New Zealand · Coastal Vineyard Country
The Near North
Sophisticated coast an hour from Auckland, and a world away.
The Region
An hour north of Auckland the country changes register: vineyards fold into sheltered coast, villages keep farmers’ markets and galleries instead of traffic, and private villas sit above water so protected it is a marine reserve. This is the near north, the corner sophisticated Aucklanders quietly retreat to, and most visitors drive straight past.
It suits the beginning or end of a journey perfectly: close enough to the international airport to be effortless, far enough to feel like the holiday has already started. We place guests here when the brief says ease — cellar doors and long lunches, sand between engagements, nothing performed.
01
A Moment We Design
A villa above the marine reserve
The quiet luxury end of the north: a private villa above protected water, where the day’s biggest decision is whether the swim comes before or after the wine. We know the handful of properties worth the name, and which suits which guest.
02
A Moment We Design
Matakana on a Saturday
Matakana is what happens when winemakers, potters and cheesemakers take over a village and nobody stops them. The Saturday market is the institution; the cellar doors and studios around it fill the rest of the day. We arrange the introductions that turn a browse into a conversation.
03
A Moment We Design
Links land
Above the white sand at Te Arai, two new championship links have joined the world conversation almost overnight — dune golf of the kind usually filed under Ireland or Oregon, with the Pacific for a backdrop and spa, tennis and trails for the non-golfers in the party.
When To Come
The season is part of the design
The near north keeps Auckland’s calendar: long warm summers from November to April, with February and March the settled, golden heart of it.
Winter is soft rather than cold: green paddocks, quiet cellar doors, log fires in the villas. For food-and-wine travellers it is arguably the more generous season, because everyone has time to talk.
Design your journey
Tell us what pulled at you here. We'll design the journey around it, with the right people waiting when the helicopter lands.
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