Waikato

The Waikato is New Zealand's heartland — rolling green farmland cut through by the country's longest river, with a subterranean world beneath that has no equal. The Waitomo Glowworm Caves have been drawing visitors since 1887, but an intimate private experience — candlelit passages through ancient limestone, Moa bones underfoot, a cavern ceiling alive with thousands of titiwai — is something altogether different from the tourist circuit.

Further south, where the Waikato River narrows into a turquoise torrent, sits Huka Lodge — the property that created the template for New Zealand luxury hospitality. Thirteen suites on the riverbank, a kitchen that has fed royalty and presidents, and a stillness that descends as soon as you arrive. For most guests, Huka Lodge is the moment a New Zealand journey shifts from a holiday into something more lasting.