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Enjoy a wide range of New Zealand experiences with a small group
of fellow Travel Insiders. |
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In recent years, New Zealand
has undergone an extraordinary renaissance and has become a
leading food and wine destination, taking advantage of its
wonderful climate and unspoiled nature.
The result is highest quality fresh local food and wine galore, all in
NZ's extraordinarily beautiful natural setting.
Come experience and enjoy this for yourself in October
2014. |
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Detailed Day by
Day Itinerary for the
2016 NZ Epicurean Extravaganza
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Me - David Rowell - your
hopefully friendly, helpful and possibly even intrepid tour
leader.
Pictured here flanked by a
father and son who participated in the 2014 NZ tour.
Clearly all three of us were enjoying ourselves!
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Tour Itinerary Join with me and a small select group of fellow Travel Insiders
on this food and wine focused tour of New Zealand in Oct/Nov 2016.
Our tour combines 'must do' New Zealand sight-seeing
with opportunities to enjoy some of NZ's world-class (and
sometimes world-beating) cuisine and wines, and plenty of
flexible opportunities for you to ensure you see and do
exactly what you want.
Here are the details of what we’ll do each day during this
wonderful experience.
The tour is 13 days in length, and possibly longer if
you add extra touring before or after the main tour event. |
After you've finished viewing
this daily detailed itinerary, please
click here to return to the
main New Zealand Epicurean Extravaganza Tour page.
Daily Itinerary Details
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Day 1 (possibly Friday 26
October - or
earlier) Leave the US |
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To arrive in Auckland, NZ on Sunday 29 Oct, you probably need
to take a flight on the evening of Friday 27th. |
You should make your own arrangements to fly to New
Zealand, so as to arrive in Auckland on or prior to
Sunday 29 Oct.
We're personally flying on Hawaiian
Airlines, but you have a range of airlines to choose from.
If you choose
to also enjoy our pre-tour option in Queenstown
(click link for details), obviously your
travels need to start earlier. Most people in our
group are choosing to add time in Queenstown to their
itinerary.
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Day 2 (Saturday 27 October
- or earlier) Cross the Dateline |
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We skip a day as we fly to NZ. |
Your approximately 13 hour overnight flight crosses the international dateline and we skip
over this day entirely.
But you’ll be compensated – on our return back to the US, you’ll
repeat the day and arrive into LAX (or SFO) earlier than when you left
Auckland.
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Day 3 (Sunday 28 Oct - or
earlier) Arrive in Auckland, New Zealand |
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Auckland - seen here from Devonport - is a beautiful city in a lovely harbor setting.
Just 15 minutes across the harbor from cosmopolitan
Auckland is sleepy small Devonport.
Auckland's inner harbor has been transformed into an
area full of upmarket dining experiences. Try
some. |
Welcome to Auckland, New
Zealand. Your flight probably arrives early this morning.
Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city, and located on
the shores of a beautiful natural harbor.
We’ll give everyone the morning on their own, and then in
the afternoon we’ll provide a city sight-seeing tour,
including a ticket for the beautiful scenic ferry ride
across the harbor to the sleepy town of Devonport on the
other side (remember it is NZ’s spring so hopefully you’ll
enjoy a nice warm sunny afternoon).
Due to different people having different energy levels,
we have nothing scheduled for the rest of the day, but will
be on hand to assist with dining recommendations and
reservations as needed.
Special Features - City tour, Ferry ride
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Day 4 (Monday 29 Oct)
To Rotorua via Waitomo and Otorohanga |
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We visit the Waitomo caves on our way to Rotorua.
In the caves we travel by boat through caverns lit by
glowworms.
The view from a suite at Solitaire Lodge.
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Happy Halloween! Hopefully there'll be no tricks
today, but treats a-plenty.
We hope you're well rested after a
good night's sleep.
This morning we leave Auckland and
travel to Rotorua, stopping on the way at the Waitomo
Glowworm caves, where we'll walk through some beautiful
native bush and into a natural cave system where we glide
silently by boat through dark caverns lit by the natural
light of glow worms.
We stop in a typical NZ country town
where you can select from various typical NZ food choices
for lunch, then continue on to Rotorua, where we'll spend
the next two nights.
