We like to think small. In a place as grand as this, the simplest pleasures are often the most rewarding. Yes, New Zealand is big—Brobdingnagian-big. But it’s the little things, like communing with the wildlife (like penguins, seals, dolphins and the world’s only alpine parrot), strolling through the hills (to a treehouse suite at Hapuku, a majestic alpine lodge), slipping hither and thither on a boat (to a secluded hotel in the Marlborough Sounds that’s only accessible by one) and sampling local delicacies (delicious lamb, exquisite seafood, stellar wine and the fish ‘n chips in Kaikoura, all arguably the world’s best) that really matter. See? It’s all in the small (read: large) details.

• Read B&R’s Top Ten Reasons to Visit New Zealand in our newsletter The Slow Road

Day 1 Ease into your stay with a delicious dinner at Marlborough Sounds’ remote Bay of Many Coves Resort
Day 2 Go “tramping” (Kiwi for hiking) along the magnificent Queen Charlotte Track
Day 3 Take in the floor-to-ceiling view from your treehouse suite at the contemporary-yet-rustic Hapuku Lodge
Day 4 Hike the secluded Puhi Peaks Nature Reserve to a feast deep in the valley peaks
Day 5 Board a private boat and head into the bay, keeping an eye peeled for dolphins
Day 6 Witness the natural beauty of the Island as the birds do from the window of our private plane
Day 7 Tramp through manuka and beech forest around Lake Te Anau
Day 8 Boat alongside towering cliffs in search of the world’s rarest penguin in Fiordland
Day 9 Breakfast in Te Anau, then ka kite in Queenstown