Bright green ferns from native bush in New Zealand

Luxury holidays to New Zealand

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Search for your luxury, bespoke holiday to New Zealand by region, special interest, theme or feature

Holidays by region

Search here to find our holidays to New Zealand by region.

Holidays by theme

Search here for a themed holiday such as a touring holiday, a suggested two centre holiday, family holidays, honeymoons and special occasions.

Holidays by special interest

Search here if you are looking for, for example, a wine-tasting holiday, a wildlife discovery holiday, a cultural holiday, soft adventure. Many more special interest holidays in New Zealand to be discovered here.

Holidays by feature

Search here for a special featured holiday that might be with a seasonal angle such as festivals, special events or sporting occasions. Combined early booking and special offer ideas will be found here too.

Then once you have had a look, speak to us and let us guide you using our knowledge and experience of the country.

Luxury holidays to New Zealand: luxury hotel holidays, touring holidays and special interest holidays

Our luxury holidays to New Zealand are tailor-made and offer an outstanding choice of luxury hotel stays, touring holidays and special interest holidays, allowing you to explore the untapped variety and beauty of these southern hemisphere countries. Luxury holidays and tailor-made tours for individuals as well as authentic travel experiences are exactly what we at Expressions Holidays specialise in. We have over 35 years’ experience in offering luxury, bespoke and tailor-made holidays for individuals to selected destinations around the world.

New Zealand was added to our portfolio about twenty years ago and is a destination perfectly suited to our skill and expertise in constructing complex touring itineraries. New Zealand starts as an enigma; for many of us it is such a familiar name with obvious connections and associations that have been with us all our lives (the All Blacks, kiwis, the Maoris, sheep and dairy produce, more recently its wines and Lord of the Rings) and yet mostly it is completely unknown to us in reality. We do not really know its geography, its landscape, its climate, its people, its culture, its way of life. For these reasons, you approach it as a journey of a lifetime. Added to the landscape is the range of experiences on offer, mainly associated with outdoor life, from tramping to fishing, from rafting to skiing. You can learn about life on a sheep station, you can take a bush walk with a botanist, you can learn about wine-making, you can gain an understanding of volcanoes. You can swim with dolphins, you can see seals basking in the sun, you can watch sperm whales feed, you can marvel at penguins in their natural habitat.

Finally, there is the human contact. In New Zealand you will be exceptionally well looked after. Not only is some of the accommodation on offer the most luxurious in the world in terms of spaciousness, quality and comfort, the personal interaction that awaits you is disarming and warming. New Zealanders typify the country they have both nurtured and created. They are genuine, open, welcoming and keen for you to embrace their world. And so, the visitor here easily embraces this new world. Luxury holidays and tailor-made tours for individuals as well as authentic travel experiences in New Zealand are at the heart of what we provide at Expressions Holidays.

Frequently Asked Questions

New Zealand rewards curious, unhurried travellers, and authentic experiences sit at the heart of the itineraries we design. Depending on your interests, we can arrange a guided walk through ancient kauri forest in Northland or along the dramatic Tongariro Alpine Crossing; private winery visits and cellar-door tastings in Marlborough, Hawke’s Bay or Martinborough; an immersive Maori cultural encounter — from a hangi feast and traditional welcome ceremony at Rotorua to guided storytelling at sites of deep cultural significance; a stay on a working sheep or merino farm estate, where you can take part in the rhythms of rural New Zealand at close quarters; an iconic train journey such as the TranzAlpine across the Southern Alps from Christchurch to Greymouth; and wildlife experiences ranging from watching sperm whales off Kaikoura to spotting little blue penguins, fur seals and rare kiwi in their natural habitats. We will weave whichever of these appeals most to you into a seamless itinerary alongside your hotel stays and wider touring.

Most of our clients visit both islands, and how you divide your time depends on your interests and the duration of your holiday. The North Island offers the volcanic drama of Rotorua and the Tongariro plateau, the wine country of Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa, the sophistication of Wellington, and the beautiful Bay of Islands in the far north. The South Island is where New Zealand’s most spectacular mountain and fiord scenery unfolds — the Southern Alps, Milford Sound, the glaciers of the West Coast, and the vineyards of Marlborough. We generally suggest allowing at least two weeks if you want to do justice to both, and three weeks or more if you want to explore in any depth. The islands are connected by a short domestic flight or a scenic inter-island ferry crossing; we will advise on which works best for your route and include it in the arrangement.

