AAT Kings Kia Ora New Zealand Itinerary

‘Haere Mai and welcome to New Zealand. Now you can relax - you are officially on holiday. 

Enjoy a relaxing day exploring Auckland, also known as the ‘City of Sails’. Situated amongst a cluster of extinct volcanic cones, next to a large harbour that bustles with life, both on water and on land. The Auckland isthmus straddles a slim piece of land with coastline facing both the Pacific Ocean, and, on the wild West Coast, the Tasman Sea. Relax you are on holiday, take time to stroll around the Viaduct Harbour, sit in a cafe and enjoy your surroundings in this friendly easy-going city. Meet your fellow travel companions at a welcome reception tonight

Flights to arrive prior to 4.00pm into Auckland Airport

Accommodation: Auckland - 1 Night

Your journey north to New Zealand’s Bay of Islands is not short of drama – discover 140 droplets of land ringed by turquoise sea at the top of the country. It’s undeniably beautiful, but it also holds a special historical secret: this is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, between Captain William Hobson and Māori chiefs. Your guide, likely a descendant of one of the original signatories, will explain the significance of the site, while pointing out the world’s largest ceremonial war canoe and a carved meeting house.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Paihia - 2 Nights

If there’s a travel destination that inspires wanderlust, the Bay of Islands is it. And today, you can do just that. At your leisure, venture up to Cape Reinga/Te Rerenga Wairua, the very top of New Zealand, via idyllic Ninety Mile Beach. Or glide around on an historic tall ship, cruise to the famous Hole in the Rock or join a tour of Russell and learn more about the settling of the Bay of Islands. The choice is yours.

Meals: Breakfast

Whangarei is like the country in a tantalising snapshot – a union of nature and forward-thinking culture. Explore at your leisure before sinking back into your seat for the mesmerising commute back to Auckland.

Suggested Sight Seeing: Visit to the summit of the Skytower. At 328m (1076 ft) one of the tallest buildings in the Australasia, offering spectacular panoramic views across the city and its two harbours, what will surprise you is the 48 volcanoes in the Auckland volcanic field, all within about 20 km of the city centre.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Auckland - 1 Night

There’s no bad day in Auckland – today, yours starts with a city sights tour before you set your GPS for the Waikato River and Waitomo. This place is radiant – quite literally. While cruising cavernous waterways, your route is cast in a magical light by thousands of glowworms. It’s a landscape almost as otherworldly as Rotorua, where mud pops and jettisons from bubbling geysers, and steam rushes skywards from cracks in the Earth. This evening, explore Te Puia’s geothermal valley, and learn about Māori history and culture on this guided experience, which includes a dinner of hangi-inspired cuisine and a cultural performance in a finely carved meeting house, Te Aronui a Rua. It ends on a high at the Pohutu Geyser, where, armed with a hot chocolate you’ll view one of New Zealand’s geothermal wonderlands.

Meals: Breakfast, Highlight Dinner

Accommodation: Rotorua - 2 Nights

Explore at your own pace today, but with plenty of tips from your Travel Director. Want a bit of down time? We wouldn’t blame you for simply blissing out at Wai Araki Hot Springs & Spa. Culture vulture? Hobbit fans will want to take advantage of the opportunity to tour the sights featured in The Lord of the Rings movies at Hobbiton. These beautiful landscapes are not only a bucket list tour for Hobbit fans, but a gorgeous countryside getaway.

Meals: Breakfast

You’ll hear Huka Falls well before you see it – at this natural wonder, a staggering 220,000 litres of water thunder over an 11-metre-high waterfall every second. The road ahead unfolds in a broad panorama of Lake Taupo, its waters so vivid and blue you’ll think someone has taken the glasses off your nose and cleaned them for the first time.  Traverse the Kapiti Coast to New Zealand’s cool little capital, Wellington, There are so many restaurants and bars to choose from. Ask your Travel Director for tips on where to eat.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Wellington - 1 Night

Wellington is known for its uber-cool cafés, designed to fuel you through a session at Te Papa, the museum of New Zealand, the Museum of New Zealand.

