Landing on Motu Kokako
By helicopter to the Hole in the Rock in the Bay of Islands, an island long off limits to visitors, with a guide from the local Māori tribe to explain its history and cultural significance.
New Zealand, North to South
Six lodges from the Bay of Islands to Lake Wakatipu, in 17 nights.
- 17 nights
- Six stays
- New Zealand
- Lodges, helicopter, food and wine
Seventeen nights down the length of New Zealand, staying in six country lodges rather than cities. Flax weaving and carving with the Māori artists in residence at Kauri Cliffs, kiwi by night in the Cape Sanctuary, shearing and mustering with the shepherd, a private 4WD tour across Ben Avon Station and a helicopter landing on the Tasman Glacier.
- Length
- 17 nights
- Pace
- Six stays
- Style
- Lodges, helicopter, food and wine
- Route
- The Bay of Islands to Taupō to Hawke's Bay to Kaikōura to The Ahuriri Valley to Queenstown
- The Bay of IslandsThree nights
- TaupōThree nights
- Hawke's BayTwo nights
- KaikōuraThree nights
- The Ahuriri ValleyThree nights
- QueenstownThree nights
01
Days 1 to 4 · three nights
The Bay of Islands
Arrive in Auckland and fly north to Kerikeri. A private helicopter day to Cape Reinga and the kauri giant Tāne Mahuta with a local guide, and a day sailing a catamaran among the islands. On the property, time with the iwi artists in residence, learning flax weaving, rākau stick making or whakairo carving, a walk among the Māori and early settler landmarks of its 6,000 acres, and a feast on Pink Beach cooked by a personal chef. A helicopter can also set down on Motu Kokako, the Hole in the Rock, an island long closed to visitors, on a helipad ringed by 150-metre cliffs, where a guide from the local Māori tribe tells its history and cultural significance.
Where you stay
Rosewood Kauri Cliffs
Rosewood Kauri Cliffs stands on a 6,000-acre coastal property above the Bay of Islands in the far north, with a par 72 golf course designed by David Harman. The spa sits in native bush, and the kitchen joins European cooking to New Zealand lamb, native herbs and seafood.
02
Days 4 to 7 · three nights
Taupō
Back to Auckland by air, then south by road with a private glowworm cave tour on the way. A private day in Rotorua for its geothermal valleys and Māori culture, and half a day with a local guide fishing for trout on the Waikato River, with lunch. Dinner one evening among the vintages of the lodge's wine cellar. On request, a helicopter lands on the rim of Mount Tarawera, to look into the red-stained crater as the guide tells the story of the eruption.
Where you stay
Huka Lodge
Huka Lodge began in 1924 as a fishing camp of canvas tents on the Waikato River near Lake Taupō, and now has 20 suites and two owners' cottages in 17 acres of gardens along the bank. A daily menu of New Zealand produce is paired from a large wine cellar.
03
Days 7 to 9 · two nights
Hawke's Bay
Overland to the east coast for a private day shaped around Hawke's Bay's wineries and producers. On the farm, shearing and mustering with the shepherd and the Huntaway dogs, and after dark the Cape Sanctuary night tour, for glowworms and kiwi in the forest the sanctuary has grown back from bare hillside. Between September and May, the mainland gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers. Lodge guests can also go out with the rangers on the Kiwi Discovery Walk, helping with kiwi research and medical checks, monitoring, weighing and measuring the chicks.
Where you stay
Rosewood Cape Kidnappers
Rosewood Cape Kidnappers sits on a 6,000-acre working sheep and beef farm in Hawke's Bay, with a golf course set on the clifftops above the sea. Guests can join the shepherd for shearing and mustering with Huntaway dogs, or tour the Cape Sanctuary to see its conservation work.
04
Days 9 to 12 · three nights
Kaikōura
A flight to Blenheim for a private day in the Marlborough vineyards, then down the coast to Kaikōura. A cooking session in the lodge kitchen and a cruise to see sperm whales. A private helicopter flight with a marine biologist can also be arranged, out over the Pacific for sperm whales, dolphins and fur seals, then landing high in the Seaward Kaikōura Ranges.
Where you stay
Hapuku Lodge and Tree Houses
Hapuku Lodge sits between the Kaikōura Ranges and the Pacific, with tree houses raised among native kānuka and pūriri, suites in the main lodge, and a three-bedroom house that once held the olive press. The kitchen cooks freshly caught seafood and produce from the lodge garden.
05
Days 12 to 15 · three nights
The Ahuriri Valley
A long day south through Canterbury, with lunch at a Waipara winery and a stop in Geraldine, into the high country. A private 4WD tour across Ben Avon Station, for the valley's history and geology, a guided ride or a day fly-fishing the Ahuriri, and an evening with the lodge's guides under one of the darkest skies on earth.
Where you stay
The Lindis
The Lindis lies low on the floor of the Ahuriri Valley on Ben Avon Station, beside a conservation park of more than 49,000 hectares. Two Master Suites and three Lodge Suites share the main lodge and its Great Hall, three Pods stand nearby, and guests can fly-fish, ride or stargaze.
06
Days 15 to 18 · three nights
Queenstown
A private visit behind the vines at a Central Otago winery on the way. A full day by helicopter over Lake Wakatipu, and a jet-boat and kayak day on the Dart River in Mount Aspiring National Park. A helicopter can be arranged to one of New Zealand's smallest high-country stations, for its restored goldminers' cottage and saloon from the 1860s and a barbecue lunch in the outdoor alpine kitchen to the sound of a wind-up gramophone and pianola. Or a full day in Dusky Sound, reached only by air or sea: a helicopter across Fiordland's mountains, then a private vessel among dolphins and fur seals, with a conservation specialist, the story of Captain Cook's 1773 visit, a chance to fish and lunch on board. A picnic on the private jetty, and a guide to read the southern sky from the terrace at night.
Where you stay
Rosewood Matakauri
On the shore of Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown, Rosewood Matakauri faces alpine peaks, with suites and villas of up to four bedrooms. The Dining Room and the Remarkables Terrace serve high-country lamb and lake-caught fish, and a guide takes guests out at night to read the southern sky.
Arranged on request
The iwi artists in residence
At Rosewood Kauri Cliffs, flax weaving, rākau stick making and whakairo carving taught by the Māori artists in residence.
With the shepherd
Sheep shearing and mustering with the farm's shepherd and the Huntaway dogs, on a working sheep and beef station.
Across Ben Avon Station
A private 4WD tour from The Lindis across the station, for the high country's history and geology, with expert guides for stargazing at night.
On the Tasman Glacier
By helicopter from The Lindis to Aoraki/Mount Cook, to land on the Tasman Glacier.
Weighing the kiwi chicks
For guests of the lodge at Cape Kidnappers, the Kiwi Discovery Walk with the rangers, helping with kiwi research and medical checks and weighing and measuring kiwi chicks.
Subject to availability.
Ways to make it yours
- Three nights in Auckland first, with a water taxi to Waiheke Island and the gannet colony at Muriwai.
- A cruise in the Marlborough Sounds aboard a 20-metre launch with three cabins, for a few hours or a few days, for king salmon, mussels and oysters, bush walks and kayaking, and on request masterclasses on board with a local chef.
- A round of golf at Kauri Cliffs or on the Tom Doak course at Cape Kidnappers, 140 metres above the Pacific.
This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.
Made around you
Most travel is bought. This is designed.
Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.
The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.
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