Insider’s New Zealand: Best Locations, Adventures, and Food Experiences

The insider advice on this page is from one of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for New Zealand: Jean-Michel Jefferson of Ahipara.

Trusted Travel Expert

Jean-Michel Jefferson

Jean-Michel Jefferson moved to New Zealand in 1998, after a decade-long career with Price Waterhouse, and founded a travel firm to cater to people who want to “go further, deeper, and see things others do not see.” He draws on his encyclopedic knowledge of New Zealand and network of hundreds of guides, hoteliers, restaurateurs, private pilots, ship captains, and noteworthy experts to create itineraries that translate travelers’ wishes into reality—experiences that in many cases you could not possibly arrange on your own. His team can modify an itinerary on the fly to work around uncooperative weather conditions or to satisfy a traveler’s spontaneous desire to either add another location or slow down the pace. He creates imaginative days, and even corporate events, based on a group’s unusual interests. He has even helped people with immigration, including interviewing principals at selected schools. (One client asked for a business briefing and “bumped” into someone around a campfire one night who is now the Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.)

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Expect trips orchestrated by Jean-Michel to start at $1,000 per day for two travelers (which generally includes 4-star hotels, special-access guides, private vehicles, special meals, and unique experiences) and twice that if you want legendary 5-star lodges.

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What to See and Do

Don’t miss
With the enormous popularity of the South Island’s west coast, its east coast has long been overlooked. No more! Now it’s on the map, led by places like the lovely historic coastal town of Oamaru. Want to see some real New Zealand? This is it. From Oamaru, a drive through the wide-open landscapes of Central Otago is inspiring and well off the normal tourist tracks. Both areas now also have excellent places to stay.

Helicopters are an efficient—and scenic—way to get around New Zealand. Photo: Aspiring Helicopters

Don’t bother
Bus-and-cruise package tours to Milford Sound. The four-hour bus trip—each way—and crowded boat ride through the sound is not an enjoyable experience for most people. Jean-Michel flies his travelers in by helicopter or has them stay someplace near the Sound so they can savor the stunning scenery and not have to spend eight hours on the road in one day.

Hidden gem
The Lakes District Museum in Arrowtown is small and user-friendly. Its excellent and engaging displays provide a thorough history of the area and a fascinating look at the lives of the early settlers.

Cheap thrill
A ferry ride to Waiheke Island in Auckland’s beautiful Hauraki Gulf.

Big thrill
New Zealand is well-known as an adventure mecca. Experiences for adrenaline junkies abound throughout the country, but most are concentrated in the Queenstown region. This is the place, after all, that claims to have invented bungee jumping. If you’re eager to try it (and you should!), take the leap at the Kawarau Bridge. You can also go hiking on one of the area’s many unknown trails or go jetboating, rafting, skydiving, gliding, mountain biking—whatever rocks your boat.

Where to Stay and Eat

Best bang-for-your-buck hotel
Olivers Lodge and Stables in Central Otago, on the South Island. Everything about this place screams five stars, but the owners choose to price it below that level. A superb renovation of a pioneer building, it also gives access to Central Otago—a region blissfully free of what little mass tourism there is in New Zealand.

Restaurants the locals love
The Depot in Auckland, which is fun, informal, and vibrant—much like the city. The menu is constantly changing and always reliable, so skip lunch to leave room for as many of the shared plates as you can manage to eat.

In Wellington, try the bustling brasserie style of Charley Noble, which has been an “in” place with the locals for a couple of years now. Reservations are essential.

Botswana Butchery in Queenstown has long been popular with the locals. Surprisingly good for an alfresco light lunch, it is better known as a heavyweight dinner contender, often using local wild game.

Three vineyard restaurants deserve a special mention: Man o War on Waiheke Island, where watching the locals get back on their boats after a well-lubricated lunch is an excellent spectator sport; Craggy Range in Hawkes Bay, for a superbly elegant and tasty lunch; and Amisfield, near Queenstown, for another relaxed sensory experience.

Find a lovely spot for a picnic with a view of the South Island’s Dunstan Mountains. 

Meal worth the splurge
Jean-Michel’s West Coast Picnic. It begins with a jetboat trip down the gin-clear waters of the Makarora and up the pristine Wilkin, with the Southern Alps as your backdrop. After some exploring, your driver will find a secluded spot, where they’ll tie the jetboat to a birch tree and spread out a feast of wild local specialties that typically includes crayfish (lobster), paua (abalone), whitebait, and venison back steaks, all washed down with the best New Zealand wines. After the meal, if you’ve gone easy on the wine, you can try your hand at driving the jetboat yourself.

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