New Zealand’s World-Class Wines

New Zealand’s ‘City of Sails’ is a bustling, bracing delight, spearheading the nation at the top of the North Island and surrounded by 48 staggering volcanic peaks. Leafy parks, the lively Viaduct Waterfront and museums filled with Māori treasures make the country’s largest city a fascinating base from which to escape to the North Island’s great outdoors, from its wild west coast to its dramatic headlands.

Known as the ‘fruit bowl’ of New Zealand, the healthy ecosystem in Hawke’s Bay means the land is generous in its gifts – its terroir and topography turns out world-class vineyards, orchards and lush market gardens fragrant with herbs. This is a region of sweeping ridges and golden sands. It’s synonymous with shiraz and chardonnay, but the rich birdlife of Cape Kidnappers, spectacular hiking trails and the striking art deco streets of Napier are just as deserving of a day trip or two.

Cable cars rush up its forested slopes, statues dot the scenic marina: welcome to small-but-mighty Wellington, where Māori and European history collide in the halls of Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand, and culinary surprises await in a city with more restaurants, cafes and bars per capita than New York City. 

Sitting in an oil painting of bright skies, vine-striped slopes and distant mountains, Blenheim is the gateway to Marlborough, one of New Zealand’s most famous winelands. Chic wineries are tucked into the furrows of this sun-kissed landscape, each one a destination in its own right: come for the prize-winning vintages and stay for the culinary masterpieces spun from fresh local produce. 

Whether seen from the sky-high gondola that hangs over the harbor or experienced on the streets, where gothic revival architecture and Art Deco design coexist, Christchurch packs plenty into its enviable east-coast location; spend the afternoon exploring its botanic gardens, fine museums or wild wetlands, or feast on the fresh produce and street food at the Riverside Market. 

Her fortunes once lay in lucrative rivers of gold, but Queenstown has reinvented herself as the country’s undisputed adventure destination. Oenophiles will find much to discover here, too: nearby are Central Otago, the world’s southernmost wine region, and Gibbston Valley, whose celebrated vintners offer tours and tastings of their pioneering local estates.