Luxury self drive vacation in New Zealand

Planet

As with all of our luxury vacations, this itinerary has been crafted to ensure that it positively effects the local communities and environments visited.

This itinerary includes trips to some of New Zealand's precious natural wonders, including Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, Waitomo's glowworm caves and Aoraki Mount Cook National Park's Tasman Glacier. By visiting these sites (all entrance fees are included in your luxury tour), you are supporting the preservation and conservation of these areas, and indicating to authorities that tourists are interested in protecting New Zealand's incredible natural environments, which in turn provides more funding for these regions.

In New Zealand's rural environments, please ensure that you don’t leave any litter – everything you carry in, you must carry out. Aside from the environmental damage, litter can be harmful to the wildlife.

We also make a special effort to recommend accommodation providers which have responsible and sustainable initiatives. For example, The George Hotel in Christchurch has a Qualmark Envirogold rating and eco-friendly practices such as waste reduction and recycling, water conservation and energy management.

People

All the local guides referred to in this itinerary are paid a fair wage. We believe that using local guides is important, as it helps generate local incomes and creates jobs, plus it offers a more authentic travel experience.

We recommend independent local hotels, lodges, guesthouses and campsites, rather than international chain hotels, which helps support local communities and allows you to experience true Kiwi hospitality. For example, the locally-owned Acacia Cliffs Lodge is a family-run boutique lodge overlooking Lake Taupo. Welcoming hosts Rick and Linda are world travelers as well as food and wine experts, and hold complimentary pre-dinner drinks and canapes each evening, so that guests can engage with each other and the experience feels more like a homestay.

This luxury New Zealand vacation includes a cultural experience learning about Maori traditions with a Maori expert, including a lunch made with locally-sourced ingredients, regional food tours featuring local produce, as well as other outdoor experiences with local guides.