From thermal rivers to fiordland and back up to the subtropical north, this is New Zealand at its most rarefied: a string of the country's great sporting lodges, linked by private transfers and the occasional helicopter. Days are as full or as idle as you like.

Day 1-3 - Taupō · You're met on arrival and settled into Huka Lodge on the banks of the Waikato River, steps from the thundering Huka Falls. Fly-fish for trout, soak in the hot pools, or simply let dinner stretch out by the fire.

Day 4-6 - Wairarapa · A 15-minute helicopter flight along Palliser Bay delivers you to the front lawn of Wharekauhau, a 3,000-acre working sheep station. Tour the estate by 4×4, walk to the wild coast, and finish with a treatment at the lodge spa.

Day 7-11 - Queenstown & Glenorchy · At Blanket Bay on Lake Wakatipu, your helicopter lifts off for Milford Sound. Four remote landings follow: an alpine lake, a glacier, an empty West Coast beach. Lunch is a gourmet picnic and Champagne where no one else can reach. Then two nights in town at Eichardt's for wineries, Arrowtown and lakeside dining.

Day 12-13 - Canterbury · Otahuna Lodge, a grand Victorian manor outside Christchurch, is your base. Board the TranzAlpine across the Southern Alps, then explore Arthur's Pass with a private guide.

Day 14-16 - Bay of Islands · Close at Rosewood Kauri Cliffs, where the championship golf course runs along clifftops above the Pacific. Golf, spa, secluded beaches and Waitangi's history await before your private transfer to the airport.

Signature Moments

• Private helicopter arrivals and a four-landing Milford Sound flight with a Champagne picnic

• A behind-the-scenes tour of a working New Zealand sheep station

• Resident fishing guides on wild, untouched rivers

• Every flight, transfer and lodge stitched together, so you never handle a single logistic