| Trip Itinerary |
|
| DAY 1 & 2 USA - Auckland |
|
| Depart for Auckland, New Zealand, on the other side of the international date line. |
| DAY 3 Arrive Auckland |
|
We’ll transfer you from the airport to
your hotel. Check in and the rest of the
day is Auckland, your way. This evening,
a welcome drink and dinner with your
Tour Director and travel companions.
Dinner Included |
| Day 4 Auckland - Rotorua |
|
We travel along the Waikato River to
the Waitomo Caves for a guided tour of
the amazing Glow Worm Grotto. Then
on to Rotorua. Soak up views of Lake
Rotorua on our orientation tour. Tonight
experience The Realm of Tane and a
traditional Maori Hangi feast and concert.
Breakfast and Highlight Dinner Included |
| DAY 5 Rotorua |
|
Sparkling wine aboard the Lakeland
Queen kicks off our Lake Rotorua
breakfast cruise. Then it’s the Agrodome
Sheep Show followed by a guided
tour of Te Puia and the Whakarewarewa
Thermal Reserve. In the afternoon relax
or explore, it’s ‘Free Time’.
Breakfast Included |
| DAY 6 Rotorua - Wellington |
|
From the mountains to the sea. View the
Huka Falls. Visit Taupo and drive along
the shores of its lake. Travel through the
alpine scenery of Mt. Ruapehu, Tongariro
National Park, Manawatu, The Kapiti
Coast. On our Wellington city sights tour
see the city from Mt. Victoria
Breakfast and Dinner Included |
| DAY 7 Wellington - Blenheim |
|
Explore Wellington for yourself this
morning before we visit Te Papa, the
Museum of New Zealand. Later we’ll
cruise the Cook Strait into tranquil Queen
Charlotte Sound. The seaside village of
Picton is next, then Blenheim and a city
orientation tour. We’ll enjoy a tour, dinner
and tasting at Allan Scott Wines, which
has developed its own reputation as a
Marlborough icon.
Breakfast and Highlight Dinner Included |
| DAY 8 Kaikoura - Christchurch |
|
On the way to Kaikoura we pass the
Grassmere Salt Works with a chance to
see New Zealand fur seals at Ohau Point.
Explore Kaikoura your way – maybe take
a Scenic Whale Watching flight. We head
to Christchurch through the Canterbury
Plains. A city orientation tour ensures
you maximize your ‘Free Time’.
Breakfast Included |
| DAY 9 Mt. Cook |
|
We begin the day with a ride on the
Christchurch Tram. Continuing our travels
we see Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki, visit the
Church of the Good Shepherd and soak up
the spectacular alpine scenery of Mt. Cook
National Park. Perhaps take a scenic flight
over Mt. Cook (weather permitting).
Breakfast and Dinner Included. |
| DAY10 Dunedin |
|
We see the Waitaki Hydro Power Scheme,
Benmore Dam and the white limestone
buildings of Oamaru. A Dunedin city tour,
then your afternoon is at leisure – maybe
take a Wildlife Cruise, a Cadbury Factory
visit or ride the Taieri Gorge Railway.
Breakfast and Dinner Included |
| DAY 11 Dunedin - Te Anau |
|
First up we take a guided tour of New
Zealand’s only castle – Larnach Castle
and its gardens. Time out in town then
we head off across rich fertile, sheep-filled
farming land on the way to Te Anau, on
the shores of Lake Te Anau, the South
Island’s largest. Tonight you can choose
to see the Te Anau Glow Worm Caves.
Breakfast and Dinner Included |
| DAY 12 Milford Sound |
|
Be awe-struck by the magnificence of the
Fiordland National Park, not only a World
Heritage Park but also New Zealand’s
largest. Amazing photo opportunities
await as we see rainforest, ancient
glaciers, mountain ranges and the handmade
Homer Tunnel. Mirror Lakes, Pop’s
Lookout. Claudu Valley and The Chasm.
Mitre Peak. Bowen Falls. Cruise on Milford
Sound. We travel over the Devil’s Staircase
along the shores of Lake Wakatipu back
to Te Anau. On arrival in Queenstown
we’ll do an orientation tour. Our dinner
option is the Skyline Restaurant on
Bob’s Peak, via the Southern Hemisphere’s
steepest Gondola! A bonus Kiwi Haka
Maori Show makes for a top night - if you
so choose!
Breakfast Included |
| DAY 13 Queenstown 'Free Time' |
|
Explore action adventure Queenstown
your way. Take it easy with wine or
garden tours. Or go wild with jet boat
rides or white water rafting. Just be back
in time for dinner and a sheep shearing
demonstration at Walter Peak Sheep
Station. We travel there and back across
Lake Wakatipu via the TSS Earnslaw,
New Zealand’s oldest steamship.
Breakfast and Highlight Dinner Included |
| DAY 14 Queenstown - Franz Josef |
|
Today experience Arrowtown, the sensational stone fruit of Cromwell, Lake Wanaka, Lake Hawea, Lake Dunstan. Haast Pass, Thunder Creek Falls. A small rainforest walk. Then the ‘pièce de résistance’ - Franz Josef Glacier – the world’s most accessible, and still advancing, glacier. If you need to see more - take an optional scenic flight!
Breakfast and Dinner Included |
| DAY 15 Franz Josef - Punakaiki |
Franz Josef (Islands), New Zealand
|
Explore Franz Josef Glacier – take an
optional flight (weather permitting)
or a glacier hike! Then we depart for
Hokitika, home of the native greenstone
(jade) for a factory visit and jewellery
demonstration. It’s on to our waterfront
hotel at Punakaiki, where we’ll view the
Pancake Rocks and Blowholes.
Breakfast and Dinner included. |
| DAY 16 TranzAlpine - Christchurch |
|
Enjoy time at leisure before travelling via Greymouth to Arthur's Pass where we'll board the TranzAlpine, one of thetop 6 train journeys in the world, to travel through the Southern Alps to Christchurch.
Breakfast and Dinner Included. |
| Day 17 - Depart Christchurch |
Christchurch, New Zealand
|
Explore Christchurch yourself. Make the most of this city, famous for its gardens, until we transfer you to Christchurch Airport for your onward journey.
Breakfast Included. |
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