Board the Interisland Ferry, sit back and enjoy a scenic journey across Cook Strait to the South Island. As you enter the picturesque Marlborough Sounds keep an eye out for wildlife such as seabirds, dolphins, seals, whales and orca that make the sounds home. Your journey ends in Picton, a picturesque harbour town located at the head of the Queen Charlotte Sound. 

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Picton - 1 Night

There aren’t many beaches more dramatic than the sands of Kaikoura. Bonus points if you spot a sea lion or sperm whale frolicking offshore, Kaikoura is the marine wildlife centre of New Zealand. Continue travelling through the colorful Canterbury Plains as you journey to Christchurch.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Christchurch - 1 Night

On your city tour view the mind-bending Transitional Cathedral, made largely of cardboard, and Turanga, the gold-clad central library. From here, your outlook is the Canterbury Plains: the turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo, snow-capped mountains and atmospheric towns. Your Indoor Dark Sky Astronomy Experience in Tekapo, hosted by passionate guides, will forever change the way you see the night sky. You'll see for yourself it may be one of the quietest spots on the planet, yet it has one of the busiest skies in the universe.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Omarama - 1 Night

Oamaru, with its stately tree-lined streets and limestone buildings, stands proud before you journey further south toward the ‘Edinburgh of the South’. Dunedin’s Scottish ancestry is everywhere you look, from the manicured grounds of Otago University to Larnach Castle. While away the afternoon in the city’s art-lined alleys, or venture further afield to discover the wildlife that thrives here – fur seals and penguins among them.

Meals: Breakfast 

Accommodation: Dunedin - 1 Night

It’s a morning at leisure, chose form a range of optional expereinces. Let a local driver take you on an exciting Otago Peninsula drive to Larnach Castle, New Zealand’s only castle or head out on a cruise to see unique local wildlife and discover why Dunedin is NZ’s nature capital (activities at own expense)

Weave your way into Fiordland National Park and the South Island’s biggest lake and the town of Te Anau.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Te Anau - 1 Night

The Road to Milford is one of New Zealand’s most scenic drives. The first part is relatively mild farmland, then you’ll ease into beech forest near the entrance to the Fiordland National Park. Look for the Avenue of the Disappearing Mountain and the Mirror Lakes. The rough hewn Homer Tunnel brings you into Milford Sound, an amazing 22km-long fiord dominated by Mitre Peak. A cruise on Milford Sound will be an essential component of your time in Fiordland. Tall waterfalls, vertical rock faces and seals are some of the things you’ll remember.

This afternoon have a scenic drive to Queenstown

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Queenstown - 2 Nights

Its time to get out and explore this great little city. Queenstown has developed an exciting array of outdoor adventure activities - and there's plenty to choose from. But if you are just want to chill out then Queenstown's compact downtown area is relaxed during the day and huge fun at night. In any season, you can count on stylish designer shops and many trendy restaurants offering a kaleidoscope of dining experiences.

This evening cruise across Lake Wakatipu aboard New Zealand’s oldest steamship, the TSS Earnslaw, to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a gourmet barbecue highlight dinner at the Colonel’s Homestead. An entertaining after-dinner farm show provides a glimpse into high-country farm life.

Meals: Breakfast, Highlight Dinner

Leaving Lake Wakatipu behind, Arrowtown and Lake Dunstan appear on the horizon. Then there’s Lake Hawea followed by Lake Arrowtown, with its Instagrammable shoreline of poplars and willows. Over the Haast Pass , the pretty town of Franz Josef  awaits.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Franz Josef - 1 Night

Swap snow for pounamu (native greenstone or jade) in Hokitika: the pounamu found here is the stuff jewellery dreams are made of. Just when you thought your adventure couldn’t get any better, you’ll aboard the TranzAlpine train bound for Christchurch, through tunnels and over viaducts with panoramic views.

Meals: Breakfast, Farewell Dinner

Accommodation Christchurch - 1 Night

"Haere rā" Goodbye! and Bon Voyage!

Two islands, glaciers, lakes, thermal springs and a parade of wildlife... We hope you find the words to describe this epic adventure.

Meals: Breakfast

Flights to depart anytime from Christchurch Airport

Itinerary Variations
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