1
Welcome to Christchurch
Community spirit is strong in Christchurch, as you’ll discover exploring its streets at your leisure. Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers this evening for a Welcome Reception.
Flights to arrive prior to 4.00pm into Christchurch Airport
Accommodation: Christchurch - 1 Night
2
Omarama & Lake Tekapo
More of Christchurch is revealed before the colours of the Canterbury Plains spread before you: the turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo, snowcapped mountains and atmospheric towns. Your Indoor Dark Sky Astronomy Experience at 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
3
Omarama - Dunedin
Architectural drama awaits in Dunedin. While away the afternoon in atmospheric art-lined alleys or sipping a lager or two in Speights Brewery (a national institution). Or venture further afield to discover Larnach Castle, fur seals and penguins.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Dunedin - 1 Night
4
Dunedin - Invercargill
Invercargill is obsessed with motor vehicles. Tributes to speed legends colour the city. So it's only fitting that you visit Classic Motorcycle Mecca for a self-guided tour followed by a guided tour and Highlight Dinner at Transport World, exploring classic vehicles as you are transported on a nostalgic walk back in time.
Meals: Breakfast, Highlight Dinner
Accommodation: Invercargill - 2 Nights
6
Invercargill - Queenstown
You’ve probably already noticed that there’s a lot of farmland here in New Zealand. It’s fitting, then, that you meet southern girl Laura, who will introduce you to the sheep farm where she was born and raised. The Real Country Farm Show, a experience that offers an authentic taste of what rural New Zealand is like. For every guest, we donate funds to The Fairlight Foundation, Advancing Women in Agriculture. Continue to Queenstown and take the afternoon at your own pace.
Meals: Breakfast,
Accommodation: Queenstown - 2 Nights
8
Queenstown - Franz Josef
Atmospheric Arrowtown was born from gold, and its movie-set-like streets still shimmer today. It’s hard to tear yourself away, but the Alpine country of the Southern Lakes is calling, from Lake Dunstan – pause for juicy stone fruit picked fresh from the tree – to oh-so-blue Lake Hawea and lovely Lake Wanaka, with its shoreline of poplars and willows. Over the Haast Pass, the pretty town of Franz Josef/Waiau, awaits. Get some perspective on an optional Franz Josef Glacier/Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere flight tour – if the weather behaves, you may even get to land on it. New Zealand tours don’t get much cooler than this.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Franz Josef - 1 Night
9
Franz Josef Glacier - Punakaki & Pancake Rocks
On the wild West Coast, Hokitika may be small in size, but boy is it big in personality, not to mention natural attractions. Wander the windswept coast before discovering the town’s other beauty: pounamu (native greenstone or jade). Steel yourself for Punakaiki’s Pancake Rocks and Blowholes; they owe their existence to the thundering surf that will lull you to sleep.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Punakaiki - 1 Night
10
Punakaiki - Nelson
After action-packed days, all you need to do today is sit back and enjoy the drama of the Heritage Highway en route to Nelson. Gaze over Buller Gorge – a deep canyon home to New Zealand’s longest swingbridge – and Kahurangi National Park, a place of wild rivers, high plateaus, alpine herbfields and coastal forests.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Nelson - 2 Nights
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Nelson at Leisure
The South Island’s oldest city, Nelson is the ideal starting point for outings through Abel Tasman National Park. This pocket in the north of the island is a beguiling union of golden beaches framed by sculpted granite cliffs. It’s home to one of the country’s most legendary coastal tracks, if you fancy stretching your legs on a hike. Otherwise, drift away on a cruise around the coast, revealing unpeopled bays and dreamy inlets. The choice is yours.
Meals: Breakfast
12
Board the Interislander Ferry to Wellington
Visit the picturesque seaside village of Picton before cruising the tranquil Queen Charlotte Sound. Head across the Cook Strait to Wellington, New Zealand's capital.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Wellington - 1 Night
13
Wellington - Napier
Today you will travel to Hawkes Bay region and Napier, often regarded as the world's Art Deco Capital. Beautifully preserved 1930s architecture is Napier's special point of difference. Nowhere else can you see such a variety of buildings in the styles of the 1930s - Stripped Classical, Spanish Mission, and above all Art Deco- the style of the 20th Century - in such a concentrated area.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Napier - 2 Nights
14
Napier
Join us on a Deco Tour for an insight into how Napier City became the Art Deco capital of the world. This comprehensive tour takes you on an historic timeline, sharing stories and showcasing the transformation and how Napier City and its people were resilient after the infamous 1931 Hawke's Bay Earthquake, rebuilding the city they love into a fabulous and stylish 'time warp' Art Deco!
Meals: Breakfast
15
Napier - Rotorua
This afternoon, explore Te Puia's geothermal valley, and learn about Maori history and culture on this guided experience, including 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
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Rotorua Free Day
Today is one of decisions as there is no shortage of activities on offer in Rotorua! Bliss out at Wai Araki Hot Springs & Spa; take the Hobbiton Movie Set Tour. Alternatively discover Rotorua’s spectacular lakes area from the comfort of a fully restored World War II amphibious vehicle, able to travel on land and water. Or view Rotorua beyond the caldera rim and enjoy spectacular views of the stunning hidden lakes district, local geothermal activity and distant volcanoes in this captivating scenic flight. (all at own expense)
Meals: Breakfast
18
Auckland - Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands is undeniably beautiful, but it also holds a special historical significance: this is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840. Your guide, perhaps a descendent of one of the original signatories, will explain the significance.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Bay of Islands - 2 Nights
19
Bay of Islands Leisure Time
Trip the light fantastic and head off in whatever direction you please. Perhaps travel up to Cape Reinga/Te Rerenga Wairua via idyllic 90 mile beach. Or glide around on an historic tall ship, cruise to the Hole in the Rock or join a tour of Russell. Ask your Travel Director about optional experiences.
Meals: Breakfast
20
Bay of Islands - Auckland
For a little more northern exposure, make your way to Whangarei, the island’s most northerly outpost and a place where waterfalls meet beaches, galleries meet museums. Explore at your leisure before the commute back to Auckland for your Farewell Dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Farewell Dinner
Accommodation: Auckland - 1 Night
21
Farewell from Auckland
Haere rā and Bon Voyage!
Over three weeks, we hope you’ve packed your address book with the names of new friends and your camera with photos. But at the end of the day, it’s the memories that will fuel your flight home.
Meals: Breakfast
Flights to depart anytime from Auckland Airport
Itinerary Variations
The provider strives to improve trip itineraries. If improvements can be made, or if circumstances beyond their control make changes necessary, the provider reserves the right to vary itineraries and to make substitutions.
What Nicole says about this tour: Travelling by luxury coach with great food and quality accommodation this small group tour lets you discover some out-of-the way places. The pace is relaxed and the tour director will expertly guide your 3 week journey. I recommend this tour for folk who want to relax and enjoy kiwi culture and hospitality and of course the stunning New Zealand scenery.
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