27 meals-14 breakfasts (B), 13 dinners (D)Domestic and International airfare not included.
Country Homestay Option on Day 4 (must be pre-booked)
Note: Itinerary effective 1 Apr 2008.
Tours prior follow different itinerary. Ask for details or refer to 2007 brochure.
Day 1: Arrive Auckland
You will be met and transferred to your hotel. Overnight: Auckland, Crowne Plaza Hotel for 2 nights
Day 2: Auckland Personalized Sightseeing
Morning at leisure. This afternoon, you choose the activity and we'll include it. Enjoy an Auckland city highlights tour, an elevator trip to the top of Sky Tower, a visit to the Maritime Museum or perhaps the Auckland Museum-the choice is yours. (B,D)
Day 3: Auckland-Rotorua
Travel south today. At Waitomo Caves, experience a guided tour of the limestone caverns and Glow Worm grotto. Journey to Rotorua. Tonight enjoy a Maori Hangi (feast) and cultural performance of song and dance. Overnight: Rotorua, Millennium Rotorua for 2 nights (B,D)
Day 4: Rotorua Personalized Sightseeing
Today you choose the experience and we will include it. Perhaps visit Te Puia Thermal Reserve and the Maori Arts & Crafts Institute, or the Agrodome Sheep Show. Enjoy a 4WD bush safari, or perhaps play golf or visit Rotorua's award-winning Museum. Overnight: Rotorua, Millennium Hotel (B,D)
Country homestay option available tonight.
Day 5: Rotorua-Wellington
Journey south to view the spectacular Huka Falls and cross the vast volcanic plateau of World Heritage Tongariro National Park. Continue to Wellington. Overnight: Wellington, Hotel InterContinental (B,D)
Day 6: Wellington-Nelson
Today our Inter-island cruise takes us across Cook Strait to the South Island. Sail from Wellington Harbor into the Marlborough Sounds. See magnificent scenery in Queen Charlotte Sound before arriving in Picton, gateway to the South Island. This afternoon journey through the orchard and vineyard region of Marlborough to Nelson. Remainder of day is at leisure. Overnight: Nelson, The Rutherford Hotel (B,D)
Day 7: Nelson-Franz Josef
Follow the Heritage Highway through the Buller Gorge to the rugged West Coast. View the "Pancake" rocks and blowholes at Punakaiki. Stop at Hokitika for views of Mt Cook and the spectacular Southern Alps. Continue along the dramatic coast to World Heritagelisted Westland National Park and view the magnificent glaciers. Enjoy a scenic flight over this breathtaking area (own expense, weather permitting). Overnight: Franz Josef, Franz Josef Glacier Hotel (B,D)
Day 8: Franz Josef -Wanaka
We cross the magnificent Southern Alps and leave the rugged beauty of the West Coast behind. Enter the Southern Lakes district and journey to Wanaka. Overnight: Wanaka, Edgewater Resort (B,D)
Day 9: Wanaka-Queenstown
Depart Wanaka and journey to the delightful village of Arrowtown, an old gold rush settlement. Visit the Lake District museum and head to Queenstown. The numerous activities available makes Queenstown a popular year-round destination. Tonight, explore the city with our Dine Around Dinner™. Take a gondola ride to Skyline Restaurant for dinner and stunning views, or cruise on the T.S.S. Earnslaw Steamboat across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Sheep Station for dinner. Or dine at a local restaurant-the choice is yours! Overnight: Queenstown, Sofitel Hotel Queenstown for 2 nights (B,D)
Day 10: Queenstown Personalized Sightseeing
You choose the activity and we'll include it. Take a double-decker bus tour, a guided tour of local wineries, an exhilarating jetboat ride or a garden tour. (B,D)
Day 11: Queenstown-Te Anau
This morning travel through Fiordland National Park where lush rainforests meet snow-capped mountains. On arrival into Milford, we cruise the full length of this beautiful fiord. This afternoon we have a relaxing drive, returning through Eglinton Valley and Homer Tunnel to the pretty lakeside settlement of Te Anau. Overnight: Te Anau, Te Anau Hotel and Villas (B,D)
Day 12: Te Anau-Dunedin Personalized Sights
Journey via beautiful Lake Manapouri to the southern most coast of New Zealand. Continue to Dunedin, the "Edinburgh of the South." This afternoon you choose the activity and we will include it. Visit the Speights Brewery & Heritage Center where they brew the popular Speights Ale, head to the Otago Peninsula to see the Royal Albatross Colony, stop to visit the rare yellow-eyed penguins, the "Hoiho," or tour New Zealand's "Larnach Castle." The choice is yours! Overnight: Dunedin, Southern Cross Hotel (B,D)
Day 13: Dunedin-Mt Cook
Stop to view the fascinating Moeraki Beach boulders. Visit Oamaru, a town renowned for its distinctive limestone architecture, then continue to Mt Cook National Park and perhaps enjoy a scenic flight over this alpine region (weather permitting, own expense). Overnight: Mt Cook, The Hermitage (B,D)
Day 14: Mt Cook-Christchurch
This morning visit glacial Lake Tekapo. View the tiny Church of the Good Shepherd. En route to the charming garden city of Christchurch, you may opt to take the scenic TranzAlpine Train from Arthurs Pass or proceed with the coach through the Rakaia Gorge. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Overnight: Christchurch, Crowne Plaza Hotel (B,D)
Day 15: Personalized Sights, Depart Christchurch
This morning choose your Christchurch activity before transferring to the airport for your onward flight. (B)
Departure Dates
2008: Apr 3, 19, 27; May 12; Jun 16; Aug 11; Sep 8, 15; Oct 6, 16, 25; Nov 4, 7, 13, 16, 19, 25; Dec 5, 17
2009: Jan 8, 13, 18, 28; Feb 1, 5, 8, 10, 13, 15, 18, 20, 23, 25, 28; Mar 3, 8, 19, 24
