| Day 1 | Auckland, Freedom of Choice Touring |
| You will be met and transferred to your centrally located hotel. Today you have the opportunity to choose your own sightseeing activity. Perhaps take a cruise on Waitemata Harbour or a Waitakere Wilderness Experience, see Auckland from the top of the Sky Tower, or indulge yourself with a Bliss Royal Reflexology treatment. Other options are available.
Stay: Auckland, Skycity Hotel. |
| Day 2 | Auckland - Bay of Islands |
| Leaving Auckland, travel along the Hibiscus Coast via Matakohe and through the Waipoua State Forest to the Bay of Islands, the cradle of European settlement in New Zealand. On arrival, visit the historic Waitangi Reserve where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840.
Two Night Stay: Bay of Islands, Paihia Pacific Resort.
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| Day 3 | Bay of Islands, Freedom of Choice Touring |
| Your touring options today in the beautiful Bay of Islands include a full day excursion to Cape Reinga, sailing on a schooner, swimming with the dolphins and much more.
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| Day 4 | Bay of Islands - Auckland |
| Explore New Zealand’s finest National Maritime Park on a catamaran cruise to Cape Brett and the famous Hole in the Rock. View the Cape Brett lighthouse then make passage through the Hole. Return this afternoon to the city of Auckland and enjoy dinner with city views at The Observatory Restaurant atop the Sky Tower.
Stay: Auckland, Skycity Hotel.
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| Day 5 | Auckland - Waitomo - Rotorua |
| Leaving the pretty City of Sails, travel to the Waitomo Caves, for a guided tour. Drift beneath the light of thousands of tiny glow worms and then continue to the geothermal wonderland of Rotorua for a Maori Hangi (feast) tonight.
Two Night Stay: Rotorua, Heritage Hotel.
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| Day 6 | Rotorua, Freedom of Choice Touring |
| Rotorua is New Zealand’s oldest and best known thermal resort. Our Freedom of Choice Touring options here range from the Rotorua Icons, which includes a trip to the Agrodome and Te Puia Thermal Reserve, to a leisurely soak in a natural thermal mineral pool. Perhaps visit the Rotorua Museum or head for the nature of Rainbow Springs where you might get close up to New Zealand’s native and endangered kiwi, among other options.
Country Homestay option available tonight.
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| Day 7 | Rotorua - Wellington |
| Follow the Thermal Explorer Highway to the heart of the North Island, traveling through some of the largest alpine forests in the Southern Hemisphere. View the fascinating Wairakei Steam Valley, where thermal energy is harnessed in the world’s second largest geothermal power plant. Then travel south and cross the vast volcanic plateau of World Heritage-listed Tongariro National Park to Wellington, the national capital.
Stay: Wellington, James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor.
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| Day 8 | Wellington - Blenheim |
| Enjoy a brief city sightseeing tour of Wellington this morning before visiting Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand. Following this, board the Interislander ferry this afternoon for a cruise across Cook Strait between the North and South islands and through Marlborough Sounds and Queen Charlotte Sound, to the port town of Picton. Here, you’ll rejoin the coach and continue to Blenheim.
Stay: Blenheim Country Hotel.
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| Day 9 | Blenheim - Christchurch |
| Travel through the Marlborough region, an area with a strong international reputation for white wines. Arrive in the thriving seaside settlement of Kaikoura. Journey between the Pacific Ocean, rugged Kaikoura Ranges and through North Canterbury to Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island and renowned as the Garden City. On arrival, enjoy a city sightseeing tour, then the afternoon is at your leisure to explore.
Stay: Christchurch, Copthorne Central Hotel.
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| Day 10 | TranzAlpine Train, Franz Josef |
| This morning board the award-winning TranzAlpine Train and enjoy spectacular scenery as you cross the Canterbury Plains before climbing up into the Main Divide. Disembark at Arthurs Pass and continue to Hokitika by coach. Here, see Pounamu (jade) being carved into beautiful jewelry then continue to Franz Josef.
Stay: Franz Josef Glacier Hotel.
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| Day 11 | Franz Josef - Queenstown, Dine Around Dinner |
| Travel along the rugged West Coast to Haast. Experience a unique river safari, capturing breathtaking views of the massive glacier-formed Haast River Valley. Rejoin the coach and continue to Queenstown, on the banks of Lake Wakatipu. Tonight enjoy our Dine Around Dinner, where you’ll choose from one of four carefully selected restaurants.
Two Night Stay: Queenstown, Novotel Gardens Hotel.
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| Day 12 | Queenstown, Freedom of Choice Touring |
| Queenstown is a year-round alpine resort. Today we have a selection of activities for you to choose from including a tour through some of Queenstown’s local gardens, a visit to award-winning wineries, a Double Decker tour around the city or an exhilarating jetboat ride on the Shotover River.
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| Day 13 | Milford Sound - Te Anau |
| Today, travel to Fiordland, a stunning World Heritage-listed area. Here, see some of New Zealand’s most remote and untouched scenery as we journey to Milford Sound. Join a cruise on this beautiful, glacier-carved fiord then take a relaxing journey to the lakeside village of Te Anau.
Stay: Te Anau, Village Inn.
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| Day 14 | Te Anau, Dunedin, Freedom of Choice Touring |
| Leaving the dramatic landscape of the Fiordland region we journey through rolling Southland countryside. Travel via the rural support towns of Lumsden, Gore and Balclutha to the east coast and the city of Dunedin. This afternoon you choose an activity from our Freedom of Choice Touring options.
Stay: Dunedin City Hotel.
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| Day 15 | Dunedin - Mt Cook |
| Day 15. .
Journey along the coast to view the unique Moeraki Beach boulders, then head to Mt Cook National Park, home to New Zealand’s highest mountain. Perhaps take a scenic flight (weather permitting, own expense).
Stay: Mt Cook, The Hermitage.
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| Day 16 | Lake Tekapo, Christchurch |
| This morning stop at Lake Tekapo to visit the tiny Church of the Good Shepherd, built of local stone as tribute to the regions’s early settlers. Travel through Burkes Pass to Christchurch, where your tour concludes on arrival.
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