Rotorua is a center of intense
geothermal activity, with boiling mudpools, geysers, natural
hot pools for bathing in, and also a region full of much of
New Zealand's indigenous Maori people and their culture.
Perhaps enjoy a soak in a therapeutic
natural mineral pool yourself this evening.
Note - we offer a luxury indulgence
option in Rotorua - two nights at the exquisite Solitaire
Lodge, including gourmet 5-course dinners each night.
Included Meals - Breakfast
Special Features -
Waitomo Glowworm Caves tour |
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Day 5 (Tuesday 30 Oct)
Rotorua Area Touring, Evening Surprise |
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David and one of the sheep at the Agrodome.
One of the geysers at Te Puia.
A contemporary painting of the volcano eruption in 1886
that created the Buried Village. |
Today's another day with a
primarily sight-seeing emphasis, although there will be a
culinary experience this evening.
Although New Zealand's economy is slowly shifting to
higher value-added items such as, well - high end wines - it
still remains in largest part a primarily agricultural
economy, and so we start off today by experiencing the
Agrodome and learning about NZ's ubiquitous sheep
(which still outnumber people by five to one or more) and
the farming lifestyle. You've seen thousands from the
coach already, now you can meet some up close and in person.
After an interesting and entertaining visit to the
Agrodome, we move on to Te Puia where we'll learn about
New Zealand's Maori people (Polynesians who settled NZ in
the 13th and 14th century) and then see some of the amazing
natural geothermal activity that is so prolific in the Rotorua area. We also get to see NZ's native bird -
the nocturnal and flightless kiwi.
In the afternoon we go to the Buried Village - NZ's own
version of Pompeii - a village that was obliterated by a
volcano eruption in 1886. Much of this has now been
excavated, and as well as a tour through the remains of the
small village, there's a beautiful bush walk alongside a
trout-filled stream and down to a roaring waterfall.
We have something very special planned for the evening.
It was David's birthday a few days ago in Queenstown, and to
belatedly celebrate, he has arranged a special
and uniquely NZ surprise event for you this evening. A
distinctive dinner is included.
Included
Meals - Breakfast, Dinner
Special Features -
Agrodome, Te Puia, Buried Village,
special evening activity |
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Day 6 (Wednesday 31 Oct)
Gisborne |
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Gisborne is centered on the confluence of three rivers.
A moody misty morning picture of vineyards in the
foothills just out of Gisborne.
Although a far from internationally cosmopolitan city,
Gisborne has a couple of surprisingly good restaurants. |
Today we go 'off the beaten
(tourist) path' and head to the small city of Gisborne on
NZ's East Coast. Almost entirely overlooked by
international tourists, Gisborne is one of the country's
prime wine growing regions, and the third largest in the
country.
Gisborne produces a broad varietal mix and diversity of
wine styles, reflecting the different soil types and meso-climates
of the region.
Revered as a top Chardonnay-producing area, Gisborne also
has a celebrated reputation for Gewurztraminer. This goes
back to the 1970s, when Matawhero was making New Zealand's
first benchmark Gewurztraminers.
More recently, some fine Viognier, Pinot Gris and Chenin
Blanc wines have emerged, along with sparkling wines. Reds
are also becoming increasingly popular, with excellent
Merlots, Malbec, Pinotage and even the occasional Syrah
being produced.
We'll visit a winery for an in-depth tour and
private tasting,
and spend one night in Gisborne.
The small city boasts
being the first city in the world to see the sun each day,
due to its location close to the International Date Line.
Included
Meals - Breakfast
Special Features -
Gisborne
winery visit and tasting |
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Day 7 (Thursday 1 Nov)
Hawke's Bay |
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We'll tour, taste and eat at multiple award winning
Clearview Estate.
Our group enjoying lunch at Clearview in 2014.
Our lovely Napier tour headquarters, the County Hotel.
Part of the stately promenade along Napier's Marine
Parade with the Pacific Ocean in the background.
The Mission Estate - one of Hawke's Bays' oldest
wineries and best restaurants.
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We continue on for the relatively
short distance to Hawke's Bay, which will be our home for
the next four days.
