AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND: ART, DESIGN & THE WORLD OF WEARABLE ART

• Enjoy five nights in Auckland, with behind-the-scenes tours of galleries with curators and of studios with fashion designers and makers

• Take a front row VIP seat for Wellington’s world-renowned World of Wearable Art, a celebration of innovation and sustainability in Aotearoa fashion

• Admire fine private collections and sculpture parks, in an Auckland home, at Brick Bay Winery and in lovely Martinborough

• Go behind the scenes at Wētā to find out how Kiwi ingenuity has changed film design, production and costumes from Wellington to Hollywood

• Benefit from the expertise of your tour leaders, an Australian fashion historian and a local specialist in contemporary art

WEDNESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER – ARRIVAL (D)

The tour commences in the lobby of our hotel at 4.30pm. Please note that no arrival transfers are included in the cost of the tour. Flights from Australia’s east coast arrive into Auckland airport in the early afternoon and a taxi trip into the city centre takes approx. 40 minutes.

After meeting our tour leaders, we travel together to Ponsonby Road for our orientation. Originally a working-class inner-city neighbourhood, this district has gentrified from the 1980s and is now a vibrant mix of boutiques, small galleries and restaurants. We call into a selection of local galleries, studios and boutiques, before enjoying a welcome drink and dinner together in a local restaurant. Overnight Auckland.

THURSDAY 24 SEPTEMBER – PUBLIC & PRIVATE GALLERIES, THE CHARTWELL PROJECT (B)

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki was established in 1888 and is the oldest permanent art gallery in Aotearoa New Zealand. Originally based around a significant colonial collection, including a striking series of nineteenth-century portraits of Māori by Gottfried Lindauer, the gallery has recently been the recipient of important bequests. These include a modern collection donated by American businessman Julian Robertson, valued at over NZD100 million, which went on display in 2024. We start our day with a curator-led tour of the gallery, followed by time to explore the collections independently and to have an independent light lunch in the gallery café. Afterwards, we continue together to Fingers, a landmark commercial jewellery collective and gallery that has worked closely with jewellery artists for more than fifty years. We meet a local maker and see the inventive works on display. This afternoon we travel by coach to Gow Langsford Gallery in Onehunga. It is one of the country’s most important commercial galleries and we meet the director and view the current exhibition. Upstairs, we learn about The Chartwell Project. This extraordinary philanthropic enterprise has seen the collection of more than 2,000 contemporary artworks, purchased in trust and currently on long-term loan to Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. We have viewed some of these works on our morning visit. Returning to our hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Auckland.

FRIDAY 25 SEPTEMBER – ON WAIHEKE ISLAND (B, L)

Waiheke is a beautiful island lying in Hauraki Gulf and easily reached by ferry from Auckland. For much of Aotearoa New Zealand’s colonial history, it has been a holiday destination for Auckland residents and it still preserves the bohemian character that attracted local artists and artisans from the 1970s. This morning we journey by ferry from Auckland harbour to Waiheke Island, where we meet a local minibus and travel to Waiheke Community Art Gallery to meet the director and learn about the current exhibition and the art community on the island. There is time to stroll the main street of Oneroa and to visit a local artist’s studio on our way to lunch at a local winery. We sample the high-quality wine produced on the island before returning to Auckland by ferry in the late afternoon for an evening at leisure. Overnight Auckland.

SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER – FASHION & CRAFT IN AUCKLAND (B)

Today we start with a talk by our expert tour leader before embarking on a day of visits to studios, workshops and galleries. From an early colonial focus on practical and sturdy clothing, New Zealand fashion designers came into their own in the postwar period, and by the 1980s and 1990s key local players had emerged: Trelise Cooper, Kate Sylvester, Zambesi and Karen Walker – the latter two were even invited to show at London Fashion Week. Today, the industry is known as the regional leader in its focus on sustainability in design and production. We finish the day with a visit to Masterworks Gallery, where we learn about contemporary craft, objects and jewellery over a glass of wine. We return to the hotel for an evening at leisure. Overnight Auckland.

SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER – BEACHES, BOUTIQUES & BRICK BAY SCULPTURE (B, L, D)

NB: today is the first day of Daylight Savings in New Zealand. This morning we head north to the scenic Matakana coast, to visit the Brick Bay Winery and Sculpture Trail. Here the extensive property boasts a carefully managed native landscape, with a 2km sculpture trail with over 60 contemporary artworks by artists from Aotearoa. After an informal lunch together, we break our journey back to Auckland to visit a private art collection. We enjoy dinner together before returning to the hotel. Overnight Auckland.

MONDAY 28 SEPTEMBER – TO WELLINGTON (B, D)

We check out of our hotel and travel together to Auckland airport for a morning flight to Wellington. On arrival we will head straight to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa for a brief independent lunch stop before we take a curator-ledtour of the museum, with a chance to get behind the scenes. New Zealand’s excellent national museum has a diverse collection that is thoughtfully curated, from colonial paintings to significant Māori artefacts. The museum is also the location for a unique marae, or Māori cultural meeting place. A bright and colourful space with symbolically-designed stained-glass windows, it is used for traditional ceremonies but is also a showcase for contemporary Māori art and design. There is time to explore the collection independently before we continue to our hotel and check in. Dinner tonight is in a local restaurant. Overnight Wellington.

