By James Lilla, Out and About Holidays, LLC
A select group of travel professionals were chosen for an epic 8-day journey throughout New Zealand last fall. Before heading on our overnight flight from LAX, the advisors met their “Pure New Zealand” trip leaders at the most epic outdoor airport lounge for a welcome reception, complete with fire pits and a sunset view!
Within 90 minutes of touching down in Queenstown after our drama free overnight flight via Air New Zealand, our adventurous travel-pro’s were already bungee jumping 120 meters off Kawarau Bridge Bungy, home of the first Bungy Jump in the world!
Stop 1: Lake Wanaka
The advisors then took in 2 nights on the lake at Edgewater Hotel in the beautiful resort-town of Lake Wanaka among the mountains. The travelers were able to enjoy wine tasting, hiking in the clear and sunny mountains over Lake Wanaka, and wire-climbing along the highest waterfall climb in the world at “Lord of the Rungs.”
Stop 2: Lake Tekapo
Next stop, we took in the ponds and mountain-views of sunny Omarama from cozy wood heated hot-tubs before journeying to Lake Tekapo, a lake so blue it almost looked fake! After checking into the modern Peppers Bluewater Resort nestled in the tall wind blown grass along Lake Tekapo, we took in a hearty culinary delight of steak and ribs at the Dark Sky Project Diner. We then bundled up and headed up to the largest dark sky reserve in the world, to enjoy all the planets from world-class microscopes and learn more about the local Mauri astronomy, which has been around for thousands of years.
The next morning, we took in the stunning scenery by hiking at Mount Cook National Park before heading to the sky for an aerial view over the snowy, mountainous and glacial park. Before heading out of Lake Tekapo, we were able to take in the amazing views, cocktails and salmon at the chic Tekapo Lake View Grill.
Stop 3: Wellington
Our next stop included a short flight via Air New Zealand to the San Francisco-like city of Wellington. We started with a buzzy brewery tour and were educated about New Zealand’s exploding craft-brew scene among the city’s street art. After checking in to the posh and trendy Sofitel Wellington, we headed out for authentic Spanish tapas at the hip spot, Havana Bar.
The next day, we took a short ferry ride over to the Kapiti Island Nature reserve to learn more about the fascinating, forward thinking and sustainable Maori-culture. The Mauri explained their years-long successful effort to preserve the endangered species of the island. The local island inhabitants welcomed us to a traditional breakfast and shared their family’s history and efforts to preserve the holy island from over-development and commercialization.
Stop 4: Hamilton
After Wellington, we hopped on another short Air New Zealand Flight to Hamilton airport. Upon arrival, we drove through the gorgeous and lush green countryside for an hour before visiting an underground cave to try “black water rafting” in search of glow in the dark “glow worms.” The frigid temps of the water will never be forgotten and we have the pictures to prove it! After checking in at Hidden Lake Hotel, we took the most beautiful drive of our lives through the rolling hills and outdoor movie set of “Hobbiton” and “Lord of the Rings.” We were able to see the “Shire” by day and night and had the most movie worthy and gluttonous whimsical feast at the Green Dragon Inn.
Stop 5: Auckland
After sleeping off the most epic of all feasts, we took a private transfer to Auckland for the immersive “All Blacks'' rugby experience. The advisors were treated to the island’s dominating rugby history and were even generously gifted their own official “All Blacks” personalized jerseys. That evening, we headed up to a scenic rooftop restaurant for a light dinner and cocktails while taking in the views of the stunning and cosmopolitan waterfront city. We were able to get an amazing night's rest at the smart and sustainable Hotel Britomart, New Zealad’s first 5 star green hotel!
Another unique gift about visiting New Zealand, is that you can maximize your last day in Auckland before heading to the airport for your red-eye in the evening. On our last day, we took the scenic and relaxing hour-long ferry ride to Waiheke Island, New Zealand’s most expensive island, filled with beautiful wineries and art galleries. We went on a beautiful seaside hike along the sheep-filled rolling hills and then went way underground in a former United States naval bunker, which is now used as an event space, including concerts, dinners and even a yoga room… In a former WWII bunker! To finish off the trip, we had a scenic wine tasting lunch at the renowned Stonyridge Winery, set among the vast rolling vineyards. After arriving at the airport for our farewell trip home, Air New Zealand treated us to their massive Auckland airport lounge, where we all sadly said our final goodbyes.