New Zealand has an exceptional range of luxury accommodation, and we tailor the mix to the character of each location. In Auckland or Queenstown you might stay in a boutique five-star hotel; in Marlborough or Hawke’s Bay, a vineyard lodge or elegant country house set among the vines; in the Southern Alps or Fiordland, an exclusive wilderness lodge where the scenery outside the window is part of the experience; and in the Wairarapa, a farm estate that brings you directly into contact with New Zealand’s pastoral landscape. We also include some of the country’s most celebrated properties — such as Wharekauhau Country Estate above Lake Wairarapa, or lodges set on the shores of Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown — where the hospitality is as much a highlight as the surroundings. As with all our holidays, we are happy to mix levels of accommodation to suit your preferences and budget across different parts of the itinerary.

New Zealand is an excellent destination for multi-generational travel precisely because it has so much range. For the more active members of the group, there is world-class hiking, kayaking in the Abel Tasman, jet-boating in Queenstown, and surfing on the Coromandel. For those who prefer a slower pace, the wineries of Marlborough, the thermal pools of Rotorua, and the extraordinary scenery of Milford Sound by boat or scenic flight offer equally memorable experiences without the exertion. We design itineraries that allow different members of the group to pursue different activities and regroup at the end of the day — the accommodation is usually the natural meeting point, and we select properties where the setting and the dining are worth returning to. We can also arrange that the itinerary allows for a stay with family or friends living in New Zealand, if that is part of your plans.

We recommend a minimum of two weeks for New Zealand, though three weeks allows a much more rewarding experience across both islands without feeling rushed. The country rewards those who resist the temptation to cover too much ground: the drives between stops are often as spectacular as the destinations themselves, and an unhurried pace suits the style of travel we arrange. New Zealand’s summer runs from November to March, which is the most popular time for warm weather, long days, and access to all hiking routes. Spring (September to November) and autumn (March to May) are quieter, with beautiful light and, in autumn, excellent timing for the wine harvest in Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay. Even winter has its rewards: the South Island ski fields, the drama of a snow-dusted Southern Alps, and fewer visitors at the most celebrated sites. We will always advise on the best timing for the combination of regions and experiences you have in mind.

Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be

● Single centre, multi-centre and tours
● Long or short stays
● Combine a variety of different hotels in different regions
● Utilise a variety of transport arrangements including scheduled flights, helicopters, trains, hire-car and local car transfers

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday
● Financial protection with our ATOL (3076) for all holidays including a flight and AFPS (6104) for all non-air holidays

Call us on 01392 441245

Luxury holidays to New Zealand: luxury hotel holidays, touring holidays and special interest holidays

Whilst it’s obvious to us at Expressions New Zealand and to our many regular clients, it’s worth explaining, if you are a newcomer to our site and our programme of luxury hotel holidays, what our holidays are all about and how they work. Expressions Holidays provides a framework for flexibility, personal requirements and individual arrangements. Everything we offer on this website and from our brochure can be booked as it is, or usually, customised at the request of clients. This might mean adding extra nights, reducing nights from suggestions, upgrading room types and including special arrangements. Our holidays are all completely tailor-made. Unless otherwise requested, we will include international and domestic flights, land and sea and all local arrangements as well as accommodation, in as many places for as many nights as you want, and any authentic experiences you might want us to include. A typical Expressions holiday to New Zealand combines a multitude of travel and land arrangements so that you experience a mixture of natural scenery, wildlife and activities with organised and secure arrangements, luxurious yet unique accommodation and levels of service and cuisine that satisfy the demands of the most discerning traveller. Almost always, our clients want a range of accommodation that combines luxury and practicalities and reflects the geographic location of each part of the tour. Ideally, once you have had a look at our holiday ideas, we speak to you about what you are looking for, so that we can then put together the ‘package’ for you, creating a tailor-made holiday and a price, along with upgrade and downgrade options. We find it most productive for us and our clients if we talk through the quotation, explain the day by day details and the pricing options. Then you have the full facts available in order to make your decision.

Our accommodation

Our range of accommodation offered to you includes luxury lodges, houses, boutique hotels, coastal hotels, grand hotels and arty city hotels (personally selected by our team of experts) for luxury holidays, touring itineraries and tailor-made travel arrangements. Hotels are chosen to reflect the character of their location and surroundings.

