04 Blend your own gin on Waiheke

“Go slow on the juniper – you only need six drops or you’ll overwhelm the gin,” warns Helen Elscot of The Botanical Distillery (thebotanicaldistillery.com) as she leads a small group of amateurs intent on blending their own tipple on Waiheke Island. Auckland’s most famous isle is renowned for its wineries and distilleries. Sign up with Ananda (ananda.co.nz) for a private tour of the region, with stops at Kennedy Point Vineyard (kennedypointvineyard.com), where you can taste pared-back chardonnays, and Mudbrick winery (mudbrick.co.nz) for a sumptuous lunch, followed by Elscot’s two-hour Gin & Tonic Experience.