EPIC AOTEAROA

NEW ZEALAND

Epic Aotearoa links New Zealand's most dramatic southern landscapes by private air, glacial wilderness, alpine lakes, vineyard country, in one continuous sweep most visitors never get close to. You'll unlock corners of the South Island that simply aren't reachable by road. Expect a rhythm that swings between exhilaration and ease: jet-boat runs, glacier landings, quiet cellar-door evenings. This is New Zealand seen differently, faster access, deeper immersion, and a much better story to tell afterward.

Note that everything you see here is an example of what your trip could look like. Your adventure will be tailored specifically to you.

WHEN TO GO

DURATION

OCT - APR

12 NIGHTS

LANGUAGE

ENGLISH

CURRENCY

NZ DOLLAR

ESTIMATED COST

$12,900

per person, excl. int'l flights

(based on two adults sharing)

Why this adventure

The South Island doesn't do anything at a small scale, peaks, fjords, and wild rivers all colliding in a way that's genuinely hard to process from the ground. Private flight changes that entirely, skimming over braided rivers, circling ice-blue glaciers, landing in valleys that would otherwise take days to reach on foot. This trip is built for people who want both motion and meaning, heart-rate-raising adventure paired with real warmth, quiet lodges, and the sense of being held by a landscape that still feels genuinely untamed rather than managed for visitors.

Journey flow

It starts in Christchurch, then rises straight into the Southern Alps, where private flight reveals a landscape carved almost entirely by ice and wind. From there it's glacier country, airborne landings and wilderness walks accessible only by helicopter. The route drifts south into Fiordland next, descending through mist-fringed fjords for boat time, hidden coves, and the kind of stillness that's hard to manufacture. Then it traces Lake Wakatipu into Queenstown, jet boating and backcountry touring and alpine dinners. It closes in Central Otago's sun-warmed vineyards, private tastings and long evenings that finally slow the whole trip down after two weeks of momentum.

Take it farther

For travelers who want more, a private heli-hike or heli-ski session deep in an untouched Southern Alps basin is worth the add, terrain here simply isn't accessible any other way. We'd also build in a wilderness chef's table at a remote high-country cabin reachable only by helicopter, dinner with a view nobody else gets. For a genuinely rare finish, a night aboard a private vessel in Doubtful or Dusky Sound extends the fjord experience well past what a day trip allows.

Customize this itinerary

Every trip we design is built around you: your pace, your curiosity, your definition of a good day. No set departures, no group tours, no one-size-fits-all anything. If this itinerary sparks something in you, let's talk about what that could look like for you specifically.

START YOUR JOURNEY

Adventure highlights

DART RIVER JET ADVENTURE

A fast, genuinely cinematic run through braided rivers and beech forest behind Glenorchy, equal parts adrenaline and a real education in how this landscape actually formed.

FIORDLAND BY WATER & SKY

A dramatic air approach into shadowed fjord walls and waterfalls, followed by quiet boat time through inlets few visitors ever see. Few places show off both scale and stillness this well in the same afternoon.

GLACIER LANDING & ICEFIELD EXPLORATION

Touch down on a high alpine glacier for guided time among sapphire crevasses and ancient ice, with views running the length of the Southern Alps in both directions.

PRIVATE AIR CIRCUIT OF THE SOUTHERN ALPS

A flight path across glaciers, turquoise lakes, and razorback ridgelines that would otherwise take days to reach by road or foot. This is the itinerary's whole thesis in a single afternoon, the South Island seen at a scale that only makes sense from above.

How it unfolds

DAYS 1-3

CHRISTCHURCH & SOUTHERN ALPS

Christchurch sets the pace before the real flying starts, city time balanced against the first private air excursions into the Southern Alps. Braided rivers and jagged ridgelines unfold below, a preview of the scale this whole trip runs on. It's an easy entry point, enough time to adjust before the days get more physically demanding.

DAYS 4-6

GLACIER COUNTRY

Heli-access landings put you directly on high alpine ice, walking crevasse fields most visitors only see from a viewing platform miles away. Days alternate between glacier exploration and wilderness walks through rainforest that runs almost to the ice itself, a strange and genuinely rare combination.

DAYS 7-9

FIORDLAND

The descent into Fiordland's fjords by air is one of the trip's most dramatic moments, followed by boat time through inlets and coves that stay just as quiet as they look from above. This stretch runs slower than the rest, deliberately, after six days of near-constant motion.

DAYS 10-12

QUEENSTOWN & CENTRAL OTAGO

Jet boating and backcountry touring pick the energy back up around Lake Wakatipu, then the trip winds down properly in Central Otago's vineyards. Private tastings and long, unhurried evenings close things out, a genuine contrast to the adrenaline of the days before it and the right note to end on.

Where you could stay

THE GEORGE

A boutique hotel opposite Hagley Park and the Avon River in central Christchurch, small at just over fifty rooms and built around a real contemporary art collection from some of New Zealand's better-known artists. The restaurant has a strong local reputation in its own right, and the location puts you close enough to walk into the city center without needing a car for the Christchurch leg.

TE WAONUI FOREST RETREAT

A five-star property tucked directly into native rainforest near Franz Josef Glacier, built with a genuinely sustainable design that preserves the forest around it rather than clearing it. The rooms lean into natural materials and organic textiles, and the on-site restaurant runs on New Zealand produce with the West Coast's isolation actually working in its favor. It's the right base for glacier country, quiet enough to feel remote without sacrificing real comfort.

MATAKAURI LODGE

An intimate lakeside lodge on Lake Wakatipu, seven minutes from Queenstown but a world away from it in feel, with views running straight across the water to Cecil Peak, Walter Peak, and the Remarkables. Just a handful of suites and villas, an infinity pool that seems to disappear into the lake, and a kitchen built around local, seasonal New Zealand produce. This is the obvious choice for the Queenstown leg, close enough to town for convenience, private enough that it never feels like it.

Ready to start planning?

All Peregrine trips include:

Every trip we design starts from scratch, built around how you travel and what you're actually after. No fixed routes, no shared departures, no compromises. If something on this page resonated, that's a good place to start a conversation.