Auckland Sporting Incentive $$

A 6-day Auckland incentive programme focussing on rugby, sailing and Maori

Auckland is New Zealand's largest city, with 1.2M people (25% of the country's population), strong ethnic diversity, vibrant businesses and an excellent restaurant scene. Some historians also attribute Auckland's growth to the excellent lifestyle available here. Every day, many Aucklanders work from 8am to 4pm, leaving a few hours in the late afternoon available for fun - often an outdoor activity.

This itinerary focusses on Auckland strengths and unique characteristics in order to produce a short, exclusive, incentive trip. The standard New Zealand incentive destinations of Rotorua and Queenstown have done well for many years and have quite a number of good events available. This 6-day incentive in Auckland goes a little bit further! Our speciality in New Zealand is getting our people "on the inside". It doesn't get much more "inside" than this.

As with all our incentives we strongly recommend smaller groups in order that each individual should get the most out of the trip. Everything mentioned here is customisable as per client request. Cost will of course be heavily influenced by the options selected by the event organiser - scale of events, number of clients, entertainment/dinners etc.

Day One

Arrive at Auckland International Airport. VIP meeting at the door of the aircraft and escort through the priority exits. Transfer to waiting helicopters (luggage goes by road) for a scenic flight over the city centre, over the West Coast and Auckland Harbour before setting down at the central city heliport. 5 minute transfer to your boutique hotel on the waterfront. Massage treatment on arrival, and a relaxed dinner that night on Auckland's waterfront.

Day Two

Today is scheduled as a day on the harbour. Our sailing specialist, Ian Stewart, currently director of logistics at Team New Zealand (our America's Cup team) and with a long history of performance at the highest level, will meet you, together with his sailors, at the yachting base. The event today can range from a full-on match race involving two America's Cup yachts, through to a multiple MRX (40ft yacht) regatta, and onto a more relaxed long-distance sail on an ocean going yacht. Our sailors are either current Team New Zealand sailors or sailors who have a lifetime of achievement in international competitions. Again, on the America's Cup yachts, we place 5 sailors in with our clients for a full experience, a very hands-on experience, we use current equipment, current sailors, and even the offical Team New Zealand chase boats and staff. On the MRX yachts we would probably put one or two per yacht. The day would then involve a morning of training, an afternoon of racing, and an evening at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

Day Three

Today is a free day. We have a number of activities which clients can choose from, or they are welcome to just relax:

a day with a landscape gardener viewing private gardens, meeting owners, understanding elements of New Zealand design and landscaping
a day with an international wine marketer exploring the New Zealand wine scene - from vineyards to bottling, production to marketing, West Coast to Waiheke
a day with a professional art buyer seeing galleries and private collections based on your preferences
a day on a jetski tour of a remote piece of coastline
a day hiking Auckland's remote West Coast (scenes from The Piano, Xena etc)
golf, at a number of good courses
diving at one of Jacques Cousteau's top 10 sites, 2 hours north of Auckland

Day Four

This is our testosterone and adrenaline day. Either drive or take a helicopter south to Ardmore airfield. Split into two groups. One group takes a helicopter flying lesson while the other goes to the Warbirds club and is briefed on their mission for the day. This is a 6-aircraft simulated formation divebombing mission in 2-seater 1930s Harvard aircraft. The aircraft take off in formation, fly in formation (wingtips 20ft apart), dive bomb an uninhabited island in formation, and return in formation. The groups then swap, then move further south to the Maramarua Forest where a buffet lunch will be provided under a small marquee. Around the marquee will be some hay bales, some spare tires, a blackboard, a number of full specification current rally cars, some professional drivers and a 4.5km closed loop circuit - part of the official New Zealand rally circuit. This is a rally driving school. That evening we can either put together a small exclusive dinner or a gala dinner based on requirements.

Day Five

In the morning, the group will go to a rugby field where they will meet a number of All Black celebrity players put together by Grant Fox, world-class fly half and our rugby specialist. We will quickly split up into a number of teams and do some light training and exercises, followed by a competition. Then, together with the players, we will take a luxury launch out on Auckland's harbour for a spot of recreational fishing. In the early afternoon, the boat will be attacked by a Maori waka (canoe) filled with fierce warriors. After a thrilling challenge, the group will meet the warriors and eat traditional Maori food with them. The fishing and cruising will then continue. Ideally, we could time this day with a rugby match, and then the group (clients, All Blacks and Maori warriors - possibly joined by the sailors and rally drivers) could all go to the match together as well as to after match parties.