Ascension Events Reviews

A lovely spot, but as you can see in the photo it could do with a lick of paint, seems they have not maintained the building well. Food looked amazing, but didn't get time to try.

Fairly good wine tasting experience. I loved Flora and Port. Bought both!

I would like to say thank you to all staff and especially Marina. You have provided the great customer service. You are professional, helpful, understanding, kind and great team to work with. Marina always tried to meet our expectations and even more she always positively and nicely surprised us by doing her best to please us as their customers. The place is amazing. The food was great too. I am happy I have chosen this place as our wedding venue. I highly recommend everyone to go with this wine yard to celebrate your big day. Thank you very much for everything. I miss you all already, you were very helpful through out the preparation and organisational part of the wedding. Thank you for Raki, it was just in time, right before going to the ceremony. Once again, highly recommend, great team to work with! Best regards and wishes to all of you, Velya and Jakub

Really very nice place and very nice for a drink and restore! Efficient service, good food! I recommand it !!

Recently attended a wedding here. The venue is dated, the service was poor, barstaff were rude and the food was very average for the price. Do not recommend at all.

Disappointing experience. Service poor and never received starter. Have never had to wait so lon to pay and when the waitress was trying to be helpful she was ordered away and we had longer before someone collected our money. Perhaps customer service needs revisiting for 2018.

Service was astounding... the wine is delicious. Food was average but love the atmosphere and setting.

I loved photographing at this venue, such lovely staff and a beautiful space for a wedding reception! the ceremony in the vines was stunning as well.

We went through here two months ago to buy some local wines. We sat down and ate something after we were there. I tried pintage and champagne. The food was fantastic and the wines were SUPER !!!
We really enjoyed our afternoon at the winery!

Went wine tasting here. The wine was ok, not much flavour. The lady at the cellar door was helpful and friendly, just her shouting greetings to every single person that walked in the door was off putting. Also it was one of the pricier places to wine taste - we paid $10 and this tasting fee would be waved if you bought 2 or more bottles.

The last meal I had at Ascention, 2 weeks ago, was very good indeed. we have rebooked for another 'special occasion' with confidence.

Lovely staff and delicious food. Came all the way from England and would recommend this as a must visit on your travels around new zealand :-D

Worm and cosy atmosphere, tasty food and friendly service ...love this place .Pinotage was my favorite wine.

Have soo much fun at friend hens party , enjoyed platter and red wine , photos we took are phenomenal..

Love this Estate, it's so relaxing filled with positive energy ....food was delishes , tasted few wines but Rose was my favorite...staff was very proffesional and knowledgeable about wines ....

Very disappointing. Ok welcome initally but then chaotic service, uneven food quality and meals out of sync. Staff not noticing much. Embarrassing to think tourists would go here.

Horrible experience! Our family went to the vineyard with our lovely dog. We were wandering around the vineyard with our dog (upon permission) and the owner's dog came out of no where and attacked our dog. We were all traumatized by the incident. Our dog had to have injections and had to be on antibiotics to recover from the infection that was caused by the bite from the other dog. Owner was informed about the incident and had no empathy towards the situation and acted very arrogant and rude. I will not recommend this vineyard to anyone, especially to those who have pets or kids. Because this dog is so aggressive that it can definitely attack a little kid as well. They should not have left such a wild dog without a leash. Very irresponsible! Extremely poor management!

Beautiful place for wine tasting. Staffs were very nice. Very Spacious specially for parties and marriage function.

Oh my God! Such a great experience. I have already rate this restaurant in TripAdvisor. We came back just for our wedding anniversary and it was stunning. Food was unbelievable , always fresh and tasty which is super hard to find in nz. Staff is also very attentive and helpful. Thanks for the flowers on the table that was the cherry on top of the cake.

