Superyacht · Lodges · Helicopters
From the Gulf
to the High Country
A superyacht, a private jet, helicopters, and three of the country's great lodges: Huka, Blanket Bay and Flockhill. Fourteen days in all.
The Brief
Designed for real guests
Designed for a group of eight whose brief was simply "the absolute best of the best". On departure, they described it as fourteen days of unique fairy tales.
“A superyacht with lots of toys, outstanding lodges, helicopter flights and activities that would take the group deep into New Zealand's wilderness were the priorities. Yacht crew, a dedicated private guide, pilots, chauffeurs and our activity partners all came together to make it happen.”
Gillian Buckley · Ahipara Luxury Travel
Every Ahipara itinerary is designed from scratch. This journey exists to whet your appetite and give us a launching-off point. Longer or shorter, more active or less: it's your trip, and we design it around you.
At a Glance
- Duration
- 14 nights
- Where
- Both Islands
- Pace
- Four bases, zero wasted days
- Stays
- 4 properties
In high season this journey averages approximately NZD $10,000 per person per day, based on a group of eight adults. Our management fee is 8.5% of total trip cost, disclosed upfront and set out in writing.
The Route
4 stays, one thread
Day by Day
The whole journey, unfolded
Leg 01 · Days 1–4
The Beast · private superyacht charter
Hauraki Gulf, Auckland · 4 nights
Arrive Auckland, board your superyacht
Met at the aircraft door and escorted through customs with priority, then transferred to Viaduct Basin to board The Beast, a World Superyacht Award winner with nine crew, a 13-metre sport-fishing tender, and 4,000 square feet of living space.
Hauraki Gulf charter
Three full days among the islands of the Gulf: fishing, diving, beaches with no footprints, and the yacht's toy garage at your disposal.
Leg 02 · Days 5–7
Huka Lodge
Taupō · 3 nights
South via Waitomo: Spellbound caves, private
A private glow-worm cave expedition at Waitomo en route to the central plateau, arriving at Huka Lodge, New Zealand's most storied riverside retreat, for three nights.
Pōwhiri: a Māori welcome
A private pōwhiri arranged through our long-standing relationships — not a performance, but a genuine ceremonial welcome onto the land.
Volcanic Extremes by helicopter
A morning with a master Māori carver, then a helicopter flight over Mt Tarawera and the volcanic coast, finishing with private after-hours access to the Wai-O-Tapu thermal wonderland.
Leg 03 · Days 8–11
Blanket Bay Lodge
Glenorchy · 4 nights
To the Southern Lakes via the top of the South
Fly south with a West Coast wilderness helicopter flight and remote lunch en route, arriving at Blanket Bay, Glenorchy, for four nights at the foot of the Humboldt Mountains.
Into the wilderness by off-road buggy
A private off-road buggy expedition into the high country behind Queenstown.
Queenstown with a private guide
A flexible day with one of our favourite guides — Skippers Canyon, wine, or whatever the group's energy calls for.
Wairaurahiri wilderness jetboat
A jetboat journey down the Wairaurahiri River through Fiordland's southern rainforest, lunch included.
Leg 04 · Days 12–15
Flockhill Lodge
Craigieburn Valley, Canterbury · 3 nights
Blanket Bay to Flockhill by helicopter, all day
A full-day helicopter transfer over the Southern Alps with backcountry landings, lunch, and a 4WD high-country drive, arriving at Flockhill, a lodge on a 36,000-acre high-country sheep station.
West Coast glaciers by helicopter
Full-day glacier flight from Flockhill, and after dark, the lodge's night-sky experience under some of the clearest skies in the southern hemisphere.
Kaikōura: whales and albatross
Helicopter to Kaikōura for whale watching from the air and an albatross encounter at sea, returning to Flockhill for a final evening: a boulders hike, the Cave Stream, and a last high-country dinner.
Make it yours
This journey was designed for one set of guests and will never be repeated. Tell us what moves you, and we'll design what comes next — from a blank page.