“From the moment we left home in our Emirates chauffeured limousine to the moment we returned 16 days later, we enjoyed every single minute of our extraordinary adventure: the itinerary running seamlessly without a moment of concern or doubt.

It’s hard to know where to start, because this is going to sound like ‘superlative city’, but I’ll work through the itinerary in date order rather than randomly describing events.

Auckland

The Park Hyatt is beautifully placed on a small harbour with lovely views. The rooms and service were excellent, and the concierge, Nick, in particular, was extremely helpful and went above and beyond. I’m glad you’d booked us one of the rooms for the night before; otherwise, we’d have been without the means to freshen up for hours.

We had a lovely first afternoon in the sunshine, walking around the harbour and watching the world go by during lunch. Everyone is so friendly, although the price of the NZ wines was surprisingly high!

Hamilton / Hobbiton

The next morning, our driver, Graham, was an absolute delight and he made our day extremely enjoyable. He was just so helpful and had a great sense of humour.

We loved Hamilton Gardens – so varied, very interesting, beautifully designed, and easy to walk around. It was a relaxing place to spend a couple of hours, and I would really recommend it to anyone.

Hobbiton was more commercialised than I expected. Perhaps my expectations were too high (everyone had raved about it), but I found the queues and overly excitable guides tiresome. I don’t particularly like large groups, and this was no exception. Coaches left every 10 minutes with about 40 people on board, making it very slow going with everyone trying to take photos. However, the countryside, hobbit houses, and attention-to-detail are extraordinary, and it has rekindled my interest in Lord of the Rings and my desire to rewatch the films.

The scenery between Hamilton and Rotorua is absolutely spectacular, with rolling hills, the greenest grass, beautiful farmland, lakes, and mountains… it’s all truly stunning.

Mount Tarawera Helicopter Ride

An absolutely spectacular morning with dramatic scenery as we flew around with our pilot Brian, landed on the dormant volcano, and enjoyed the most amazing 360-degree views of mountains, lakes and waterfalls. We had an interesting walk around Orekai Korako, where we were so close to the action of the hot sulphur springs, geysers and bubbling mud pools, with hardly a tourist to be seen.

Hot Water Beach Catamaran

We had a wonderful afternoon with John as he spoiled us with wine and a BBQ, a dip in a hot water pool, and the stunning scenery of beautiful houses nestled on the shores of the blue Lake Tarawera, with the dramatic, contrasting green vegetation. Perfection.

Redwood Forest Walk

We arrived far too early and decided to wait until it went dark to see the lights. We were very glad to have done so because they are magical. It’s a relaxing, but bouncy and narrow walk, about 70 metres above the ground with regular platforms to stop and take photos of the dramatic light displays. Loved it.

Lady Knox Geyser & Huka Falls

This was an interesting day, but it fell on one of only two dull days, which does affect the enjoyment. The geyser sat quietly, minding its own business, steaming away contentedly, until it was “fed” some washing powder, at which point it sprang impressively into action for the hundreds of people who had gathered to watch. The Maori singing in the background was equally impressive, if a little touristy. The Huka Falls would have been impressive in the sunshine since the turquoise water would have been even more stunning, but sadly we saw it in the rain.

Transition Day | Rotorua to Nelson

This could have been a tough day with a flight at 7am, followed by a connecting flight at 9am, arriving in Nelson for a full day of touring. But it was fabulous… Made even more so by our wonderful guide, Sonia. We enjoyed the pretty Queen’s Gardens, the interesting Suter Art Gallery, the bustling local market, and the stunning scenery. Sonia found us a fabulous location for lunch, set in the mountains with dramatic views, and we spent a happy afternoon visiting various art galleries. Glorious.

Te Koi Hotel

This is absolutely stunning and was my favourite hotel of the trip. The gorgeous rooms (just four of them) are on the edge of the lake, with beautiful views from the private terrace and an amazing feeling of calm and tranquillity. The gardens are extensive and beautifully cared for; the owners are delightful; and their attention-to-detail extraordinary. Cocktails and canapés on the terrace before a wonderful three-course meal with wine pairings every night. It was just perfect. Breakfast takes place in their kitchen, and the food could not have been better. I could have lived there!

Helicopter Tour of Kahurangi (Lord of the Rings Country)

Stunning trip with our pilot Peter, with landings at various rocks (made famous in the films), lakes, waterfalls, beaches, and a delicious lunch beside our private lake. The scenery is just beyond spectacular, with blue and turquoise seas, golden sand beaches, and stunning inland forests. As we tracked along the coastline, the views were breathtaking. We even had a couple of hours of relaxation in the afternoon (a rare occurrence on my trips!).

Abel Tasman Catamaran Cruise

We had a fabulous catamaran and crew (Peter & Emma). The scenery is out of this world – unbelievable turquoise blue seas, empty golden beaches and coves, and playful seals. We stopped at a beach and went for a wonderful woodland walk for an hour with dramatic views from the coastline. Lunch on board was delicious. We didn’t want the day to end.