Hawke's Bay is the oldest wine growing region in New
Zealand, and also the second largest. With a climate
similar to that of Bordeaux, it is no surprise that red
wines dominate, with over 80% of NZ's plantings of Merlot,
Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah grapes to be found in this
region.
The area also produces rich and complex Chardonnays.
Hawke's Bay is sometimes referred to as the 'food
bowl' of New Zealand, due to the wide variety of orchards
and market gardens that provide a huge diversity of fresh
fruit, vegetables, berries, and produce of all kinds,
blessed by soils and a climate conducive to excellent
growing of highest quality foodstuffs.
Add locally raised meat products and coastal/river
fishing and the area is abundantly overflowing with local
delicacies allowing for a wide range of locavore type taste
treats.
There's still more to Hawke's Bay than 'just' food and
wine. The city we'll be staying in (Napier) was devastated
by an earthquake in 1931; the city-wide rebuilding that
necessarily resulted was predominantly in the then prevalent style of
Art Deco, making the city now into a gracious and
extraordinary living museum of this style.
We've managed to persuade the city's most distinctive boutique
hotel to give us all their rooms for our stay, which changes
our experience from merely being guests in a generic hotel
to having our own hotel for ourselves; a much friendlier and
more special experience.
We drive straight to one of the region's better known
wineries, where the owner has offered to give us a personal
tour and tasting. We also have lunch in his highly
regarded on-site winery restaurant.
We'll get to our lovely hotel mid afternoon. The
balance of the day is free, and you might wish to visit the
NZ Wine Center, located directly opposite to our hotel, and
with interesting exhibits and tasting opportunities galore.
Note - some upgraded room options
are available in our lovely Napier hotel, if you'd
like to consider this extra treat.
Included
Meals - Breakfast, Lunch
Special Feature -
Winery visit and tasting |
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Day 8 (Friday 2 Nov)
Local Touring, FAWC Opening |
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The Tukituki river and Te Mata Peak in Hawke's Bay.
NZ celebrity chef Ray McVinnie serving one of his
creations to participants at an earlier FAWC event.
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This evening marks the start of
Hawke's Bay's annual Food and Wine Classic (FAWC) Festival -
the 'anchor event' of our Epicurean Extravaganza, and
perhaps the country's finest wine and food festival.
FAWC offered over 50 featured events in
2013, many of which quickly sold out. It is expected
perhaps 60 events will be
offered during the ten days it will be held in 2014.
FAWC runs over two weekends and the week in-between; and
while there are events every day, the key events occur the
first weekend, which is (of course) the weekend we are
present.
You'll have already selected the events you will attend,
almost surely including the launch party this evening.
Earlier in the day, we'll enjoy some
sightseeing around beautiful Hawke's Bay, and will stop at
another winery for a special private tour/tasting with one
of the winery's senior executives.
There'll also be a chance to visit
one of David's favorite spots (he lived in Hawke's Bay in
the early 1970s and again in the early 1980s) - an 'ice
cream garden' that serves what many consider to be NZ's
finest ice cream.
Included
Meals - Breakfast
Special Features - Area touring, Winery
visit, Ice cream garden, FAWC opening |
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Day 9 (Saturday 3 Nov)
FAWC Events |
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Perhaps enjoy beautiful Hawke's Bay and its wineries from a
different perspective with an early morning balloon ride.
Or maybe attend a cooking demonstration/workshop and enjoy the
results
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More FAWC related events today.
There are a wide range of activities scheduled for today
- lunchtime, afternoon and evening events. Pick and choose
the ones which have most appeal.
Currently the 2017 schedule has not
been announced, but you can get a feeling for the range and
type of events by looking at the
2013 program (link currently works but will be replaced
eventually). There were 19 events to choose from on
this day of the 2013 Festival.
What a shame you can't be in two (or three!) places at
once. But, on the positive side, you'll have plenty of
reasons to return for FAWC again next year, too.
Included
Meals - Breakfast
Special Features -
Your
choice of FAWC events |
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Day 10 (Sunday 4 Nov - Guy
Fawkes Day)
More FAWC |
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The lovely Craggy Range winery, home to several
different FAWC events this weekend.
