After waking up in a tranquil sanctuary it’s time for your clients to explore New Zealand’s chic cities and great outdoors. Perhaps they would like to start their day in a coffee-scented waterfront café before exploring New Zealand’s boutique shopping and the creations of internationally lauded Kiwi fashion designers. At lunchtime a limo could whisk them out to one of the country’s renowned wineries for wine tasting and a vineyard meal in the sun. In the afternoon, your clients may want to sample some of New Zealand’s deluxe activities. A flight-seeing adventure or luxury boat cruise, for example, offers a whole new perspective on buzzing cities and stunning landscapes! To end the day in style, make sure your clients spoil their senses at one of the high-end restaurants or loungy bars they’ll find at premium locations in central cities or peaceful country settings.
A number of tour operators specialise in offering premium tours of Aotearoa, anywhere from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island.
Travelling In Style
A truly relaxing holiday doesn’t start only after your clients arrive in New Zealand. Make sure you have researched the options available to ensure your clients enjoy a pleasurable journey to their destination. Air New Zealand’s Business Premier class on its 787 and 777 aircraft boasts generous leather armchairs that convert to a comfortable lie-flat bed at the push of a button. Travelling in comfort ensures your clients’ travel experience starts on the right note.
If the idea of planning travel at the top end of the market sounds daunting, take the stress out of planning by leaving all the hard work to a specialist luxury tour operator. In New Zealand, there are tour operators who specialise in creating indulgent itineraries; chartering fixed-wing planes, helicopters and yachts, and arranging limousine transfers and dinner cruises. They can custom-design an exclusive itinerary to suit your clients’ preferences and employ knowledgeable personal guides who will show your clients the best in sightseeing and first-class activities.
When it comes to entertaining your clients, consider flight-seeing adventures, guided fishing tours or golfing on one of New Zealand’s exclusive golf resorts. For a different take on sightseeing, look at the options for tours with a Māori guide. Māori people convey their deep spiritual relationship with the natural environment, offering an insight into the land’s history and traditions as well as the culinary and spiritual properties of native flora and fauna.
Exquisite Exploration
When your clients are travelling around New Zealand, there’s no need for them to forgo five-star indulgence along the way. A number of tour operators specialise in offering premium tours of Aotearoa anywhere from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South. Your clients will travel in style and discover the very best of the country with an expert guide. Simply Wild, for example, offers visitors to the Nelson region one- to four-day guided tours, which visitors into the wilderness in absolute comfort – sailing aboard a 50-foot yacht, heli-rafting or motor boating in Abel Tasman National Park. Alternatively, custom-make a trip for your clients with chartered helicopter flights or a luxurious cruising vessel.
Gourmet New Zealand
There are many ways to experience the full flavour of New Zealand cuisine. Your clients can, of course, book a table in one of the country’s top-notch restaurants, some of which are run by celebrity chefs. Suggest that they try crayfish (Rock Lobster) at Auckland’s Viaduct and New Zealand King Salmon on Wellington’s waterfront, or choose a tender rack of Canterbury lamb at an exclusive venue in Christchurch. Southland is famous for succulent Bluff Oysters, while a West Coast delicacy is whitebait, and The Coromandel and Marlborough serve delicious Green-lipped Mussels. Gourmet cheeses, oils and honey are other treats to look out for. To accompany the cuisine, each region in New Zealand has refined wines on offer. A wide range of terroirs makes for unparalleled variety and internationally lauded wines. To get the full experience, book a wine guide who will introduce your clients to Hawke’s Bay’s complex Cabernet Merlots, Marlborough’s crisp Sauvignon Blancs and Central Otago’s full-bodied Pinot Noirs.
A very different treat for your clients is a Māori hāngī; food cooked in an underground oven. The distinct earthy flavour of the slow-cooked meats and vegetables is a sensory delight! Rotorua is New Zealand’s hāngī capital, but visitors can take part in this cultural experience all around the country. Often hāngī are combined with performance art, making the meal part of an entertaining and interesting evening.
Retail Therapy
New Zealand offers designer boutiques and top-notch galleries well-stocked by local designers and artists. Visitors can browse Auckland’s Parnell, Newmarket and Ponsonby; Wellington’s Golden Mile, Lambton Quay; and Christchurch’s Merivale boutiques. Known as New Zealand’s creative heart, Dunedin is home to a high density of internationally renowned Kiwi designers and is a highlight for the fashion-forward. If your clients would like to take home a piece of authentic New Zealand or Māori art, they’ll find galleries and workshops scattered the length of the country. They are perfect places to purchase art, jewellery or sculpture.
Savouring Wine Country
New Zealand has developed a major reputation for producing wines of note. Particularly renowned are the Sauvignon Blancs of Marlborough and the Pinot Noirs of Central Otago and Wairarapa, but every wine region has its own particular treasures. Other good areas for wine lovers to explore include Waiheke Island, Hawke’s Bay and Canterbury. Follow the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail from Hawke’s Bay through Wairarapa to Marlborough in the South Island for the perfect introduction to great New Zealand wine. Martinborough Wine Village in Wairarapa is an essential stop for wine connoisseurs.