Marlborough Country

It was hard to leave Te Koi because it’s one of the most amazing, personal hotels you could ask for. The hosts were so friendly, and it was hugs all around. But we enjoyed a two-hour road trip with our driver/guide Tania as the scenery changed from sea and estuaries, through the Richmond Mountain Range, to vineyards as far as the eye could see. We had lunch at Wither Hills and a wine-tasting at Cloudy Bay. It was a hot day (mid-30s) and utterly exhausting.

Marlborough Lodge

An exceptional hotel with just nine rooms and a wonderful, homely feel. The rooms are gorgeous with fabulous views of the gardens and vineyards. Pre-dinner drinks are in a small chapel in the grounds with a beautiful terrace overlooking the gardens. Dinner, while not quite the quality of Te Koi, was much better than Black Swan! We loved it here.

Cruise on Queen Charlotte Sound

We had our private catamaran “ferry” and sailed along the Queen Charlotte Sound, enjoying breathtaking views. Blue sky; sunshine; dramatic, tree-covered mountains; small sandy coves; and beautiful holiday homes blending naturally into the vegetation. It was idyllic, as we enjoyed champagne, green-lipped mussels and salmon on board.

Lunch at the Saint Clair Estate was very nice. The quantity of food and wine we’re consuming daily is incredible, but it’s all so delicious that it’s hard to say no!

Makana chocolates were a little underwhelming. There wasn’t much to see, just a few chocolates to buy, but at least it was air-conditioned, which helped on such a hot day.

Omaka Aviation Museum, put together by Peter Jackson (of Hobbit fame), features an amazing collection of World War I and II planes and war memorabilia. It was an addition to the itinerary, and while not really my thing, I can imagine it would be fascinating to others.

Kaikoura

Again, we were sad to leave Marlborough Lodge, but I’m glad I booked the helicopter ride so we didn’t have to leave the hotel at the crack of dawn. It was a stunning ride over the mountains with our pilot Dan, before picking up our Marine Biologist at the Hikurangi Marine Reserve. She and Dan were confident we would spot whales and, within five minutes, we saw three blue whales – 25 metres long and very blue! Fantastic!

Mount Fyffe

After dropping off our marine biologist and picking up our gin specialist, we landed on Mount Fyffe for a crayfish brunch and gin-tasting. The views are spectacular, the weather was kind, and we sat on top of the mountain enjoying one of the most unique experiences ever.

Hulbert House

We had a good flight to Queenstown and enjoyed fabulous views of the lake on our drive from the airport to our next hotel, Hulbert House. This boutique hotel has just nine rooms, stunning views and welcoming staff. While there were no evening meals, they served delicious drinks and canapés each evening on the terrace with lovely views of the lake. Perfect.

Milford Sound

This was the day I was most looking forward to, and it didn’t disappoint – it was my favourite day of the entire holiday. We were lucky with the weather, which allowed us to enjoy the trip to its fullest. The scenery is beyond anything you can imagine – majestic mountains, huge glaciers, deep fjords, rainforests, wild and secluded beaches, blue alpine lakes and magnificent waterfalls. The landings were unique and fun. We enjoyed a delicious picnic lunch by a lake and played some golf thousands of feet above sea level. Our pilot Ben set up a tee and biodegradable balls, and we hit balls into the air with our helicopter and champagne beside us! It was surreal and perfect. We then landed at an alpine lodge and enjoyed a G&T with the most amazing views. The tranquillity here is unbelievable. Absolutely loved it.

Queenstown

A beautiful town with amazing views everywhere you look. The gardens are beautiful, right next to the lake, with lovely cycle paths and walkways. The shopping is pretty good too. There’s a great selection of restaurants, but by this point, we were relieved to have a few nights off from eating out!

Onsen Hot Pools

These are on a hillside overlooking the Shotover River. More breathtaking scenery as we sat in our hot pool sipping wine and enjoying what was described as a snack in the itinerary but was actually a packet of crisps! No problem. We’ve done nothing but eat on this holiday anyway!

Jet Boat Safari

This was sadly cancelled due to torrential rain, but our driver Jorges (from Chile) ensured we still had a great time. He took us to a local market to sample delicacies, watched bungy jumping, wandered around photogenic Arrowtown (with its lovely Cotswolds vibe), visited a gold shop, and handled huge gold nuggets. We enjoyed lunch at a wine estate, and the highlight was a speedboat at Oxbow Adventures, where we went from 0 to 100 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds. It was both terrifying and exhilarating!

Auckland

We were sad to leave Hulbert House, but it was our last day and we had business in Auckland. We visited the Sky Tower, which offers amazing 360-degree views and is very well organised. We spent a relaxed afternoon with one of my best friends who happened to be in NZ at the same time, at a restaurant on the harbour front.

Final Thoughts

This was the holiday of a lifetime. I know I splurged on hotels, helicopters, catamarans and experiences, but NZ is beyond anything anyone can imagine.

I loved everything – the people (so friendly), the landscapes (ever-changing, dramatic, unique and spectacular), the food (delicious), the hotels (superb), the guides and drivers (brilliant), and the weather (mostly warm and sunny).

There is nothing I didn’t like about this holiday. I rarely consider returning to a country I’ve visited – the world is too big for that – but I will make an exception for this amazing country. I absolutely loved it. I could happily live there for the rest of my life!”