Spectacular New Zealand

Swim with wild dusky dolphins, then fly by private helicopter to a lodge reachable no other way, at the head of a remote glacial valley – fifteen nights across New Zealand’s wine country and fiords.

From£16,995pp

Duration15 days

StyleLuxury

Best suited toDrivers who want the road to be the holiday

Find out more

An independent Stradora pick. Details from the operator's published information, last checked 28 Oct 2026. Stradora DiscoveryChosen independently by our editors because we think it's worth the drive. We're not partnered with this operator: dates, prices and booking are handled by them, and we last checked their published details on 28 Oct 2026.

Booked with the operator?

Tell us your trip details and we'll put together a complimentary Stradora Expedition Pack for the journey.

Claim your pack

15 nights through New Zealand

Fifteen nights across New Zealand, self-drive, arranged round art, wine and wildlife as much as landscape.

The combination is unusual and deliberate: a vineyard tour by Tesla, a studio visit with a working sculptor, a swim with wild dolphins and a helicopter into Fiordland, all in the same fortnight.

Two nights at The Boatshed on Waiheke open it, with a private vineyard tour, wine and olive tastings and the island’s craft galleries. Rotorua follows for two at Solitaire Lodge, with a launch across Lake Tarawera to the geothermal springs, a walk in Otanewainuku forest, which holds kiwi and kokako, and a private studio visit with the contemporary Maori sculptor Todd Couper. Palliser Bay comes next for two at Wharekauhau, five thousand acres of sheep country, with a 4WD farm safari, shearing and sheepdog demonstrations and seals at Cape Palliser. Blenheim follows for two in Marlborough, with a guided cycle between the wineries, then Kaikoura for two at Hapuku Lodge and a small-group swim with wild dusky dolphins, and Wanaka, with a helicopter flight to Milford Sound and a barbecue picnic above the Alps.

The rental car, the named properties with several dinner-inclusive, and all the listed tours, excursions, the dolphin swim and the Milford flight are included; some winery lunches are extra. No wildlife sighting can be promised, and the dolphin swim is weather dependent, since Kaikoura sits on an exposed coast and the boats do not go out in a swell. November to March is the main season. Sixteen days covers both islands at a steady two nights a stop, which keeps the driving down and leaves the helicopter flight into Milford as the one long day.

Style

Luxury, Self-guided

Duration

A fortnight (11-15 nights)

Region

Oceania

Vehicle provision

Vehicle provided

Departures

December - March

Starts/ends

Waiheke Island, New Zealand → Queenstown, New Zealand