Day 1:  Arrive in Auckland then transfer to a domestic flight to Napier. You have a private transfer waiting to take you to The Farm at Cape Kidnappers. The Lodge and Golf Course at Cape Kidnappers is known as “The Farm” and set on a 6000 acre sheep and cattle farm.  The golf course is ranked 22nd in the world.  You’ll find luxurious facilities with breathtaking views overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  (3 nights Hawkes Bay)

 

Day 2:  The Hawkes Bay is New Zealand’s premier wine region and today you get to experience these wines. Start the day at a small family run boutique winery. Take a full behind the scenes tour of Church Road winery, the Tom McDonald Cellar and NZ’s only wine museum. Enjoy lunch with wine at the country’s oldest and grandest winery, the Mission Estate.  After lunch visit a mixture of Hawke’s Bay’s boutique and medium sized wineries and learn how wine evolves from
 the vine to the glass on a smaller scale (dependent on health and safety regulations and availability), a great contrast to the larger production winery from the morning. Taste award winning wines from NZ’s most prestigious wine growing district the Gimblett Gravels. Finish with a gourmet platter at an award-winning winery. Indulge in the finest local produce such as meats, cheese, marinated vegetables, olives, breads and dips.

 

Day 3:  The Farm activities at your leisure.  Choices include walking trails, spa treatments, golf, 4WD or relaxing.

 

Day 4:  Today you leave the Hawkes Bay and fly to Wellington.  From Wellington you transfer via a helicopter flight over Wellington to Wharekauhau Lodge and Country Estate.  Enjoy the views of Wellington city and the coastline of Palliser Bay. Wharekauhau Country Estate is located in the foothills of the Rimutaka Mountain range and the clifftops above Palliser Bay.  It is part of 3000 acre farm described as one of the most spectacular in the world.  (3 nights Wharekauhau Country Estate)

 

Day 5:  Explore the Wharekauhau Country Estate (5000 acres of forest, lakes, mountains, busy, coastline) Choose activities from fishing, cycling, 4WD safari, winery tour, garden tours, tennis, golf or helping out on the farm.

 

Day 6:  Day at leisure on Wharekauhau Country Estate. Enjoy relaxing, the in house spa, gym or any of the activities listed in Day 5.

 

Day 7:  Today you leave Wharekauhau Country Estate and transfer to Wellington for your flight to Queenstown.  From Queenstown you’ll transfer to Blanket Bay, Glenorchy.  Blanket Bay is on the shores of Lake Wakatipu with spectacular views of the lake and the snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps. It is considered one of the best lodges in the world. (2 nights Blanket Bay)

 

Day 8:  Enjoy activities at Blanket Bay.  Activities include fishing, canoes, windsurfing, bicycles, spa. You have many options to choose from including fly and heli fishing, hiking, horse riding, wine and art tours, golf and adventure activities such as bungy jumping, sky diving, jetboating, rafting and more.

 

Day 9:  Today you transfer from Blanket Bay to Queenstown, but it’s not any transfer.  You’ll be picked up by helicopter at Blanket Bay and enjoy a scenic flight over Milford Sound. Your trip includes four landings, each at diverse and pristine locations where you can sip the pure waters of an alpine lake; take in the majestic Milford Sound; stroll along uninhabited wild yet beautiful west coast beaches, see the blue ice on glaciers high in the Alps and the fiords coastal rain forests. At each landing site, the helicopter will shut down for you to enjoy the quiet sound of the mountains. Enjoy a gourmet picnic hamper of delightful cheeses, cold meats, breads, salads and fruit and sip champagne at a location far from where others may travel. Your tour will end in Queenstown. (2 nights Queenstown)

 

Day 10: Today you get to enjoy a southern region boutique wine tour while passing through spectacular scenery. Travel through the rugged Kawarau Gorge and learn about the pioneering history and spirt of the area before tastings at 4 premium wineries. Sample the Pinot Noir that the region is internationally renowned for and relax amongst good company with a delicious platter lunch at the Carrick Winery.

 

Day 11: Transfer to Queenstown airport for a flight to Christchurch.  From Christchurch transfer to Otahuna Lodge. Surrounded by 30 acres of award-winning gardens, immaculate lawns, woodlands and gardens you’ll find Otahuna Lodge a restored Victorian mansion. Built in the nineteenth century for parliamentarian and philanthropist Sir Heaton Rhodes the Lodge is considered one of the best examples of Queen Anne or Arts and Crafts style architecture in Australasia.

 

Day 12: Day at leisure enjoying Otahuna Lodge. Activities to pick from include walking, cycling, horseback riding, tennis, cooking lessons, spa treatments, hiking and biking, fly fishing or wine tasting. You can also choose to visit Akaroa, Arthurs Pass and other neighboring areas

 

Day 13: Transfer from Otahuna Lodge to Christchurch and catch your flight back home.