Worst night out. The website says open from 10am to 10pm! They should have answered or returned our call! Very disappointed. My sister got us vouchers to go there today the 19th August2017. Made a reservation for 4:30pm. We called In the morning to make the reservation and we called them at 4:30pm to say we were running late. We left a message. We arrive at the place with my sister along with my nieces boyfriend from Canada. To which the lady says very rudely that their kitchen had technical difficulties and then said their chef left and they are closing. Wether that's true or not! And she was rude. She said she didnt want to be the last one there to lock up! And that she advised our appointment was at 3pm! So they got our resavation wrong. Which we called in the morning and called at 4:30pm to say we running late So why did she not return our call. She then very rudely says don't linger I want to go home early and lock up and Go Home! We have never felt so rushed to eat in our lives and when we left we found her together with the two waitresses drinking and having having wine at the wine tasting area. Which we had booked for too! Also while we were there, two other girls wanted to come in to which i noticed they were turned away, but seeing as we were sitting there what if they only wanted a glass of wine, they had closed the tills so while we were there two other people could have had a glass wine more money for the company! The problem i have is regardless they should have done what normal resturants do answer there phone or return our call or answer our calls like normal resturants and when we walked out they were drinking having wine!.Thank Acension vineyards worst birthday dinner ever, and for a bad experience for someone from Canada!

This place is amazing .The waitress was very friendly. We loved the fireplace, made our experience very cosy. Food was very yum, I had the shpagetti di mare and Chardonnay it was delicious. Highly recommend!

We enjoyed our lunch today on the Grab One Voucher. The food and service were first rate so we will certainly return for lunch or dinner. Thank you

I attended the Bridal&Bliss Event at Ascensions Winery as a vendor in May. I was blown away by the professionalism and kindness of the team at Ascensions - they were always willing to help and lend and a hand. The venue was absolutely stunning and we had the most perfect weather! The venue is so unique and has so many different possibilities when it comes to planning a wedding or event! Would highly recommended to anyone looking to wow their guests in a beautiful setting.

I'm a wedding planner, and recently had the opportunity to work with Ascension Wine Estate on my clients wedding. Marina, Axel, Robert and the entire team were fantastic, and nothing was a problem. The day ran really well, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them for any function. True professionals! A fabulous spot set in a beautiful spot.

We had lunch today at Ascension. We enjoyed the delicious cheeseballs. But we were very disappointed with the marinated olives and feta cheese. The green olives were hard. Not very enjoyable at all. We told the waitress but she didn't seem overly concerned. We told the maitre de who agreed with us that the olives were hard. He said that they were locally grown olives.
Don't order the olives and feta cheese as you will be wasting your money.
We also had pizza which was delicious. We ordered the Countryman red wine which was very nice. Overall-very enjoyable afternoon.

We have just celebrated our wedding here on Thursday (13.12.18) and we couldn t have asked for a more beautiful day. The venue was absolutely stunning!!! We had so many people comment on what a gorgeous venue Ascension is. We couldn t of been any happier!! The gardens are so amazing with all the beautiful jasmine growing and the vines climbing up the walls. A spectacular venue to get married in and it made for the most beautiful wedding photos. The service and organisation on the night/day of our wedding was second to none. The food and drinks were all superb!! Everyone was talking about how delicious the food was! (Especially that lamb belly - to die for!) Service was amazing from the bar staff to the chefs to the waiters and everyone who had a hand in helping to make sure our day went off without a hitch. We have to especially say a huge thank you to Marina - the most amazing wedding coordinator who organised our amazing day and night. She is so friendly, super helpful and organised, hardworking and went above and beyond! MARINA & THE ASCENSION - THANK YOU SO MUCH. We loved every minute of our day - couldn t have asked for anything better or more beautiful. Hoana & Fras x

Lovely setting and an ideal wedding and function centre. Plenty of parking, lovely grounds and facilities.

Wouldn't go there again! Horrible food, horrible service and to top it off horrible people (staff)! 0/5

Went today to taste wine and have a platter with the girls. The wine was good. The service was extremely slow, and only 3 people I could see when there was a birthday party in at the same time. That is one thing..but we then ordered the platter ...and it looked like a toddler had put it together.. 5 crackers , tiny slices of bread and tiny amount of cheese ..it definitely did not equal a $50 platter. To he fair, we did complain and they gave us a 50%discount. But I won't be going back there, nor will I be recommending for its service. The grounds however..outstanding.

Beautiful venue for weddings etc, food and service was top notch

We recently had our fusion (Indian/European) wedding at Ascension with 190 guests. Marina, Axel, Robert and the entire Ascension team were just brilliant. They were accommodating, always keen to help and nothing was a problem. They worked tirelessly to make sure everything was perfect and the day went off without a hitch. Such a pleasure getting to know and work with each of them. I d highly recommend having your wedding or next event at Ascension!

