarantee comfort and safety and one of the first vehicles to exceed the Euro 5 Environmental standards.

Mercedes Valente

Mercedes Sprinter

Fully Catered

Food and drinks will be provided throughout the day on all tours, sampling the best of the Nelson / Marlborough region and season. Private tastings. Special dietary requirements can be catered for.

Small Group Sizes

Each tour is restricted to just six people or one group.

Because each tour group is small, we can give you a lasting experience that is unique to you. We will be able to access more remote parts of the Nelson region, so you can escape from the crowds and as there will only be a few of us, you will gain an understanding of the remoteness and wild beauty of the places we visit.

Safety

Your safety on a Wine, Art & Wilderness day trip is fully assured – everything about your day has been designed to guarantee you peace of mind.

Our tour vehicles are Mercedes-Benz, the safest cars of their class on the road. They are equipped with an extensive range of safety features, the most reassuring of which is its safety body and high-strength passenger cell.

Once out of the vehicle, you can still be assured of your safety. Our guides are all fully qualified in Outdoor First Aid and have undertaken courses in Avalanche Awareness. We are fully licensed to carry passengers and to operate within New Zealand’s National Parks.

Sustainability

Mission Statement: Wine, Art & Wilderness seeks to educate, engage & inspire visitors on journeys of exploration with authentic interpretation in our unique natural environment.

Wine, Art & Wilderness takes a holistic approach to sustainability:

• we are a proudly Climate Positive business operation.
• we recycle & compost.
• we grow much of our own produce through chemical-free biodynamic gardening.
• we support and are actively involved in the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary.
• we support the Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust and Friends of Flora.
• we adhere to a regular maintenance schedules for all vehicles (chosen for their fuel efficiency and environmental standards).
• we include an educational & interpretation component on each journey.
• we partner businesses & communities that actively support sustainability.

Environmental care code

Environmental Policy

Wine, Art & Wilderness continually seeks new opportunities to improve our environment and always exceeds any guidelines or legal requirements.

• we are a ‘Climate Positive’ business.
• we monitor & minimise our carbon footprint.
• we buy locally – and grow much of our own produce.
• we work to protect plants and animals – New Zealand’s forests and birds are unique and often rare and at all times will be treated with care and respect.
• we minimise waste through using compostable bottles and food wraps, we home compost any food waste.
• we visit carefully – encouraging all our guests to take nothing but photo’s, leave nothing but footprints.
• we keep to formed tracks wherever possible.
• we teach about and respect our cultural heritage – all places of historical, cultural or spiritual significance are treated with consideration and respect.
• as Kaitiaki we seek to educate and assist our community and guests to protect the environment for the enjoyment of those that follow.