New Zealand cuisine features fresh Pacific seafood, lamb, and dairy products with strong Maori and Pacific influences. Green-lipped mussels, Bluff oysters, crayfish, and blue cod are regional specialities. The hangi, a traditional Maori earth oven feast, is a cultural dining experience. The craft beer and wine scene is world-class, with Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Central Otago Pinot Noir among the finest globally. Farm-to-table dining and artisan food producers are abundant throughout both islands.

Cordis Auckland

Hotel DeBrett

SKYCITY Hotel Auckland

Viaduct Harbour Apartment

The Kermadec Islands are New Zealand's most remote and exclusive diving destination, a subtropical volcanic archipelago located over 1000 kilometres northeast of the North Island. Raoul Island, the largest in the group, offers subtropical diving with massive groupers, Galapagos sharks, black coral, sponges, schools of kingfish, and seasonal humpback whale encounters in waters of extraordinary clarity. The volcanic origin of the islands creates dramatic underwater topography with walls, pinnacles, and geothermal features that support a unique blend of subtropical and temperate marine species. The islands are a strict nature reserve with no permanent human population, accessible only by liveaboard expedition or scientific research vessel. The diving is expedition-style with multiple dives per day in waters that see fewer than 100 divers per year. The combination of subtropical biodiversity, volcanic geology, whale encounters, and extreme isolation makes the Kermadec Islands one of the most exclusive and sought-after dive destinations in the southern hemisphere. Every dive here feels like an exploration of untouched wilderness.

Kermadec Islands

Liveaboard expedition from Auckland, approximately 36 to 48 hours sailing

Dive Sites in Kermadec Islands