There are journeys that read like a storybook, turning one page after another at a steady rhythm. And then there are journeys like this one, swift, breathtaking, and deeply immersive – like a thrilling novel you just can’t put down – eleven lodges in eleven days across New Zealand, a glimpse into the life of a travel advisor where a single day often holds more than most travelers see in a week.
It may well be a new record for me, but what a joyful record to set!
Getting There
The adventure began in Los Angeles, slipping into the calm of the “Delta One Lounge” before the overnight flight. For those of us who treasure a seamless connection, the lounge offers delicious restaurant quality dining ordered from a menu (below fish tacos and spicy tuna hand rolls). Choose to curl up in a lounge chair and watch the big game, belly up to the bar, or take some sunshine on the sky terrace. Showers, massage pods, and other lovely amenities make the Delta One Lounge very different from a standard Sky Club experience.
NOTE: Image of SkyDeck at LAX Delta One courtesy of Delta Airlines.
Most notable is the return experience. On re-entry to the United States, Delta One passengers can clear customs and immigration in a private area before catching the elevator up to the lounge for breakfast.
Currently, Delta One Lounges are open in New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), Boston (BOS), and Seattle (SEA). Salt Lake City will follow soon, with Atlanta planned for 2028.
The direct flight from Los Angeles to Auckland takes just over thirteen hours. It is long enough to rest and reset before stepping into one of the most naturally stunning countries in the world.
When to Go
New Zealand rewards travelers in every season. Late spring through early autumn, October to April, is particularly beautiful. Days stretch long, evenings stay crisp, and the land transforms in color. By April, vineyards glow with gold. In spring, peaks are still dusted with snow. Each season tells its own story, and none disappoint.
Though I have been to New Zealand before, there is nothing more rewarding than stepping back into these landscapes with fresh eyes, ensuring every recommendation is crafted from first-hand experience and true passion. This beautiful country continues to be one of the top destinations for RTLM clients, and for good reason. If it’s not on your bucket list, it absolutely should be.
11 Lodges in 11 Days – South Island Edition
Before stepping into the cinematic drama of the South Island, it’s worth savoring a brief note on the name. New Zealand was first charted by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1642, who named it Nieuw Zeeland after a coastal province in his homeland. But long before European sails arrived on the horizon, the Māori had named this land Aotearoa – commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud. Both names still echo through the islands today, carrying stories of discovery, connection, and deep reverence for the natural world.
The South Island is a land of breathtaking contrasts. Snow-capped peaks, ancient glaciers, and fjords carved by ice with golden beaches, rolling vineyards, and serene countryside. Highlights include the majestic Southern Alps and Aoraki/Mount Cook, the awe-inspiring fjords of Milford and Doubtful Sound, and the lush wine regions of Marlborough and Central Otago.
Vibrant cities such as Christchurch and Dunedin offer culture and history, while Queenstown earns its reputation as the adventure capital with skiing, hiking, and world-class outdoor pursuits. Wildlife encounters abound: whales in Kaikōura, rare penguins near Dunedin, dolphins dancing along the coastline. With pristine national parks, iconic hiking trails, and some of the clearest night skies in the world, the South Island offers both thrilling adventure and tranquil escape.
Read all about NZ’s sub-tropical North Island in my blog here.
Otahuna Lodge
Otahuna is a grand historic manor. Built in 1895 for Canterbury pioneer Sir Heaton Rhodes, it is considered New Zealand’s most important example of Queen Anne architecture. With just seven suites, it feels less like a hotel and more like stepping into the home of gracious hosts who know exactly how to welcome.
Miles and Hall, “two boys” from New York fell in love with the South Island while on vacation in 2004 and subsequently purchased Otahuna, evolving it into an acclaimed luxury estate where no creature comfort has been overlooked, where each suite is a breathtaking respite, and where food and wine, and intuitive hospitality beckon guests to stay forever. NOTE: Image above courtesy of Otahuna Lodge.
The estate sits on the slopes of an ancient volcano. Thirty acres of gardens flourish with rare trees, daffodil fields, and kitchen gardens that provide much of the produce for the lodge’s celebrated culinary program. Inside, stained-glass windows catch the light, wood-paneled fireplaces glow, and the rooms carry a sense of history polished with care.
A word to the wise: there’s a jar of dangerously good brownies provided on the bedside table. Proceed with caution – or don’t.
