New Zealand Gay Vineyards and Vistas Tour

Day 1: Auckland

Most flights from North America arrive early morning. For those who arrive in time, we will have a mid-morning sail around Auckland’s tranquil harbor, enjoying a broad view across the country’s largest metro area. Then explore on your own until this evening, when we walk to our waterside restaurant to enjoy our welcome dinner. 

Our centrally located luxury hotel is a great base to walk and explore the waterfront and the main core of the city.   

Known as the ‘City of Sails’, Auckland extends over a narrow isthmus of land between the Pacific Ocean the Tasman Sea, that includes 49 dormant volcanoes. This cosmopolitan city has a population of around 1.5 million. And the city’s subtropical climate, lush vegetation and easy access to the coast and outdoor activities consistently earns it a place in the top five rankings in international lifestyle surveys. A melting pot of 190 different ethnicities, Auckland is the world’s biggest Polynesian urban population. This diversity is reflected in the lively arts and culture scene, a wide range of food and craft markets, and outstanding restaurants. The dozens of islands of the Hauraki Gulf form a distinctive aspect of the Auckland landscape and provide a magnet for those who sail, fishing enthusiasts and hikers. 

[Please take note that if you are flying westerly from North America, you will need to depart two days before the day you wish to arrive in New Zealand. Due to the international date line, a day is “lost” when you fly west, but you’ll regain it when you fly home at the end of the trip.]

Day 2: Waiheke Island

Today we head to the Downtown Auckland Ferry Terminal to go on a lovely 40-minute cruise to Waiheke Island through the picturesque Hauraki Gulf, a surprisingly refreshing escape so close to a major city, containing beautiful beaches, dozens of vineyards, olive groves, native bush, and relaxing seaside villages. Upon arrival, we will be met by a local island tour guide who will reveal the island to us throughout our stay.

We will have tastings at several vineyards, including a nice lunch at one of the vineyards, celebrating the fresh produce, lovely herbs, and excellent meats all grown here in New Zealand. If time allows, we may also wander through a local sculpture garden or stop for unending views at a gin distillery.

Day 3: On to the Capital, Wellington

Late this morning we will fly to the southern tip of the North Island, to the country’s capital, Wellington. Here, we will enjoy a late lunch on the waterfront. Situated on a beautiful harbor, the city is known for its boutique café and gourmet restaurant culture, its vibrant arts scene, and an outdoor lifestyle. Just beyond the main waterfront, the city is surrounded by mountains. Homes perch precariously as they climb ever higher on the hillsides. But the central core of the city is easily walkable. Wellington pulses with a warm and welcoming heart.

The afternoon is free for you to explore the city, to enjoy the waterfront, and perhaps take the tram up for a wander among the botanical gardens. This evening, we will gather for dinner at one of Wellington’s best restaurants.

Wellington has a small gay scene, so in the evenings a few of us may go out and visit with the locals. Or our stay may cross-over the dates of the annual Fringe Festival, allowing us to consider a performance.

Day 4: Wellington, Taonga Māori and a Tasting Tour

New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, welcomes us this morning for an introductory overview tour. Perhaps most interesting is the story of the Māori people that is cleverly revealed through remarkable Māori taonga (historical treasures). And on other floors, we get a deeper understanding of the local geology, ecology and especially of today’s Kiwi culture, often a melding of Māori culture of the Pacific with some British values and traditions. 

This afternoon, we taste our way around the capital as our local guide and gourmet guru introduces us to the city, its local tastes, products, and creative artisans. Stroll behind the scenes at some favorite Wellington food places, taste hidden culinary treasures, and meet some of the people behind a selection of the city’s best food. 

Day 5: Day Trip to Picturesque Martinborough for Sights and Wine

Another day in Wellington allows time to continue to explore they city on your own, its galleries, shops and other museums, its botanical gardens, relax and enjoy a walk along the waterfront to the beach at Oriental Parade and further to outlying bays, or maybe a longer walk on part of the City to Sea walkway.   

Most of us, however, will escape to nearby Martinborough for the day, a delightful country village less than an hour from the city. Our guide will show off the area, introduce to a few local vineyards a stop at an olive oil farm and maybe a cheese tasting, allowing us to get a feel for the quieter life in the New Zealand countryside. Afterward, we return to Wellington. 

Day 6: Flying across the Southern Alps to Wanaka

On this morning’s southerly flight, we fly across to the South Island, and then directly above or along a chain of mountains that creates the backbone of the South Island, the Southern Alps. A huge tectonic fault along the west coast of the South Island causes these peaks to climb ever higher, over 12,000 feet in places, despite being less than forty miles from the ocean.  

Glaciers formed eons ago in the Alps—sometimes more than several thousands of feet thick—carving dramatic terrain around Wanaka, our destination for two nights, leaving grand glacial lakes that are dozens of miles long and almost a thousand feet deep. Our boat ride this afternoon takes us out on Lake Wanaka, where we stop for a walk on a pristine, predator-free island. We’ll encounter the rare, flightless Buff Weka (extinct on the mainland since 1920) and learn of the efforts to save this and other rare flightless birds. Enjoy a relaxing one-hour hike to reveal the island’s secret – a lake on top of the island. Have High Tea overlooking the lake (on an island in a lake) and drink in the vibrant birdsong and a panorama of the Southern Alps spread out before you. Plant a native tree if you wish as part of your eco-experience. Or skip the hike and enjoy the birdlife and vistas from the beach and shelter at the island base with your own afternoon tea. On our return to Wanaka, we check into our lakeside hotel for two nights.  

