5 Reasons Why You Need to Visit New Zealand

Begin your trip with a traditional Maori welcome. Who better to greet you than the indigenous people who know this land so intimately? This sacred centuries-old ceremony is a simultaneously spiritual and physical experience and was originally performed as a way of protecting visitors and locals from danger, again, both physical and spiritual.

We don’t want to give away all the secrets of the experience or ceremony in this blog, but in short, it involves traditional dress, singing, a Maori picnic, and some time spent inside an 800-year-old tree.

Knowledge of the land and the natural world is a huge part of Māori culture, and with that comes respect for the food cultivated from it. We can arrange for you to join Tom Loughlin, Māori guide, chef, search and rescue guide and living font of knowledge on Māori food, for a cultural dining experience like no other.

Together you’ll gather food and prepare your meal using traditional methods, as Tom explains the history and significance of each ingredient along the way. Finally, sit down to enjoy the feast you’ve created together.

Take to the skies for a whale watching experience with a difference. From your helicopter, flying sky high above the water, you’ll see the majestic sperm whale that inhabit the Kaikoura Whale Sanctuary and Hikurangi Marine Reserve.

From this new perspective, you’re able to see the entirety of the whale’s enormous body, witnessing some fascinating behaviours that you simply don’t have access to on a boat - it makes for some great photo opportunities. Keep your eyes peeled for resident dolphins and seals too.

Bubbling away for thousands of years, Wai-O-Tapu is a wondrous geothermal landscape. Explore after hours with your guide, and experience this impressive, unique and extensive cluster of thermal activity in complete privacy. Watch as steaming geysers erupt, shooting hot water high into the air, peer down into the deep craters below, soak in the sight of bubbling mud pools, and marvel at the vibrant, mineral-rich waters, aglow with multiple hues. During your visit, your guide will delve into the region's geology, explaining its unique formation, and share how locals have harnessed the power of the thermal features throughout history.

As the longer, darker days of winter unfold, nature’s unmissable light spectacle – the Southern Lights – comes to life.

We’ll take you to Stewart Island, New Zealand’s southernmost inhabited island, where minimal light pollution and its proximity to the South Pole offer the perfect seat from which to witness the mesmerising waves of green, pink, and purple lights dancing across the southern sky.