Highlights
- A cooking lesson during cocktail hour with Executive Chef Jimmy McIntyre, who worked with ingredients just harvested from the gardens outside.
- Foraging mushrooms with the resident expert, among the century-old oaks and orchard-framed vistas of the Canterbury Plains.
- Sipping wines from the nearby Waipara Valley, one of the South Island’s emerging regions for pinot noir and aromatic whites.
Flockhill
Nestled in the Southern Alps, Flockhill is vastness itself. The station spans 36,000 acres of high-country land, pastures, braided rivers, and dramatic limestone boulders that make the landscape feel both ancient and cinematic.
Accommodations can be in one of the stand-alone villas or if traveling as a family or group of friends, you can take over the dramatic and sleek four-bedroom Homestead like we did and show cased below. NOTE: Image above courtesy of Flockhill.
The architecture of the main lodge is sleek and sculptural, its bold lines a striking counterpoint to the wilderness that surrounds it.
Meals here are divine, created by Chef Taylor Cullen, who infuses each dish with local story and flavor.
Touring the Station by ATV, bike, and foot was a thrill. The beauty of the majestic Southern Alps, the rivers and waterfalls, the vibrant life of a working alpine farm complete with sheep, horses, and bountiful gardens.
Highlights
- A station tour that revealed the rhythms of sheep mustering led by highly-talented female shepherds, and some of the most majestic horses I have ever witnessed, where tradition and innovation live side by side.
- Yoga, cycling, and guided hikes to boulders and rivers where endangered birds thrive.
- Dinner at Sugarloaf with Chef Taylor cooking local produce (like lamb) over an open fire, paired with beautiful Central Otago wines.
- Stargazing beneath skies untouched by light pollution where the Milky Way and Southern Cross cut brightly across the southern sky with absolute brilliance.
The Homestead at Flockhill
The Homestead at Flockhill deserves its own chapter. This four-bedroom villa looks across Lake Pearson, each room filled with views of Purple Hill and the alpine light that shifts by the hour. With its own private chef and staff, it is as intimate as it is luxurious. Dinner here was nothing short of exquisite, seasonal produce plated with finesse, paired with wines that carried the cool, mineral edge of the region.
There’s something deeply satisfying about taking over a private residence with your travel besties. Chef-prepared meals and fireside appetizers stretch into languid evenings, and mornings begin barefoot in the kitchen – granola in hand, coffee brewing, still glowing from yoga in the TV room.
Scenic Transfer from Flockhill to The Lindis
Travel in New Zealand is rarely just about getting from one place to another. Often, the journey itself is the memory. Leaving Flockhill, we were met on the lawn by a private helicopter and spirited away with the rotors lifting us gently into the alpine air.
The flight swept us across the Southern Alps, with the jagged peaks and turquoise lakes of Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park unfolding below. To drive here is one thing. To hover above glaciers and valleys that stretch forever is entirely another.
We landed at The Bad Decision, New Zealand’s highest altitude whisky hut. Tucked into a remote alpine station, it is as unassuming as it is unforgettable. A dram of whisky tasted different here, carried by the crisp mountain air and the knowledge that few people ever reach this perch.
From there, we continued southward, the helicopter skimming over rivers and ridgelines until The Lindis came into view, blending seamlessly into the folds of the Ahuriri Valley. It seems there is no such thing as an “ordinary” transfer in New Zealand!
The Lindis
The Ahuriri Valley is one of the South Island’s most dramatic landscapes, sculpted ridgelines, wide rivers, and silence that feels almost sacred. Rising gently from the earth, The Lindis mirrors that natural beauty, its sweeping timber arcs blending into the hillsides. The architecture is bold yet reverent, harmonizing with its surroundings. NOTE: Image above courtesy of The Lindis.
Inside, just five suites offer a refined retreat. Three glass pods scattered across the land invite guests to sleep fully immersed in the valley’s grandeur.
Highlights
- The Black Diamond Experience, a wonderful spot to stop for a private picnic after a morning hike or as a sundowner and pre-dinner horse-ride in.
- Beautiful meals served fire-side.
- Tracing constellations from the comfort of the jacuzzi, nightcap in hand.
Private Tasting at Cox’s Vineyards and lunch at Ayrburn
Just beyond Blanket Bay lies Cox’s Vineyard, a family-run estate that has earned its place among the most respected vineyards in Central Otago. At midday, we paused here for a private tasting, a chance to taste wines that have become hallmarks of this region’s terroir.
