Our New Zealand adventure tour will take your breath away. If the snow-capped peaks don’t do it, then the sheer cultivated beauty of Waiheke Island will. You’re as likely to gasp at the thrill of sailing on an America’s Cup yacht as at the chill splendor of Tasman Glacier Lake where icebergs surround your boat. As we divide our time between New Zealand’s two main islands, Classic Journeys will introduce you to a land you would not find on your own. We’ll visit with a family on their vast sheep station. You’ll sip wine at a renowned vineyard in a setting you could easily mistake for the Napa Valley. Our local guide also arranges for naturalists, historians and expert specialists in glacier walking and jet boating. As you sample the green lip mussels...learn about Maori folklore and culture...and walk the swing bridge across the wild Hooker River, you’ll appreciate New Zealand as the most scenically diverse and unstoppably fun destination anywhere.

DAYS 1-2 — AUCKLAND
Situated on New Zealand’s North Island, Auckland is truly spectacular. We begin with an easy, guided walk, and then board an America’s Cup yacht for an exhilarating ride. Pitch in with the crew or sit back and enjoy the views and the wind in your hair. You’ll also enjoy an entire day on Waiheke Island that looks and feels like a bit of Napa Valley dropped into the middle of the Hauraki Gulf. We’ll enjoy tastings of olive oil on a family farm and wine on one of the island’s finest vineyards before a walk with great views of the bay and beaches.

DAYS 3-4 — MOUNT COOK
After a flight to the South Island, we’ll pause at Lake Tekapo one of the country’s most iconic and most photographed sites. Then we check into our luxury lodge at Aoraki Mount Hood National Park. After an easy alpine walk, we’ll go boating on a glacial lake weaving amid freshly calved icebergs. While in the park, we’ll also take a once-in-a-lifetime walk on the Hooker Valley Track surrounded by the soaring, snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps.

DAYS 5-8 — QUEENSTOWN
En route to Queenstown, we’ll visit Arrowtown, site of the 19th century gold rush where we can still pan for gold. In luxury Land Rover Defenders, we talk to the hills for a stream-splashing ride into terrain that served as settings for the “Lord of the Rings” movies. Our friend Kate greets us at the Peregrine Vineyard for a tasting. (If you’re up for it, we can arrange for you to go bungy jumping where the sport was invented at the nearby Kawarau Gorge.)

Sitting on the shores of a gorgeous mountain lake, Queenstown is the perfect jumping off point for a number of activities. By catamaran, we’ll cruise to a family-operated sheep station where we’ll learn about farm life and see the sheep dog team in action. We’ll also arrange a thrilling jet boat ride on the Dart River into the heart of Mt. Aspiring National Park, where we walk in beech forests and learn about Maori folklore.

On our final day, you can begin your journey home or join any of four trip extensions we offer: Milford Sound Cruise, Doubtful Sound Cruise, or one or more days of hiking on either the Milford Track or the Routeburn Track.