As apart of my job, there are perks of attending Famils (Familiars) which is a short way of saying, we get offered to go away (for a fee) and get shown around to learn and experience their products!

I was lucky enough to get offered a spot on a New Zealand famil with one of our wholesalers! To say I was stoked would be putting it lightly!

Here is the rundown of my North Island adventure!

Flying over to Auckland we took the approx 9am flight with Virgin (I will write a review on them later) and arrived into Auckland just after 2pm (local time). What I was excited about is that we were off to the beautiful Waiheke Island for two nights to stay at an amazing property called Delamore Lodge (I like to call this the Santorini of Auckland)

The island of Waiheke itself is full of wineries and food venues (perfect for me as I love food!) We were lucky enough to visit Cable Bay on the night we arrived and were ushered off to the “Wine Library” were we enjoyed an intimate dinner in our own special room with wine barrels in the background.

Image sourced from TripAdvisor

They were lovely enough to put on a large spread for us and we feasted until we could eat no more! I just wished I had taken a photo of how beautiful the food was!

The next morning we were lucky enough to have a private tour around the island stopping off at Casita Miro for a matching wine and food tasting. Safe to say that I’m not a wine lover and after trying (sipping) all of the red wines, I offered them up to others in the group!

Around the island, we come across this rooster park (Onetangi Sports Park), where farmers have dumped all their unloved roosters and they have made a clan of their own. Some locals are lovely enough to feed them daily, it is defiantly and interesting sight to see and not something I expected so of course we got out and said hi to them all!

We visited the i fly on waiheke but could only watch a group in action as they were booked out and we had not planned ahead (note to self pre book activities!) from a distance it looked like so much fun though!

After a full day of driving it was time for some dinner and Mudbrick Winery was the perfect place! The setting was beautiful but the food was to die for! Highly recommend a dinner date here on any visit!

After a resting night back at Delamore Lodge by the fireplace the next morning we headed straight for Wild on Waiheke for an action packed morning of archery and clay shooting before enjoying a few home made pizzas and a beverage or two!

After much adventure on Waiheke it was time to head back to Auckland so we waited patiently for our transfer back to the main land and took some memorable selfies seen below.

Once we arrived back into Auckland we travelled to our next hotel, the Langham Auckland where we were to meet a larger group of travel agents for the remainder of the adventure.

With time to spare in the day, a group of us headed on a walk into the city to visit the Skytower for some spectacular views. One thrill seeker even jumped off the building! (Not me)

After this it was time to head back to the hotel to get ready for the official welcome party which was to be hosted on Hauraki Blue Cruise! (Unfortunately the company has now closed) One of my favourite memories from the trip, we sailed around the harbour of Auckland even getting a glimpse of the Harbour Bridge.

After the night on the cruise and a visit to a few bars close by it was time to go back to the hotel, but not without one last adventure. Sat outside were a few bike taxi’s and after some convincing we opted this over a standard taxi and I must say it was a great way to see the city at night! as you can see everything without the pain for walking! Highly recommend!

After a big night on board the cruise boat, it was an early start and a bus ride out of the beautiful city of Auckland and headed towards Rotorua.

On arrival, we got settled into our hotel (Novotel Rotorua), had some lunch and then got prepped for our activities! I was able to take part in the luge and zip-lining at the top of the skyline (the gondola trip during the day is quite scenic!) and what an adrenaline rush that way (I’m not great with heights) and the Luge was fantastic if you love a bit of competition with your friends!

Image Sourced: www.myguiderotorua.com

That evening we were taken up to the Skyline restaurant for dinner! In order to get there you do have to take a Gondola to the top. We were lucky enough to have the local Mauri village preform for us and it is an experience I would always recommend! The skyline restaurants buffet dinner is worth every cent in my eyes! Anything you could ever want they had there including a large range of desserts to finish off the evening!

Image Sourced: www.ignitearchitects.com

The next morning we had to get down to business (the work part of the trip) and meet with some amazing suppliers from all over Australia and New Zealand! In the afternoon we were taken to Agroventure Adventure Park to part take in some adrenaline activities as Agro have jet boat rides, Swings and Skydiving Simulators!

After this we took a drive out to explore the wonderful world of Hobbiton and from someone who does not watch or enjoy the Lord of the Rings series, I loved this experience and the history of the set! Our evening was finished off with nibbles and drinks in the one and only Green Dragon Inn.

Image Sourced: www.klook.com

Image Sourced: www.abroad.theaureview.com

The trip concluded the next morning with the drive back to Auckland to fly out to Australia!