Always love coming here. I walk in and am immersed in a whole new world. The decor, lighting and music at to the cozy atmosphere. The views are amazing even in wet weather and the fireplaces are inviting when there is a chill.
There is a playpen I can lose my kids too as well while I drink my wine.

We took an international conference group of 20 people for refreshments. Booked for 4.00pm and our table was ready on arrival. One long table on a shaded courtyard patio, beautifully set. Enjoyed delicious platters for an hour and sampled four local wines. A warm and welcoming experience.

This was our 3rd visit to Ascension. This time we came for wine tasting and a platter. Our hostess greeted us warmly and there were 2 other small groups in our tasting as well which was fun. She was very welcoming and knowledgeable, and she made great platter to go with the tasting.The wines were very good and we purchased "The Ascent" Chardonnay.
It was a very nice experience! I absolutely recommend to visit this place!

Had the fabulous gourmet platter with a glass of wine and a beer.Great food,service and overall atmosphere on a dreary winters day.Wine was one of the vest vionigers I have had.Lovely staff too

We visited this cafe for a nice Sunday Brunch, however the service was terrible, staff was extremely rude. Just an unpleasant experience overall. Do not recommend for anyone.

As we walked past the Ferrari and thru the doors, we could see where all the profits have been spent! Certainly not on the service nor the production of the 30 buck vinegar called 'the 12 apostles'. To be fair I should have paid the $5 tasting fee, then I would have known to regift my $100 Christmas voucher!

11 of us had lunch on Sunday 7th Dec. There was a 3/4 hour wait for wine to arrive ; a 2 hour wait for our entrees; and a further 1 hour for our mains ( which were great when they FINALLY arrived !) The deserts were overpriced ..$15.00 ..for what they consisted of. I had a pear (supposedly soaked in Amaretto but NO hint of same ) with a wafer and small amount of choc mousse. Another had rum baba which should be soaked in rum, but it was hard and crumbly.... and no rum to speak of ! The service was extremely slow as you can see ; the girls were young and inexperienced but did their best ,and there was no overview from a maitre d. No one from the kitchen came out to see if our meals were satisfactory, and not once were we asked how our meals were.

I have since heard from a local who said that the lack of service is typical and that he and his friends will never go back. It's a real shame as the setting is stunning I hope this lack of service will be rectified immediately. I will not be returning either.

We went to Ascension for lunch on Auckland anniversary weekend. We had visitors from Christchurch with us so wanted to show them what Auckland had to offer but the whole experience was very disappointing. The service was very poor and the food presentation left a lot to be desired. Not much on the plate for the price. I certainly wouldn't consider going back.

Beautiful place for wedding, but the food is poor, overall, IT'S OK.

Dinner for 6! A delightful experience (and somewhat new). The new owners of Ascension understand the need to combine excellent food with excellent home grown wine. This place has blossomed under new owner Gino, Chef Patrick (spelling may be totally off on Patrick here) and new maitre de Beth ( and her "girls"). The naturally friendly evening was topped off by the feeling we weren't being pushed out the door. A delight.
Many thanks to all!
Megs

We didn't have a booking so we were grateful that they gave us a table on Easter Weekend. We were told the food would take 45 minutes. It really wasn't packed so we were a bit confused by this. Anyway once seated we were given drinks, but not offered any bread or anything to tide us over and both of my children became quite agitated after 1 hour and no sign of food. We had to ask for bread and were given 2 bread rolls (there were 6 of us!).
Again we were left waiting until 1 hour and 25 minutes had passed. Then they had missed out one of our meals!!!
I was told it would take 7 minutes to prepare my beef and I asked for well done. It came 25 minutes later, rare, once my family had finished eating. At $281 this place is a rip off go somewhere else!

Awesome food and great service, depth of flavours was amazing. It had to be one of the best Pork Belly I have tried in a long time..highly recommended, The ambiance was great and their wine pairing superb. The whole experience was worth the hours drive , we will visit again for sure.

The setting is so beautiful and I was looking forward to our lunch, but the service let it down. Food was nice, but during our lunch no one came to top up our waters and when we've asked them to do it they still forgotten. The waitress also wasn't very helpful with the choice or food or drinks.
Really hope they can do better with their service because this place is beautiful.

"Great place for cold days, the fire was roaring, the food was delicious with great wine selections and the staff were fantastic!"