Virtuoso is the travel industry's leading luxury network. Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch visited Auckland in March as part of a family vacation to visit locations presented at Virtuoso's Sustainable Travel conference. Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) in partnership with the Department of Conservation (DOC) created a series of unique, sustainable and family-friendly experiences that showcased the region for Matthew and his whanau.
Te Haerenga was one of the experiences profiled, with Matthew and his whanau being hosted on Motutapu, one of the sacred islands of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki. Matthew's whanau was greeted with a traditional Māori welcome by chairman of the local iwi, James Brown, followed by a very special release of a native kiwi into Motutapu reserve. This was followed with lunch at Home Bay beach where the family experienced the customs, traditions and language of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki.
The overall trip was a great success with the visitors clearly impressed with their experience. In a handwritten card, Matthew praised the country's spirit: "There has been an evolution of luxury away from the over-the-top opulence into more of a real, warm, understated, cultural, special feeling that New Zealand has always had. The psychology of luxury travel has really shifted to what is the strength of New Zealand."
As a result Te Haerenga will be profiled in the 17/18 edition of the Virtuoso Life magazine highlighting the families experience and learnings.