Archive | New Zealand

Our New Zealand experts have a passion for the country’s outstanding wines and cuisine. They regularly travel throughout New Zealand, discovering the country’s most interesting people, places and enogastronomic experiences.

On this private luxury tour, your expert guides will introduce you to New Zealand’s top wineries, and take you behind the scenes to meet local winemakers and sample delectable farm products. Stay in exclusive luxury lodges, all of which are set in stunning locations and feature gourmet cuisine pairing the best local wines and food.

Begin in Hawke’s Bay, the Tuscany of New Zealand, a region of wine, farms, sun and beaches, and home to some of the country’s oldest and most acclaimed wineries. Stay two nights at a historic 19th-century hilltop villa. During private touring with your expert local guide, visit local vineyards with spectacular settings and sample fine Merlot and other varietals from the Gimblett Gravels, the region’s premier terroir. Visit small local food shops and fruit stands to taste locally produced cheeses, preserves, honey and fruit. Perhaps also visit Napier, a town filled with Art Deco architecture.

Next, fly to Blenheim, a town surrounded by the vineyards and hills of Marlborough, New Zealand’s largest wine region and producer of some of the world’s most renowned Sauvignon Blanc wines. Spend two nights at a lodge, surrounded by 25 acres of landscaped English gardens. During private touring, visit important wineries and sample Sauvignon Blanc and other varietals from world-renowned winemakers.

Transfer with your private driver through the seaside town of Kaikoura and the olive trees, lavender fields and vineyards of Canterbury to a country estate for two nights. En route, stop to sample Pinot Noir, Riesling and other specialties of the Waipara Valley wine region. Spend a day exploring Claremont’s vast ranchlands, see unusual geological formations, and end the day with a gourmet meal of locally produced lamb, venison and other treats.

Next, fly to Queenstown, one of New Zealand’s most beautiful towns, set on shimmering Lake Wakatipu. With your private guide, visit Central Otago’s leading wineries to taste excellent Pinot Noir and other varietals. Also, visit Arrowtown, a charming historic village filled with Victorian cottages and excellent restaurants. Transfer along the shore of Lake Wakatipu to a magnificent luxury lodge in a stunning lakefront setting with views of mountains and glacial-fed rivers. Meals at Blanket Bay are also a highlight, with excellent, fresh local products transformed into gourmet creations by leading chefs. Enjoy local touring including a flight excursion to Milford Sound for an unforgettable experience of one of New Zealand’s most iconic landscapes.