New Zealand: An Active Adventure (10 days)

Upon arrival into Auckland, you are met by an A&K representative and transferred to your luxurious hotel, with your room ready for immediate check in. Later, meet your A&K driver-guide to admire city highlights, including the city’s gardens; vibrant Viaduct Harbour waterfront; and Tamaki Paenga Hira (Auckland Museum), a world-renowned institution celebrated for its unique collection of Maori and Pacific Island treasures.

Leave Auckland in the morning and travel to the town of Rotorua, stopping at the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, one of New Zealand’s most inspiring natural attractions. Embark on a boat tour through the caves’ ancient limestone chambers and passages, gliding quietly along as thousands of glowworms cast their bioluminescence on the ceiling.

You can take your adventure to the next level by climbing, black water tubing, and leaping through Rukuri Cave. For true adrenaline seekers, you can abseil down the 35-meter tomo, climb, whiz down a flying fox, and then enjoy a cave tubing experience serenely along an underground river, all while marveling at the glow worm display on the vaulted limestone galleries above.

On conclusion, reboard your vehicle and continue to your accommodations in Rotorua.

Depart on your full day private tour of Rotorua.

Begin your day with a visit to the National Kiwi Hatchery, an Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy-sponsored organization committed to preserving this iconic native species. A&K's exclusive Insider Access tour is all about becoming better acquainted with New Zealand's elusive kiwi. This tour offers a unique chance to experience a working kiwi nursery and hatchery. You will get to see the workings of the incubation and hatch rooms and find out about the long hatch process of the kiwi chicks. Your visit will include going into the brooder room where the chicks are reared from two days old until old enough to go into the outdoor runs.

Every National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa Behind the Scenes Tour booked is a 100% donation to our kiwi conservation program, which helps ensure our ability to research, house and feed these precious birds so that we can continue to play a vital role in their survival. Please note that seeing a kiwi bird is not guaranteed.

After lunch at a local restaurant, you will be welcomed to Ohinemutu, a living Maori geothermal village and home to Ngati Whakaue. Ngati Whakaueis a sub-tribe of the Te Arawa waka (canoe) which journeyed from the Pacific homeland of Hawaiiki to New Zealand around 1350AD. Ohinemutu Village was the city centre for the Rotorua region in the early 1870’s. Visitors, including royalty, arrived at this bustling settlement before going on to visit the Pink and White Terraces at Lake Tarawera, and to experience the healing waters of Rotorua.

You will also visit the magnificently decorated St Faith’s Church, which was completed in 1914. While its exterior is Tudor-style, the church interior has a strong Maori influence, with beautiful carvings and woven panels.

Cap off your day with a restorative visit to Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa, enjoying treatments inspired by centuries-old legacy of Ngāti Whakaue practices and culture.

Begin your day of adventure with a mountain bike ride through the pines, twisting and turning along some of the world’s finest trails. After lunch back at the lodge, embark on a shared helicopter flight over Lakes Rotorua, Okareka, Okataina, and Tarawera. As you fly over Mount Tarawera, learn about the Wilding Pine conservation work that all landing fees support. Marvel at the rugged beauty and vibrant colors of the volcanic crater as your pilot flies you through the 8 km rift line, remnant of New Zealand’s largest volcanic eruption.

Upon landing, enjoy 15 minutes to explore the summit on foot – gaining insights into the region’s rich Māori history and taking in the 360-degree views. On clear days, you can see from the east to west coast of the North Island, with the active volcanoes of White Island to the north and Tongariro National Park to the south. Your pilot will act as a guide, historian and photographer, ensuring you will return to the Lakefront with memories to last a lifetime.

After dinner at the lodge, your adventure continues into the night with a lantern-lit experience at the Redwoods Treewalk, home to a 765-yard network of 28 suspension bridges spanning the forest canopy.

Fly to Nelson, an adventure mecca fronting the arcing coastline of the South Island’s northwest corner. Nelson’s alpine lodges dot this mountain wilderness punctuated by rivers, forests, limestone outcrops, rocky coasts, and legendary sandy beaches. Upon arrival, you are met by an A&K driver and transferred to your lodge.

This morning, set off on a private heli-kayak adventure into the Abel Tasman National Park. Fly up the coastline and land at Awaroa Bay, where you can sea kayak amid granite sea cliffs, golden sand beaches and crystal clear waters. After a picnic lunch and paddle through the majestic Awaroa Lagoon, return to the lodge via helicopter.

Fly to Queenstown, located on the southern end of New Zealand's South Island. Once a Maori settlement and, later, a gold mining outpost, Queenstown has transformed in recent decades to become a frontier resort town renowned as an adventure destination. Upon arrival, you are met by an A&K driver and transferred to your lodge.

Today, board a helicopter for a shared scenic helicopter flight across the Southern Alps. Upon landing in Milford Sound, join the Mitre Peak Cruise, an exploratory nature-cruise on this famous fiord. View cascading waterfalls, towering rock faces and unique wildlife, and then voyage out past St Anne's Lighthouse to the Tasman Sea. After a picnic lunch, take-off on a helicopter flight with an exclusive alpine snow landing for the ultimate Fiordland National Park experience.

On returning to Queenstown, take a short drive and depart on a 2.5 hour walk, though native beech forest following the historic Twelve Mile Creek, a former gold mining area. Your scenic hike affords superb views of both Lake Wakatipu and Lake Dispute.

Head to the Dart River for a full-day shared jet-boat and kayak adventure deep into the heart of the world-renowned Mt. Aspiring National Park. Enjoy the peace and tranquility of this stunning area at your own pace as you float downstream past rock pools and dramatic chasms. After a picnic lunch, continue to Glenorchy. Then, travel a back-country route passing locations used to represent Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.

Meet your A&K driver in the lobby and transfer by private vehicle to Queenstown Airport for your onward flight.