New Zealand’s North & South Islands with A&K

For my first trip to New Zealand, I was excited to join a group of fellow luxury travel advisors on an Abercrombie & Kent tour of both the North and South islands. I was in for quite the introduction upon my arrival!

On the flight over from Dallas (with a stop in Sydney before touching down in Queenstown), I was mentally preparing myself for a wild first Kiwi experience: the Shotover Jet Boat ride. By the time I arrived, I was exhausted from the flights yet somehow also pumped full of adrenaline from the anticipation ahead of this impending thrill ride. To give a little context, the Shotover River runs through Queenstown. Over thousands of years, the river carved steep, rocky canyons along its banks, often creating quite narrow channels between slopes. The jet boat ride is a unique experience in Queenstown where visitors like myself can climb aboard bright red jet boats, don matching red life jackets, and careen down the river in jet-propelled boats. You can see why I was amping myself up for the ride during my flight. After all that fretting…it was a blast! Rocketing down the river was so much fun and a super unique way to take in the natural wonders all around me. What an introduction to New Zealand…and what a way to bond immediately with my companions for the rest of the trip!

“Rocketing down the river was so much fun and a super unique way to take in the natural wonders all around me.”

After the river ride, it was off to Azur Lodge in Queenstown on the South Island. I was welcomed with champagne, and my room had a gorgeous lake view – what more could a girl ask for? On the entire property there are only 9 villas and I enjoyed a beautiful one-bedroom suite all to myself. The lodge feels very secluded, but it is actually only a five-minute drive from downtown Queenstown. Something wonderfully unique about the Azur Lodge is while breakfast is served by the lodge, there are no restaurants on-site; The lodge will order from local restaurants and plate it for you! I just loved staying there and immediately booked it for a client (who had equally rave reviews).

On our second day in Queenstown, we headed out from the Azur Lodge by helicopter to Milford Sound. It was another adventure as the helicopter pilot attempted to land on a glacier so we could get out and walk around, but the gusty winds coming off the snow capped mountains had other ideas. Opting for plan B, our pilot took us to a lovely farm. After the bumpy ride, we enjoyed a well-earned glass of Veuve Clicqout champagne (none for the pilot, of course – he’d have to wait until after the return trip 😉). We were chaperoned around the grounds of the farm and were introduced to a busy colony of bees hard at work making local New Zealand honey. Later, we popped into downtown Queenstown where I snapped a photo of Winnie’s Bar – Winnie happens to be my grandma name! I felt right at home.

Next, it was off to Christchurch and Hapuku Lodge. This lodge was so cool, built on a farm smack-dab in the middle of nowhere. Roaming the grounds were giant deer the size of cows. I stayed in one of the lodge’s treehouses. They were very unique and fun to stay in. I could see out both sides of the treehouse and take in the stunning views of the Kaikoura Seaward Mountain Range.

“It was another adventure as the helicopter pilot attempted to land on a glacier so we could get out and walk around, but the gusty winds coming off the snow capped mountains had other ideas…”

For our first day of adventuring from our Hapuku Lodge base, we hopped aboard a helicopter and glided over the landscape to land at Hapuku Kitchen. While they share a name, the kitchen and the lodge are unrelated but have a wonderful relationship. The couple that owns Hapuku Kitchen used to run the Hapuku Lodge. They then followed a new dream, bought a house and some land, and started running a cooking school and farm on the property. We next hopped over to Cloudy Bay Winery for a delicious wine tasting. The tasting was held in The Shack, a special spot on the estate where people can stay overnight at the winery.

“Hapuku Lodge was so cool, built on a farm smack-dab in the middle of nowhere. Roaming the grounds were giant deer the size of cows.”

Another great place to stay is the Bay of Many Coves, an SLH property. Here we luxuriated in much-needed massages, but that wasn’t even the best part; Later that evening after dark, we were told to “bring your torches and your walking sticks” (“torches” of course being “flashlights”). We followed our guide out into the night, climbing up and down hills to find…glow worms! The glittery little guys could be found on the property itself and were a sight to behold.

Our last stop before leaving the South Island was to go on a 4.5hour hike (they called it a “walk” …I’d have to disagree with that definition.) Throughout our journey we spotted dolphins in the bay, walked across hanging bridges, and were shown a koru: the shape of a spiraled, mid-unfurling fern. The shape is frequently seen in Māori art and is a symbol for new life, growth, and peace.

“The [koru] is frequently seen in Māori art and is a symbol for new life, growth, and peace.”

After a short flight up to the North Island, Rotorua, we came to the Solitaire Lodge. The owner is also the manager and runs the lodge with his wife. It is spectacular and all-inclusive with delicious drinks and sparkling, unreasonably comfortable rooms. Solitaire has its own boat on site and it took our group out to visit geothermal pools. We wore warm coats on our way in, then jumped into the pools in our bathing suits. They were toasty warm and supposedly very healing.

“The Solitaire Lodge… is spectacular and all-inclusive with delicious drinks and sparkling, unreasonably comfortable rooms.”

We visited additional geothermal pools the next day while on our tour of a traditional Māori village. We learned some of the village’s history and met the people who live and work there. While our original plans were to take the helicopter elsewhere, New Zealand’s weather demands a certain amount of flexibility and spontaneity. As the winds were not in our favor, we ended up spending the afternoon at Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa, which is run by the Māori people. It sported hot springs, steam rooms, and mud baths – which of course I had to try!

The following day we visited a place Lord of the Rings fans will easily recognize: Hobbiton! It was a great, fun experience that I highly recommend to everyone visiting. It was a stop on our way to Auckland for our departure and a great way to end a trip. I send people to New Zealand all the time and have always wanted to see if for myself. After touring both islands, racing down a river in a jet boat, helicoptering out to see geothermal springs, hiking in the hills to scout glow worms, and luxuriating in some of the best lodges New Zealand has to offer, I can happily say a little piece of New Zealand will always stay with me.