Destination highlights
The Maori call New Zealand Aotearoa—the land of the long white cloud. It’s untamed, natural beauty has made it a favourite among filmmakers, with its two islands encapsulating drama and a thrilling diversity of landscape. Step into this cinematic backdrop and you will find delightful people, world-class produce and remarkable cool-climate wines.
- Pure Origins: New Zealand is defined by isolation. Surrounded by vast oceans and fed by glacial waters, ingredients are hyper-local, seasonal and exceptional quality.
- Kaitiakitanga: Kiwis operate with a deep sense of guardianship over the earth, confident that true luxury must respect nature and protect the soul of the landscape.
A spectacular landscape, just waiting to be explored…
Why go with us?
Leave the organisation to us, and you can sit back and enjoy;
- Wine and gastronomy design
- The fine art of wilderness luxury
- Keys to the ultimate lodge stay
Tastes Travel is one of the leading houses of bespoke epicurean travel. For over a quarter of a century, we have nurtured deeply personal, closed-door relationships with elite winemakers, Michelin-calibre chefs, private estate owners, and luxury lodge hoteliers.
When designing your journey in New Zealand, we optimize your time and movement across two dramatic islands using private charter turboprops, executive twin-engine helicopters, and premium chauffeured vehicles for effortless regional transfers across breathtaking terrains. We provide expert bilingual guides, wine educators, and well-connected local specialists to foster private access, meaningful connections, and exceptional gastronomy.
When you travel with Tastes Travel, you step directly into private cellars and dining rooms where uncompromising craftmanship continues to elevate the simple into high art every single day. One such experience is the chance to enjoy a vertical tasting of Te Mata Coleraine, considered by many to be the Southern Hemisphere’s greatest red wine.
LEGEND SPOTLIGHT: Craggy range
The Peabody family are the visionary boundary-pushers of Hawke’s Bay, who founded Craggy Range in 1997 with one ambition: to create an estate from scratch that could compete with the oldest First Growths of Europe. While building their stunning architectural headquarters and luxury lodges at Giants Estate, beneath Te Mata Peak, they recognized that the true engine room for world-class fine wine lay further inland. Building upon the geological red wine breakthroughs first mapped out in the 1980s by local pioneer Chris Pask, founding director Steve Smith MW famously told Terry Peabody that the raw, ancient riverbed of the Gimblett Gravels was the future of New Zealand wine.
Traditionally, the late-20th-century market viewed this land as a barren, worthless wasteland, and a massive corporate concrete company was actively preparing to mine the site for industrial gravel. Instead, Terry Peabody successfully acquired the untouched property in 1997, focusing on a philosophy of single-vineyard terroir sourced on this pristine soil. They realized that the baking, heat-retaining greywacke stones provided the perfect home for making great wines.
This focus on the gravels yielded immediate, world-shaking results. Sourced 100% from these stony terraces, their flagship Bordeaux-blend, Sophia, and their monumental Syrah, Le Sol, immediately took the wine world by storm. After boldly cancelling their entire 2012 production due to poor weather, Craggy Range capitalised on a historic 2013 summer drought to craft a flawless, globally acclaimed vintage that permanently elevated both labels into the ranks of the world’s elite investment wines.
Nowadays, Craggy Range is more famous than ever. Driven by the prestige of these gravel-grown icons, the estate recently made wine history by becoming the first New Zealand winery admitted into the ultra-exclusive global trade network La Place de Bordeaux, alongside a handful of elite wines of France and Napa Valley. Crowned the Global Winner of the prestigious Best of Wine Tourism Awards, and sweeping the national hospitality awards, its luxurious lodges and two-hatted restaurant, Craggy Range has transformed the ancient stones first championed by Pask into the most celebrated, award-winning wine emporium in the modern world.
Regions of note
01. Hawke’s Bay & Gimblett Gravels: Legendary Cabernet blends and Syrah estates, Art Deco architectural wonders, and superb Pacific coast marine gastronomy.
02. Central Otago: The world’s southernmost vineyards, producing monumental Pinot Noir, surrounded by dramatic glacial lakes and alpine panoramas.
03. Marlborough: Vibrant, world-famous Sauvignon Blanc, complex traditional-method sparkling wines, and the serene, boat-access-only sounds.
04. Waiheke Island & Auckland: Ultra-premium micro-climate Cabernet and Syrah, pristine white-sand beaches, and contemporary, world-class urban dining.
05. Canterbury & Waipara Valley: Crisp, mineral-driven Rieslings, elegant Chardonnays, and dramatic, snow-capped Southern Alps backdrops.
06. Nelson: Artisanal skin-contact and organic wines, vibrant contemporary art communities, and pristine, sun-drenched coastal reserves.
discover spectacular new zealand
Get in touch to secure your private, 15-minute video consultation.
Our senior team works flexibly across global schedules—whether that means an easy afternoon consultation for our US clients, a bright morning session for our Australian partners, or a convenient midday slot in the UK.
Recent New zealand parties
the presidents tour
(10 people)
Discover the definitive Southern Hemisphere harvest. Tastes Travel invites a maximum of 10 guests on an unparalleled 14-night expedition pairing New Zealand’s most dramatic landscapes with unprecedented private access to the country’s premier culinary icons and master winemakers.
The journey begins with four nights at Queenstown’s alpine sanctuary, Rosewood Matakauri. Soar via private tandem helicopter over the awe-inspiring fjords of Milford Sound before enjoying an intimate, paddock-to-plate lunch at the historic Royalburn Station. Spend a sensory afternoon in Bannockburn, exploring the region’s greatest Pinot Noirs.
Fly north to the historic Otahuna Lodge for two nights of autumn-harvest gastronomy and a high-impact alpine heli-hike into Arthur’s Pass National Park. Next, board the coastal Pacific Train to Marlborough for two nights at the Marlborough Hotel, featuring a private chartered cruise on the spectacular Marlborough Sounds and an intimate, family-hosted evening with the Waghorns of Astrolabe Wines.
Crossing the Cook Strait, skip urban congestion with a scenic helicopter flight to the lawn of Wharekauhau Country Estate. The following morning, experience the ultimate North Island Heli-Wine Safari. Fly north to land on-site at Ata Rangi for an exclusive old-vine barrel masterclass, before flying to Craggy Range Giants Estate in Hawke’s Bay for two nights dining and drinking luxuriating in striking surroundings beneath Te Mata Peak.
Conclude your stay, with three nights at the waterfront Park Hyatt in New Zealand’s biggest city, Auckland. Board a luxury superyacht directly from the hotel’s private pontoon to cruise the Hauraki Gulf, landing on Waiheke Island for a final, leisurely lunch at a vineyard.
Guest reviews
“Every travel detail has been considered.”
sir peter stothard, edit, times literary supplement