TUESDAY 29 SEPTEMBER – MARTINBOROUGH & A PRIVATE COLLECTION (B)

Today we head out of Wellington and into the beautiful Wairarapa. In the southern part of this district lies Martinborough, an important centre for the Wairarapa wine region – particularly of Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc wines – and set against the dramatic backdrop of the Remutaka Range. Colonisation in this region intensified from the 1870s, and a number of historic mansions and streetscapes have been preserved. We visit one residence, Rototāwai, a stately homestead whose owners, the Bidwill family, have lived on the property since the 1840s. After a brief period of ownership outside the family, Rototāwai was purchased by the present owner and returned to the Bidwill family, becoming a gallery setting for an extraordinary private art collection. The paintings, prints and sculptures are the work of established New Zealand artists, beautifully complemented by the contemporary interior design of the 1920s homestead. After our visit, and time for lunch at leisure in Martinborough village, we have a tour and tasting of a local winery. Returning to Wellington, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Wellington.

WEDNESDAY 30 SEPTEMBER – FASHION, DESIGN & THE WĒTĀ WORKSHOPS (B)

Our program this morning is focused on Wellington’s gallery and design scene, and we visit a workshop and a number of local galleries. The capital has several vibrant neighbourhoods, such as the quirky boutiques and contemporary art galleries of Cuba Street – and thanks to the compact nature of Wellington’s CBD, there is also the opportunity to enjoy the city’s coffee culture over lunch at leisure. In the afternoon, we make the short trip to Wētā Workshop for a guided tour. One of Aotearoa New Zealand’s proudest design exports, this creative company delivers an extraordinary range of innovative services that is difficult to summarise: concept design, special effects, props and video games are all part of their ever-expanding brief. Named for one of the country’s most unique animals – and one of the world’s largest insects – Wētā famously delivered the special effects for Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films. Returning to the hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Wellington.

THURSDAY 01 OCTOBER – A WORLD OF WEARABLE ART (B, D)

We begin the day with a presentation in the hotel by one of our tour leaders, a historian of fashion.
She introduces us to the World of Wearable Art, founded by Dame Suzie Moncrieff in Nelson in 1987. This design competition sees entries every year from artists in more than 40 countries, with their submissions judged on their originality, innovation, concept, quality of construction and performance. By 2005 it had outgrown its Nelson venue and it has subsequently been staged in Wellington. In 2022 WOW was sold to STILL, the New Zealand-based cultural enterprise founded by Hideaki Fukutake. Fukutake is a director of Japanese company Benesse Holdings and son of Soichiro Fukutake, the founder and patron of the Benesse Art Site on Japan’s so-called ‘art islands’. Afterwards, we travel to The Dowse Art Museum in Lower Hutt for an expert-led tour of this art gallery which, in addition to paintings, is known for its installation-based exhibitions focusing on ceramics and fashion. We return to Wellington in time for a late lunch and afternoon at leisure. In the early evening, we have VIP access to the World of Wearable Art, which includes dinner and runway-side tables. After enjoying the extraordinary spectacle of cutting-edge fashion and design, we make the short walk back to our hotel. Overnight Wellington.

FRIDAY 02 OCTOBER – DEPARTURE (B)

The tour concludes after breakfast in our hotel. While no departure transfers are included in the cost of the tour, it is a short and convenient journey by taxi from our hotel to Wellington airport. Our partners at Mary Rossi Travel will be pleased to assist with any arrangements, including flights and comprehensive international travel insurance.

Mövenpick Hotel Auckland 5* Auckland Viaduct, 5 nights

https://all.accor.com/hotel/1721/index.en.shtml

An elegant hotel located on Auckland’s harbourfront. Close to the Viaduct restaurant precinct and well placed for our excursions out of the city and across to Waiheke Island.

Museum Apartment Hotel 4* Wellington, 4 nights

https://www.museumapartmenthotel.com

 A quirky harbourfront property, located within the QT Wellington building, with the right vibe for our design-conscious itinerary! Well positioned for our touring program, close to restaurants on Courtenay Place and within walking distance of trendy Cuba Street.

NB: hotels of a similar standard may be substituted.

• 9 nights’ accommodation at 4* and 5* hotels

• All breakfasts and 6 lunches or dinners, with drinks

• One-way flight in Economy class from Auckland to Wellington

• VIP entry to the World of Wearable Art

• All ground transport, guided tours and entrance fees to sites as mentioned in the itinerary, and tipping (please note that no transfers from Auckland airport at the start of the tour or to Wellington airport at its conclusion are included in the tour price)

• Talks by and expertise of both an Australian and a New Zealand-based tour leader throughout

A $1,000pp deposit is required at the time of booking to hold your place on tour.

A second deposit of $2,000pp is due on 26 May 2026.

We will invoice you for final payment for the tour, due on 10 July 2026.

When you book on one of tours, we ask you to accept our terms and conditions. You can read our terms and conditions here.