New Zealand Buzz

Drop in on Minaret Station Alpine Lodge, set in the Southern Alps, where gourmet “heli-picnics” are real, glacier-fed springs teem with fish and elk gallop in the distance. From here, transfer to Otahuna Lodge, a Victorian mansion in Christchurch. This two-week, twoisland tour takes you to amazing properties and on spectacular adventures, from sailing Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf to a night at Wharekauhau Country Estate, a stunning working farm outside the Wairarapa wine region.

Tee off at New Zealand’s newest golf course, Tara Iti, with Pacific views reaching all the way to Taranga Island. The country’s first private course was designed by renowned architect Tom Doak and is shaping up to be one of the world’s most exclusive. Your five-day Kiwi golf adventure also includes a round at Kauri Cliffs, a fittingly named oceanfront course, currently ranked as one of the top 50 golf courses in the world.

Magic Factory Go behind the scenes of Middle Earth and Avatar’s Pandora at Wellington’s Weta Workshop. The design studio is the force behind many of cinema’s groundbreaking designs and visual effects, and your tour will access several areas not open to the public, including the boardroom and postproduction spaces. Get up close to famous props, models and even the five Oscar statues the studio has pulled in.