Wine sleeping softly at Craggy Range. |
Another wonderful line-up of gourmet food and world-class
wine events for Sunday (there were six different events to
choose from for this day of last year's Festival).
Perhaps you'll want to
participate in a master-class and actively add to your own
skills.
Perhaps you'd prefer to enjoy a degustation meal with the
chef, or enjoy tasting a flight of award wines, personally
introduced to you by the wine-maker in person.
There will be special meals at special venues, and
probably will be new exclusive wines released for the first
time over the weekend, giving you lots to enjoy and
appreciate.
Today is 'Guy Fawkes Day' in New
Zealand and other British Commonwealth countries - they
celebrate a failed attempt at blowing up the Houses of
Parliament in London back in 1605. There'll probably
be some fireworks and a bonfire or two about the town this
evening.
Included
Meals - Breakfast
Special Features -
Your choice of FAWC events |
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Day 11 (Monday 5 Nov)
To Wairarapa/Martinborough |
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A 'blast from the past' - a Four Square store, once
ubiquitous in NZ and the precursor to modern day
supermarkets, now seldom found, but here is one in
Woodville, where we stop for lunch.
Peppers Parehua, a
lovely treat for your time in the Wairarapa.
 Our pre-farewell dinner drinks at Peppers in 2014 in one
of their enormous suites - room for 20+ people and more. |
Although FAWC events run all this week, we are moving on
and continuing our exploration of New Zealand, its local
food, and its wonderful wines.
Today we travel down to the Wairarapa area, home of some
lovely very small wineries and great restaurants.
It is an easy half day drive, including a lunch stop in
the sleepy little town of Woodville, an interesting country
town with a few antique shops (ie shops that sell antiques)
and a few antique shops (ie old shops!) too.
The Wairarapa wine producing region is small in size, but
huge in style, and characterized by a multitude of small
boutique wineries.
Wines are acclaimed for the intensity in
their flavor and are described as old world style with new
world flair. Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc are the main
varietals, but Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, the
Cabernets and Merlot are all also grown.
This evening we have our farewell cocktail party and then
a barbeque dinner - hopefully outside if the weather
cooperates. This is invariably a fun and festive way
to celebrate the wonderful shared tour, and a great excuse
to drink any 'extra' bottles of wine that we don't feel able
to squeeze into our bags to take back home with us.
Included
Meals - Breakfast, Dinner
Special Features -
Farewell barbeque dinner |
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Day 12 (Tuesday 6 Nov)
To Wellington, main tour ends |
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Wellington is a truly lovely city.
The two buildings that comprise NZ's Houses of
Parliament.
There are plenty more wineries to visit if you wish to
stay on longer!
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After breakfast, we travel on to Wellington, New Zealand's capital city.
Although also set on a wonderful harbor, Wellington has
almost nothing in common with the feel and ambience of Auckland (and NZers believe the inhabitants are very
different, too).
Which is better? Decide for yourself!
A special experience today will be a
tour of NZ's Parliament House.
Our main tour comes to an end today, probably about
lunchtime, and you have a choice of being dropped off at
either the airport or centrally downtown.
What will you
do next?
If you choose to fly back home, you'll probably fly first
to Auckland (a quick one hour flight from Wellington) and
then on back to the US from there. You'll have plenty
of time to fly from Wellington to Auckland to connect with
the evening flights back home later today.
Due to flying back
over the date line, you'll arrive back in the US earlier on
the same day than when you left Auckland.
Alternatively, you might decide to
extend your Downunder experience a bit further and
continue on with us
to Tropical North Queensland for four nights.
And, of course, you might decide to do your own thing,
any other way you choose. Perhaps go elsewhere in
Australia, maybe fly back via Fiji or Hawaii, or maybe
extend your time in NZ on your own. We'll be happy to
help you create the experience you most desire.
Included Meals - Breakfast
Special Features -
City tour,
Parliament tour |
For More Information
Please return to the main
page for more information about our
2018 New Zealand Epicurean
Extravaganza Tour.
And here's a link to jump you directly down to the
booking form.
Alternatively, you can also visit our page with
additional information about our pre
and post tour optional extensions.
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 More
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