Day 7: Milford Sound Wonders and Flights Over Fiordland & Mt Aspiring National Parks

Our goal today is to see Milford Sound, which is likely New Zealand’s most talked about landscape. If the weather cooperates, we promise you a remarkable day!  

Despite Captain Cook’s misnomer, Milford Sound is really a fjord, one of seventeen or so here on the southwest coast. These huge waterfilled valleys that were carved by behemoth glaciers have almost vertical cliffsides and jagged peaks, much like those in Norway. Multiple waterfalls drop hundreds of feet from those cliff edges. And seals and dolphins often visit the safety of this long ribbon of protected water. Its beauty has earned it designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Area.   

We enjoy the immensity of Milford Sound and parts of Fiordland this morning by both air and sea. We fly in small, light aircraft for about 40-minutes over dramatic Mt. Aspiring (the Matterhorn of the south) and multiple Fiordland mountain ranges, valleys, glaciers, and icefields, before arriving at the Tasman Sea. And then we fly up the fjord to our landing strip near the marina. Once on our small ship, we cruise out to the Tasman Sea and back, watching for marine life, enjoying those sky-scraping cliff tops, and then see who wanders forward on the ship to be blessed by water spray as our ship edges its bow under tumbling waterfalls.  

On our return flight, we see more of Fiordland, including a part of the famed Routeburn Trek, one of the ten Great Walks in New Zealand, and across the Dart and Shotover Rivers, once the haunt of thousands of gold miners. We might also see Sutherland Falls, which at 1904 feet is one of the tallest waterfalls in the world. The remainder of the afternoon and evening are free to enjoy Wanaka. 

Day 8: Past the Gold Fields and into Queenstown 

Our guide will inspire us with views and stories as we drive downriver from Wanaka, passing several of the areas where gold was discovered in the 1860s. We then follow one of several glacial rivers to an area that is home to large orchards and excellent vineyards. We stop to enjoy a wine tasting and gourmet platter for lunch at a favorite vineyard before continuing to Queenstown, perhaps with a few other stops of interest along the way, including a brief stop at the original bungy bridge, where the commercial sport started almost four decades ago.   

Queenstown is a smallish alpine resort town known for its picturesque location in the mountains on glacial Lake Wakatipu. It is a popular destination in winter for skiing and throughout the other seasons for its natural beauty, numerous cafes, restaurants, bars, galleries, shops, and all things outdoor extreme, from hiking, biking and bungy jumping to jet boating and a sport called river surfing where swimmers surf through class IV rapids with only a helmet and a kickboard (see our active NZ trip, Wild Kiwi, for those type of adventures!). We will have three nights here. In the early evenings, enjoy our boutique hotel’s included happy hour with canapes before you head out to dinner.

Day 9: Lake Wakatipu and Remarkable Vistas

We find ourselves enjoying the peacefulness of morning as we take in the view on a cruise across the lake to a restored historic homestead that was once the headquarters of a massive sheep grazing operation. Our ship, the Earnslaw, one of the original steamships that provided transportation around the lake to settlers, gold diggers, and even sheep a hundred years ago, dates from 1912, now renovated to accommodate tourists more comfortably, including a piano bar at the rear of the ship. Once we arrive at the historic homestead, we will join a handsome farm guide who will introduce us to his dogs and sheep, and describe the journey of merino wool in a fun and interactive environment – from mustering sheep to shearing to the creation of Icebreaker clothing. Watch sheep being herded by the farmer’s dog and meet and perhaps even feed working animals used on the farm while learning about daily farming life, which was the historic backbone of the country. Feel free to wander the grounds and gardens or along the lake shore before meeting at the homestead for a BBQ lunch. And afterward, catching the return cruise to Queenstown.  

Sometime during our stay, be sure to take advantage of a gondola ride to a spectacular view high above Queenstown. We include a ticket for you to enjoy the Skyline Gondola, which will whisk you smoothly up 1400 feet to Bob’s Peak. From the top, enjoy breath-taking views that extend almost 360 degrees from Coronet Peak around to the Remarkable Mountain Range and then vistas to Cecil and Walter Peaks on the other side of Lake Wakatipu.  

Day 10: An Unstructured Day in Queenstown 

We have an extra day to relax and enjoy this last full day in New Zealand on your own or with friends. Wander through the Queen’s Garden, go jet-boating or perhaps participate in your own wine-tasting tour, relax and do a bit of last-minute shopping for friends at home. Our trip host and the hotel staff will be happy to help you determine the best way to pursue your interests today. We also hold this day open in case weather prevented us from flying to Milford Sound from Wanaka a few days earlier, in which case we will try again today, but from Queenstown.  

This evening, we celebrate our Kiwi adventure together at our farewell dinner at one of the best restaurants in Queenstown.

Day 11: Farewell Queenstown

Today is the day we say goodbye to this beautiful country. We’ll be collected from our hotel and transferred to Queenstown Airport.