New Zealand with Angela Osborne

Welcome to New Zealand! Since many flights from the United States arrive into Auckland early — starting as early as 5am local time — we have organized airport transfers and complimentary pre-night for all guests at our hotel, the voco Auckland, so that you may check-in immediately and no matter what time you arrive on Tuesday, January 9. Our first activities kick-off later in the afternoon at 1:30pm from our hotel lobby.

(Please note: If you plan to arrive on Monday, January 8, you may check-in for your complimentary pre-night anytime after 3pm local time. If you wish for an earlier check-in, please contact us directly.)

Rest and relax — and get excited! Our adventure officially begins at 1:30pm on Tuesday, January 9.

Our adventure begins! We’ll gather in the early afternoon and start off gently, with a walking tour of Auckland, the country’s largest city and a buzzy town filled with cafes, galleries, fine dining and finer wine. Known as the “City of Sails,” Auckland extends out on a volcanic peninsula nestled between two harbors, with stunning sea views at every turn. It’s also experienced a recent renaissance as one of the world’s great design hubs.

This evening we’ll convene at the hotel for a cocktail hour featuring Angela’s wines, then head for dinner at Mr. Morris, one of New Zealand’s top kitchens, where Chef Michael Meredith, a friend of Angela’s, serves up inventive small plates like chicken-skin parfait, wagyu tongue, and pain au black pudding. Chef Meredith and Angela will curate our wine list for the evening — each course with a perfect pairing. It’s the perfect way to kickoff our New Zealand adventure!

Today we’re exploring greater Auckland’s beaches and forests. Along the way we’ll learn about  the indigenous peoples of New Zealand from a Maori local. We’ll head along Tamaki Drive, past stunning golden beaches, with views over the shimmering blue waters of Hauraki Gulf to the mystical Rangitoto Island, Auckland’s youngest and largest volcano at 600 years old. Every landmark and detail has ties to Maori culture and folklore. We’ll explore the Tamaki Makaurau and Waitakere ranges, taking in the winding seaside paths, towering 2,000-year-old kauri trees, and black sand beaches. 

Lunch today is at Homeland, where Chef Peter Gordon will prepare a special cooking experience just for us. Angela worked with Chef Gordon in London and continues to be inspired by him, and as we dine she’ll tell us more about New Zealand’s incredible biodiversity.

We’ll have time to wander Auckland on our own this afternoon before reconvening for dinner at Apéro, a warm, brick-lined wine bar.

It’s a short flight from Auckland to Napier, the seat of the Hawke’s Bay region on the east coast. Hawke’s Bay is the country’s oldest and second largest wine-producing area, famed for its chardonnays and bold, tannic red blends.

Upon arrival, we’ll gear up and head out on a bike ride through the vines, visiting some of the region’s top wineries as we go. We’ll wind through orchards, olive groves, and farmlands, stopping several times en route to eat, drink, and savor. At Te Awanga, our first winery of the day, we’ll enjoy a wood-fired pizza lunch, taking in the sweeping views over the wide blue Pacific Ocean beyond. Angela knows winemaker Rod McDonald personally, and here we’ll be treated like honored guests.

Feeling radiant, we’ll transfer to our basecamp for our next two nights—the rustic and enchanting, Kiwiesque. Once settled and relaxed, we’ll depart for dinner at Linden Estate. 

Sleepy palm- and pine-fringed Napier isn’t just wine country — in a strange twist of fate, it’s also the Art Deco capital of the world. Following the devastating 1931 earthquake that reduced the town to rubble, Napier was rebuilt from scratch in the style of the moment: exquisite Art Deco, complete with Maori motifs that can only be found here.

We’ll start our morning with an architectural walking tour of the town before heading to Clearview Estate for lunch and a tasting with the winemakers, who’ll introduce us to their award-winning Chardonnays and Basket Press Merlot. Then it’s on to Decibel Wines for another vineyard tour and tasting courtesy of Jersey native Daniel Brennan, who fell in love with New Zealand wines 15 years ago while working as a band manager in Philadelphia.

