2025 Winter Weavers, Felters & Spinners Tour

No Solo Traveller Supplement!

Calling all felters, spinners, knitters, and weavers! We’re excited to offer a fully escorted tour to the Chatham Islands, departing from Auckland Sunday 29th June and returning on Friday 4th July.

Special Offer: No Additional Cost for Solo Travellers!

Pack your bags for an unforgettable adventure on the Chatham Islands, where you’ll indulge in the island’s rich seafood culture and immerse yourself in its vibrant wool industry.

Tour Highlights

Waterfront Accommodation:

• Hotel Chatham: Spend five nights at the waterfront Hotel Chatham in Waitangi. Relax in comfortable rooms with breathtaking views of the ocean.

Daily Meals:

• Sumptuous Dining: Enjoy daily meals, including a choice of cooked or continental breakfasts and lunches.
• Seafood Welcome Dinner: Begin your tour with a delectable seafood dinner.
• Kopi Bush Retreat: Savour a seafood and farm buffet lunch with a glass of bubbles at this off-grid retreat, hosted by John & Bridget Preece, whose home was featured on New Zealand’s Grand Designs.

Unique Island Experiences:

• Sheep Farming Visits: Visit three local sheep farms, chat with farmers about life on the Chatham Islands, and learn about the island’s sheep breeds. Many farms stock Romney sheep, known for their versatile and lustrous wool. You’ll have the opportunity to hand-pick a generous amount of raw wool in a variety of natural colours. If you’re an end user of wool and don’t wish to take home any fleece, please ask about us providing a cone of pre-spun, 2 ply Pitt Island wool which weighs about 1kg.
• Pitt Island Fleece: You will be treated to pick your Pitt Island fleeces which have been bought over from Pitt Island – again, a vast variety of natural colours for you to choose from.
• Crafting Sessions: Bring your hand carding brushes, spindles, and felting needles for cozy crafting sessions with locals, where you can share stories and work with the wool.
• Waitangi West Beach: Stroll along the beach where small pink paua shells are scattered on the foreshore.
• Basalt Columns: Step onto these natural formations and marvel at the giant kelp swaying in the ocean.
• Farm-Inspired Long Lunch: Enjoy a private chef-prepared lunch at Kopi Bush Retreat, hosted by Bridget & John Preece.
• Wine, Cheese & Chat: Spend an afternoon with local crafters, sipping wine and sharing your passion for wool.
• Hapupu: Visit the Moriori rakau momori (tree carvings or dendroglyphs) and explore the kopi groves planted by the Moriori people.
• Ocean Mail Reserve: Discover the historic reef where a ship grounded itself in the 1800s.
• Blind Jim’s: Wade through the shallow lagoon waters in search of fossilized shark teeth and kina spines.

Join us for this extraordinary journey to the Chatham Islands, where adventure, craft, and culture await!

Choose your room