AAT Kings Contrasts of New Zealand Itinerary

Haere Mai and Welcome to the 'City of Sails'

Relax, you are officially on holiday! We have arranged for your private transfer to your accommodation. The remainder of the day is yours to do as you please. There is plenty to see and do in Auckland. New Zealand’s largest city is located between two large harbours and 48 extinct volcanic cones scattered over the city are evidence of it's volancic past. They also provide a perfect location for viewing the city! A diversely cultural place, Auckland is a great location for marine adventures, wine tasting, forest walks and urban sophistication.
 

Some Activities and sightseeing options if you have time:

Meals:  Dinner with Wine

Accommodation Auckland - 2 nights (or similar)

City Tour 
Enjoy a city sightseeing tour including Bastion Point, the War Memorial and Viaduct Harbour. Spend some free time exploring on your own or relaxing at your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

You could be forgiven for thinking Rotorua’s landscapes are a sci-fi movie set. Mud pops and jettisons from bubbling geysers, and steam rushes skywards from cracks in the Earth. The surrounding forest is a fertile habitat for New Zealand’s national bird, being protected and bred at the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa. The cute-as-a-button, cotton-ball kiwi is under threat in the wild; at the hatchery, passionate conservationists reveal how they are saving the population, one incubated egg at a time. Tonight, dive deep into Indigenous culture and traditions  at Te Pā Tū Māori Experience. Enjoy a forest kai horotai (summer season canape) and chef choice aperitif, followed by a seasonal three-course dinner. This is a meal you won’t forget in a hurry.      
 

Meals: Breakfast and Highlight Dinner

Accommodation Rotorua - 1 night (or similar)

Lance O'Sullivan, a retired champion jockey, and his wife Bridgette invite you to an exclusive Be My Guest morning tea at the Red Barn, on their working dairy farm in the Waikato district. Expect country banter and have a go at the forgotten art of butter churning. The feel-good vibes that endure will follow you all the way to Queenstown, the self-proclaimed adventure capital of New Zealand. It makes perfect sense – there are ski fields, white-water river and bridges strapped with bungy cords wherever you turn. And then there’s the dining scene; Queenstown is home to some of the country’s most awarded restaurants. Whether you’re in the mood for bulging burgers or lakeside tapas, ask us for recommendations on this leg of your Queenstown New Zealand tour.

Air New Zealand flight from Rotorua to Queenstown: The cost of this flight is additional to your tour. We can easily arrange this flight for you.

Meals: Breakfast, Be My Guest Morning Tea

Accommodation: Queenstown - 3 nights (or similar)

Journey over the Devil’s Staircase and along the shores of Lake Wakatipu to Te Anau and its lake, the largest in the South Island. Travel through the rainforest of World Heritage Fiordland National Park, sighting glaciers and mountain ranges. Drive through the hand-hewn Homer Tunnel to the numerous photo opportunities afforded by the Mirror Lake, Pop’s Lookout, Cleddau Valley and the Chasm, Mitre Peak and Bowen Falls before reaching Milford Sound. Enjoy lunch while you cruise on this wonder of nature. Return to Queenstown this evening.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Explore Queenstown your way! Go wild with a jet boat ride or white water rafting. For the less adventurous there is a wine and garden tour, or play a round of golf. 

This evening, join your Travel Director for dinner at the BoatShed. Set in the restored historic Railway Shipping Office and relocated to its lakefront setting in 1936, The Boatshed with its spectacular views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables is the perfect venue for your highlight dinner.

Recommended Alternative Excursions are:

Meals: Breakfast, Highlight Dinner

Today you will leave the alpine wonderland of Queenstown behind, traveling through Central Otago to the Mackenzie region with time along the way to stop in Arrowtown thenCromwell, situated next to the pristine Lake Dunstan and taste delicious stone fruit at a local orchard. Continue over the dramatic Lindis Pass before reaching the Starlight Highway and Tekapo's world renowned UNESCO Aoraki McKenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. This afternoon enjoys the views of Mt Cook before heading to the iconic Church of the Good Shephard. This evening, see amazing constellations that can only be seen in the southern hemisphere, including the Southern Cross, to the Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way. Your local specialist expert astronomy guide will enhance your knowledge and understanding of our Southern Skies as you admire and ponder the possibilities through our powerful optical telescopes.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with wine

Accommodation: Lake Tekapo - 1 night (or similar)

The Canterbury region of the west coast is a rustic union of grassy plains, mirror-like lakes and snow-capped mountains, the kind of landscape that you might see on postcards. Arrive into the beautiful English city of Christchurch for a guided visit. The city is not only rebuilding itself after the devastating 2010/11 earthquakes, but is changing the way architects think about design. Case in point the mind-bending Transitional Cathedral, made largely of cardboard, and Turanga, the gold-clad central library.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Christchurch - 2 nights (or similar)

Travel north through rolling countryside to Hurunui Hills, a hill country farm in North Canterbury. Enjoy warm kiwi hospitality from the Bamford Family, who have farming at Hurunui since 1884 with six generations focused on producing premium Merino sheep, wool and Angus Cattle. Enjoy stunning scenery along with morning tea, meet the farm animals & discover what it is like to live off the land on this unique By My Guest experience. Continue to local vineyard Waipara Springs Winery where you will enjoy a platter style lunch among the vines. 

Meals: Breakfast, Be My Guest Morning Tea, Lunch, Farewell Dinner 

Haere rā and Bon Voyage!

We are sure you will enjoy this tour and our promise is to make your travels through New Zealand as hassle-free and hospitable as possible - ensuring that today you leave with a memory card full of photos, and huge smiles on your faces when recalling your time in New Zealand! Your flights can depart any time today, and you will be transferred to Christchurch Airport.

Have a great homeward journey, farewell and hope to see you again soon in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Meals: Breakfast

Included Highlights 

• Local Connection

South Island countryside never fails to impress, as you’ll discover cruising World Heritage-listed Milford Sound/Piopiotahi and enjoying morning tea on a farm in the Hurunuri Hills.

• Cultural Immersion

Discover just how strong Māori culture is at Te Pā Tū Māori Experience, celebrating art, tradition and cuisine. Bring your appetite for nurturing Māori cuisine.

• Sustainable Footprints

Operation Nest Egg may sound James Bond-esque, but it’s actually a National Kiwi Hatchery project to care for the country’s kiwi population. 

• Wildlife & Nature

You’d be forgiven for thinking you’d be transported to Mars when you arrive at Rotorua, a place where steam and mud pop, fizz and swoosh at every turn.

Inclusions

• Experienced Travel Director and Driver Guide
• Quality accommodation
• Travel by luxury coach
• Private airport transfers on arrival and departure 
• Airport meet & greet on arrival
• Enjoy selected New Zealand wines with all hotel dinners

Dining:

• 2 Dinners with Wine • 9 Full Breakfasts • 2 Highlight Dinners • 2 Be My Guest Morning Teas • 2 Lunches • 1 Farewell Dinner

** Required Internal Flights: need to be purchased in addition to the itinerary and are not included in the tour price

•  Day 1 - Flights to arrive prior to 4.00pm into Auckland Airport
•  Day 4: Internal Flight required AKL – ZQN 
•  Day 10 - Flights to depart anytime from Christchurch Airport