Travel in New Zealand

A holiday to New Zealand, particularly for the first time, will involve a fair amount of travelling. Distances may not seem particularly great but due to the terrain and the speed limits, you should allow plenty of time if travelling over land or you fly. The quality of the road surfaces (other than when you leave the public road to go onto lodge or farmland) is very good. However, the speed limit is a strict 100 km h and hardly any of the roads are dual carriageways. In addition to this, you should allow for mountainous or at least hilly terrain in many regions. Driving will be part of the holiday if you are to explore in any depth. With our holidays we include a Hertz group J car (Ford Escape or equivalent four-wheel drive), although smaller and larger cars are available too. You may and probably should choose to fly internally between some regions. Obvious examples here are between Bay of Islands and Rotorua, Wellington and Nelson or Blenheim, Christchurch and Queenstown. The domestic air network with Air New Zealand is excellent and criss-crosses the country with numerous services. In addition to road and air, you may want to take the Inter-islander ferry service between the North and South Islands. These vessels travel between Wellington and Picton, with a travelling time of about 3 hours. There is also a scenic train service, the TranzAlpine, that traverses the South Island between Christchurch and Greymouth, travelling through the Southern Alps.

Travel to New Zealand

Unless asked not to, we will include a flight from the UK to the destination and other internal flights as necessary. We work with a wide range of airlines but usually most clients choose Air New Zealand or Cathay Pacific when flying to and from New Zealand. British Airways works if you are combining New Zealand with Australia and flying via Australia. The airline chosen will depend upon the route you want, and the number of stopovers and where they are. We can offer you all classes on board.

Local airlines

Air New Zealand offers numerous routes and services throughout New Zealand and is the obvious choice for travelling between the north and south island, or Queenstown and Christchurch or Rotorua and Kerikeri, for example.

Local transport

When you arrive in New Zealand we would include a private transfer from the airport to your first hotel. After that, the means of transport will vary according to your itinerary. Private transfers, car-hire, trains and flights can be arranged.

Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be

Included in all our holidays

Call us on 01392 441245

Luxury holidays to New Zealand: luxury hotel holidays, touring holidays and special interest holidays

Luxury holidays to New Zealand from Expressions Holidays aim to provide you with an enrichening, encompassing and rewarding series of experiences. New Zealand overwhelms you with its pure and simple luxury. You are surrounded by spectacular natural scenery on a marvellous scale and magnitude. Coupled with this feast of beauty there is a fundamental wholesomeness and cleanliness. You notice a caring for the environment and it does feel clean and pure. This creates a luxurious and sense of privilege. Also, the scenery and climate changes every couple of hours as you journey through the country and yet everywhere, there is something attractive and welcoming to behold.

Regions of New Zealand

New Zealand’s two islands offer amazing contrasts in landscape and climate. The North Island ranges from the subtropical, almost winterless northern tip with its beautiful coastline and lush vegetation to the ski fields of Mount Ruapehu at nearly 3000 metres, from the graceful relaxation of Auckland to the Art Deco architecture of Napier, from the bubbling mud and spouting geysers of Rotorua at the heart of the island to the sun-drenched vines and orchards of Hawke’s Bay. The South Island offer the lush bush-fringed sandy coves and mild climate of the Abel Tasman National Park, the hidden inlets framed by native bush and calm seas for kayaking of the Marlborough Sounds, at Blenheim the flat lands full of vines beyond which rise parched-looking mountain ranges, verdant dense, rainforests of the west coast north of Fiordland and its mighty glacial valleys, lakes and inlets, snow-capped Mount Cook and the peaks of the southern Alps and then acres of fertile, flat, farmland on the east coast in Canterbury.

Country facts

Capital

Wellington

Airports

Auckland and Christchurch for international flights

Currency

New Zealand dollar

Size

1600 kms long and 400 kms wide (max)

Population

4.8 million

Average temperature

New Zealand enjoys a maritime climate, which explains partly the lush vegetation and the rich pastures, but also makes it very changeable. It is subject to prevailing winds from west to east although most rain falls in winter (June to August) and the summer months (December to March) are generally drier. The southern and western parts of the country are wetter than the northern and the eastern parts. On top of this longitude and altitude plays a role, with the northern part of the North Island enjoying an almost ‘winter-free’ year and being subtropical.

Unmissable holiday experiences in New Zealand

Waitemata Harbour ferry to Devonport, drive from Whangaroa to Matauri Bay, Waitangi National Reserve, Polynesian Spa in Rotorua, Pohutu geyser, Hobbiton, art deco Napier, orchard tour at Pernel fruitworld near Hastings, wine-tasting at Cloudy Bay, Cape Palliser seal colony, trek in Abel Tasman, kayak in the Marlborough Sounds, whale-watch at Kaikoura, glacier walks at Franz Josef, helicopter trip to Milford Sound, watch the bungy-jumping at Hackett’s Ledge Queenstown.