This evening we’ll take some time to enjoy our amazing surroundings and pause for reflection. Dinner tonight will be on our own. 

We’ll bid farewell to Hawke’s Bay this morning, flying south to Marlborough (via Wellington), New Zealand’s largest wine production region, best known for its zingy Sauvignon Blancs.

From the Marlborough airport, we’ll head straight to family-run Mahi Wines for a private tour and tasting. Mahi — which means “your work, your craft” in Maori — was founded by Brian Bicknell and his wife Nicola; Brian had been making wine in for 15 years in France, Hungary and Chile, and he wanted to return to his native New Zealand and the great vineyard sites of Marlborough.

After settling into our hotel this afternoon, we’ll have the option of joining a private tour of its expansive gardens before reconvening for pre-dinner drinks and canapés, and a very special surprise courtesy of Angela. Dinner tonight is at our hotel’s award-winning restaurant.

Today starts with a cruise across the wild blue waters of Marlborough Sounds, a collection of ancient sunken river valleys now filled by the Pacific: forested hills rising steeply from the intricate coastline of sheltered inlets and sandy bays. We’ll pass a salmon farm en route, learning more about the area’s aquaculture as we keep an eye out for dolphins and seals (and orcas, if we’re lucky.)

We’ll dock and head to Allan Scott for lunch and a vineyard tour. This world-class winery is truly a family affair, with all three children of founders Allan and Catherine passionately involved in the business. We’ll taste their exceptional Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling alongside a vineyard lunch.

Hans Herzog winery is home to New Zealand’s most eclectic array of grape varietals, all grown organically in a single vineyard. Crafted from vine to bottle by Hans Herzog himself, these are low intervention, purely natural wines — a truly special treat.

We’ll float back feeling electric to our stately hotel unburdened from any planned activities. Dine out at the hotel’s restaurant, stroll the majestic gardens or simply luxuriate in your room. 

This morning we’re off to Queenstown, New Zealand’s adventure capital and gateway to the Central Otago wine region. Nestled between stunning peaks, magical fjords and glittering lakes, there’s no better place for the grand finale to our New Zealand adventure.

From the airport, we’ll head straight to the award-winning Amisfield winery and bistro for lunch, sitting in the sun-filled courtyard and dining on Chef Vaughan Mabee’s hyperlocal dishes like coal-fired crayfish and smoked potatoes with manuka honey. Amisfield’s whites and reds have each won their share of accolades, and Angela will collaborate with Chef Mabee to find the perfect wine pairing for our meal.

We’ll have the balance of the day on our own, with the option of hopping on the gondola — the steepest cable car in the Southern Hemisphere — up to the top of Bob’s Peak more than 1,500 ft above the city, to take in the craggy snow-capped mountains of New Zealand’s Southern Alps and the glittering Lake Wakatipu.

We’re taking to the skies! No trip to New Zealand is complete without a visit to Milford Sound’s stunning fjord, and we’re doing it the best way possible: by private helicopter. We’ll fly the length of the sound, past sheer cliffs, old-growth silver beeches and gushing waterfalls, then out to the Tasman Sea, where we’ll land on a wild coastal beach to admire the pounding surf. Then back up we go, past the spectacular snaking rivers, turquoise ice falls and snow-capped peaks of Fiordland National Park.

We’ll take off for our final destination: lunch and a wine tasting at Carrick Estate. Carrick focuses heavily on organic and biodynamic viticulture, producing stunning wines representing the unique character of Bannockburn.

There’s time to freshen up this afternoon back at our hotel before reconvening for our a joyful celebration of our time together: a farewell dinner at Botswana Butchery, famed for its wild-caught meat and seafood. As we feast upon the likes of freshly shucked oysters, grilled watermelon and crisp duck, we’ll enjoy another special treat: Angela’s own wines, shipped in from California for our final dinner together. As we raise a glass to our hosts and our new friends, we’ll toast this unforgettable adventure. 

Alas, our time together in New Zealand is ending. After a big final breakfast, we’ll pack up and head to the airport, brimming with a week’s worth of the finest wines and landscapes of the world. Until next time!