Pinot Noir remains the star, elegant and layered with notes of dark cherry and spice, a reflection of the schist soils and cool alpine climate. The Pinot Gris carried a delicate freshness, while the Chardonnay revealed richness balanced by crisp acidity.
Ayrburn
Afterwards, we continued to nearby Ayrburn for a leisurely lunch. Set within a collection of beautifully restored farm buildings, Ayrburn has quickly become a gathering place for those who love good food and fine wine.
While I did not take the bungee jumping plunge on this visit to NZ, some of my colleagues did. Check out my past New Zealand blog if you care to see the video of my daring – ONE and DONE – leap of faith!
Blanket Bay
If there is a quintessential alpine lodge in New Zealand, it is Blanket Bay. Opened in 1999 on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, framed by the Humboldt Mountains, it carries the grandeur of a traditional mountain lodge, soaring beams, roaring fireplaces, and deep armchairs that invite long evenings. The spa, outdoor pool, and lakefront setting make this as much a sanctuary as an adventure base. NOTE: Image above courtesy of Blanket Bay.
Every great lodge is helmed by an iconic leader, and here the managing director is the fantastic Tom Butler who treats guests and staff like family.
The accommodations range from intimate lodge rooms and spacious suites to private villas and a fantastic 4-bedroom Owner’s Residence. Each is designed with understated luxury, always with a sense of place. We had the privilege of staying in the Owner’s Residence highlighted below.
Highlights
- Exhilarating Jet boating on the Dart River straight from the dock at Blanket Bay.
- A helicopter excursion from the lawn at Blanket Bay through Fiordland National Park to Milford Sound Glacier.
- Wine tasting in Central Otago, one of the world’s southernmost wine regions, along with Patagonia, famous for its high-altitude, continental climate and high-quality Pinot Noir.
Leaving Blanket Bay, the journey continued not by road but by air to the one-of-a-kind Minaret Station.
En route to Minaret, our helicopter touched down on a glacier, paused above shimmering high-altitude lakes, and offered us the rare chance to witness heli-lobster fishing. Watching our skilled pilot swoop low to retrieve traps from the sea, knowing they would soon become part of the day’s feast, was nothing short of extraordinary.
Minaret Station
There are few, if any, places quite like this in the world. Minaret Station is a private, luxury lodge with rustic yet comfortable accommodation set in a remote glacial valley surrounded by towering peaks, accessible only by helicopter.
The attentive and warm team and outstanding culinary tradition make guests feel incredibly privileged.
With just four chalets, Minaret Station Alpine Lodge provides the opportunity to enjoy some of life’s most precious elements; time, fresh air and open space, whilst taking in the majesty of a high altitude working station in the Southern Alps.
Highlights
- Heli-hiking and heli-cycling.
- A sense of privilege in being somewhere that only a handful of travelers will ever experience.
Lodge Lorien & Elysium Lodge – Site Inspections
Near Queenstown, two lodges offered a glimpse of what is to come for discerning travelers. Lodge Lorien is bold and architectural, its interiors as sleek as the mountain peaks it frames. Elysium, by contrast, feels more like a warm embrace, blending intimacy with contemporary comfort. Both are designed for privacy, perfect for travelers who want to be close to Queenstown’s energy while retreating into their own sanctuary.
I am glad to assist my clients in selecting the perfect private villa stay, carefully curating each day’s adventures!
NOTE: Images above courtesy of Lodge Lorien and Elysium Lodge.
Reflections
Eleven lodges in eleven days may sound relentless, and in truth, it was, but this is the essence of what I do. To know each place, to feel its rhythm, and to experience it first-hand so that when I recommend it, it comes from lived understanding. For our clients, these are not places to rush through. They are places to linger, to savor, to immerse fully.
The South Island is a land of contrast and cohesion. Stained glass at Otahuna. Modern architecture at Flockhill. The elemental curves of The Lindis. The timeless alpine grandeur of Blanket Bay. The spirit and mystery of Minaret. And threaded through it all, the wines from Martinborough to Central Otago that speak of soil and season with every sip.
Together, these experiences form a portrait of New Zealand at its most refined and most raw. A land where nature leads, where Māori heritage offers depth, and where luxury is defined not by flash but by thoughtfulness and place.
Next, I will share stories from the North Island, geothermal wonders, cultural treasures, and evenings at some of the country’s most iconic retreats. But for now, the South Island remains imprinted in memory. A place where the earth, the sky, and the spirit of the land converge.