The exclusive six-day educational - hosted by ANZCRO and Air New Zealand - began with a drive from Auckland to Paihia in the beautiful Bay of Islands, from where they explored the region.
Highlights included a cruise to the famous Hole in the Rock on Motukokako Island and a trip to Waitangi, signing place in 1840 of New Zealand's founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi between the Māori tribes and the British Crown.
The group also took a full-day tour to Cape Reinga (Te Rerenga Wairua) at the very top of the North Island - a wild and relatively untouched region, rich in Maori culture. As Marita Behrendorff from Aspire Travel & Cruise in Maryborough, Queensland, discovered, it's home to some spectacular and fun scenery.
"We took a walk along the beautiful beach to the iconic Cape Reinga Lighthouse and then decided to give sandboarding a go. Three of us walked to the top of these massive dunes and then slide down, head first on boards.”
The group returned to Auckland via Hokianga, where Marita says they took a “quite spiritual” twilight tour of Waipoua Forest to pay their respects to Tane Mahuta, New Zealand’s largest kauri tree, which has stood for more than 2,000 years.
The educational finished with a tour of Waiheke Island, the most populated island in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf and home to some of the country's most picturesque wineries.