Luxury Highlights of New Zealand's North Island - 7 Days

Day 1: Arrive in Auckland, Four-Course Ahi Restaurant Gourmet Feast

Welcome to New Zealand! You'll arrive in the country's largest city, Auckland, which sits on a narrow strip of land surrounded by the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. With two bustling harbors, it's not hard to see why Auckland is nicknamed the "City of Sails." A private driver will be waiting to take you to your 5-star hotel, Park Hyatt Auckland, which sits on the waterfront overlooking the vibrant Waitemata Harbour. 

Check into one of the stylish rooms, many offering floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the harbor. Expect nautical decor, with wooden touches and yacht-like furnishings offset by Māori artwork. There's a spa and 82-foot (25 m) infinity pool with harbor views, as well as four restaurants and bars, including a rooftop space for cocktails and Onemata, which has supreme waterfront views and fine dining.

After settling in, you'll be whisked off to the acclaimed Ahi Restaurant for a gourmet feast. The menu features Kiwi dishes created with the country's freshest organic produce and ingredients, with an impressive New Zealand wine list to match. You'll be treated to a four-course meal before returning to your hotel for the evening.

Day 2: Drive to Rotorua, Kiwi Hatchery Tour & Wai Ariki Spa Session

Pick up a rental car this morning and make the three-hour drive south to Rotorua, known for its geothermal activity and Māori culture. The landscape here features green and orange sulfur pools and spurting geysers. Head 25 minutes from the city to your accommodation, Treetops Lodge and Estate, which lies on 2,500 acres (1,012 ha) of native bushland.

Designed in a classic wooden hunting and ski lodge style, Treetops features reclaimed wood, roaring fireplaces, and antler decorations on the walls. Discover cozy libraries, games rooms, and a spa. Settle into your room, which comes with a deep soaking bath, kitchenette, and fireplace. To stretch your legs, take a walk across the deer-studded grounds to Bridal Veil Falls, a 164-foot (50 m) waterfall. 

Next, you'll take a private tour of the area's National Kiwi Hatchery, a refuge for the country's national emblem, the flightless kiwi. Staff will take you behind the scenes at the center, teaching you about the intricacies of kiwi incubation and chick rearing. You'll also visit the kiwi burrow and nocturnal house where the adult birds roam freely.

End the day with some pampering at Wai Ariki Spa on the shores of Lake Rotorua. Take part in a traditional Māori experience beginning with a karakia (prayer), followed by cleansing showers and mist jets. Enjoy three saunas: a bio, Himalayan salt, and hay sauna with trips to the ice room in between. Continue to the mineral pools where you can soak in 99°F (37°C) to 104°F (40°C) healing geothermal waters, one enhanced with herbs and the other with massage jets. Finish with a mud mask and steam room session before your closing prayer.

Day 3: Scenic Flight & Geothermal Tour, Pounamu Carving Visit

This morning, get a bird's-eye perspective of New Zealand's volcanic-spotted terrain on a small-group flight. Board a floatplane from the lakefront pier and climb high above Mokoia Island, flying over sparkling lakes and the volcanic peak of Mount Tarawera, which towers 3,680 feet (1,121 m) high. Your pilot will point out cavernous craters that dot the landscape, created by the powerful 1886 eruption.

Fly south over the Waimangu Valley, passing above Frying Pan Lake and Inferno Crater to the Wai-O-Tapu reserve, which features an array of brightly-colored geothermal lakes and steaming pools, from orange to green. Next, descend along the Waikato River to Orakei Korako, experiencing a thrilling water landing. Disembark and cross the river by ferry for an hour-long tour of the hot springs, geysers, and bubbling mud pools before flying back to the lakefront pier. 

Your final experience of the day is visiting a skilled New Zealand jade (known as pounamu) artist. Meet your expert jade carver, who'll explain this precious stone's history and cultural significance. Watch and learn how jade is carved, and select your own piece to make into a necklace, which you'll get to take away as a souvenir.

Day 4: Visit a Māori Community, Drive to Napier, Art Deco Vintage Car Tour

Delve into New Zealand's Māori heritage this morning with a private visit to the Ngāti Pikiao tribe. Join your local Māori guide at the community's sacred meeting house to learn about their traditions and way of life. Walk around the area to admire views of Rotorua's lake district and hear stories of revered landmarks, myths, and legends. 

Say goodbye to your Māori friends and drive three hours south to the country's Art Deco capital, Napier, a coastal city set among the vineyard-grooved landscape of Hawke's Bay. You'll stay at Rosewood Cape Kidnappers, perched on a peninsula above the Pacific, complete with a world-class 71-par clifftop golf course. The 5,930-acre (2,400 ha) estate is encircled by predator-proof fences, making it a sanctuary for kiwis and the world's largest mainland colony of gannets.

Expect 5-star luxury on this working cattle farm, with an infinity pool, spa, stellar wine cellar with tasting tours, and gourmet tasting menus. Relax in your elegant room or suite, home to a plush king-size bed and private deck with farm-chic style decor incorporating river stone and wood. You may have time to explore the estate's expansive walking trails on foot or horseback before your Art Deco tour of Napier. 

Head out in a 1930s vintage car with an expert guide to traverse Napier's famous Art Deco Quarter and historic Port Ahuriri. You'll learn about Napier's fascinating heritage, which includes being destroyed by an earthquake and fire in 1931. Learn how the city was rebuilt in just two years, featuring a range of architectural styles of the period. The trip includes a screening of the earthquake movie "Day that Changed the Bay."

Day 5: 4WD Gannet Safari & Hawke's Bay Vineyards Tour

Take a wildlife tour this morning with Gannet Safaris Overland at Cape Kidnappers. Board a 4WD to bump across the grounds, traversing riverbeds, rolling pastures, native bush, and steep gullies. You'll stop on a clifftop for panoramic views of Hawke's Bay, stretching across the Mahia Peninsula. Your guide will introduce you to farming practices at Cape Kidnappers Station and take you to the best spot to observe the protected colony of gannets on a cliff 330 feet (100 m) above the ocean.

After lunch, embark upon a private Hawke's Bay wine tour of some of the region's most famous vineyards. Discover how the region's Mediterranean climate produces ideal grape-growing conditions during vineyard tours, where you'll learn the entire production process, from vine to bottle. Visit up to five wineries and taste the region's best syrah, merlot, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc before returning to your lavish lodge for a final night.

Day 6: Drive to Peka Peka, Explore the Kapiti Coast

Today, take a scenic 3.5-hour drive to Peka Peka on the island's Kapiti coast. This seaside town is known for its wide sandy beach and thriving population of endangered long-tailed bats. Check into Atahuri, a boutique retreat nestled among the dunes of Peka Peka Beach, designed to blend into the landscape. Your chic suite features a sea-facing patio with loungers to watch the sunset over the Tasman Sea. 

The rest of the day is yours to spend as you please. Lounge by the pool, book a massage at Atahuri's spa, or wander the long golden beach. If you're feeling active, take a hike on the popular Paekākāriki Escarpment Track, which is part of New Zealand's nationwide Te Araroa Trail, for sweeping coastal views with Kapiti Island in the distance. Alternatively, indulge in some wine tasting at a vineyard in the surrounding Ohau region.