New Zealand

New Zealand is two islands, and the South is the reason most members go. Summer runs December to March, when the Southern Alps are clear, the rivers are fishable and Queenstown, Wanaka and the Mackenzie country are at their best. Late March and April bring autumn colour without the crowds. June to September is the ski season, with Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and heli-skiing in the Harris Mountains.

Distances here are short by air and long by road, which is why helicopter time is the single best upgrade on any New Zealand itinerary. Milford Sound, the Tasman Glacier, the West Coast rainforest and Fiordland become a rotor hop rather than a day of driving.

Among our preferred hotel partners, Park Hyatt Auckland sits on the Viaduct Harbour and is the arrival and departure night on almost every trip. South of it, the properties we use are independent lodges in Central Otago, the Mackenzie basin and Fiordland, chosen on their own merits rather than for a badge.

New Zealand is the March leg of the OUIJETS twelve-month calendar, taken at the end of the southern summer. Ask your advisor about Fiordland charters, the Aoraki Mackenzie dark-sky reserve, and how much helicopter time to build in before you commit to a route.