Day 1 – January 14th - Wednesday
USA / NEW ZEALAND
Depart the USA on a regular scheduled flight.
Day 2 – January 15th - Thursday
Cross International Dateline
Day 3 – January 16th - Friday
AUCKLAND
Arrival at Auckland, “City of Sails,” and New Zealand’s largest metropolis lying on a narrow isthmus and characterized by numerous volcanic cones and many reaches of the city’s twin harbors to the east and west. After a brief rest at your hotel, depart for a tour of the city sights including a visit to Auckland Museum, Mount Eden, Harbour Bridge, City area, and the waterfront. Also, a specially arranged visit to a Te Kohanga Maori Immersion School.
Rendezvous Hotel
 Day 4 – January 17th - Saturday (B, D)
AUCKLAND / MATAMATA / ROTORUA
Travel to the geothermal city of Rotorua via Ngaruawahia, for a visit to the home of the Maori Kings, and across the Waikato Plains to Matamata, for a tour of Hobbiton, the movie set where part of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy was filmed. In Rotorua, an evening at Mitai will give you an authentic introduction to Maori Culture and include a traditional Hangi feast.
Millennium Rotorua Hotel
Day 5 - January 18th - Sunday (B)
ROTORUA
Continue your historical and cultural introduction to Rotorua with a visit to Te Puia Thermal Reserve to see the boiling mud pools and mighty geysers and also visit the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute to see Maori carving and weaving demonstrations. Your visit to Agrodome will include an award winning stage show featuring 19 breeds of sheep, sheep shearing demo, sheep auction and working dogs and at Rainbow Springs Nature Park you will learn about the native flora and fauna of New Zealand and view live Kiwi at the unique Kiwi Conservation Centre. At the Museum of TeWairoa in Buried Village you will learn about the captivating tale of TeWairoa and view objects unearthed from the village which were buried by the eruption of Mt. Tarawera in 1886.
Millennium Rotorua Hotel
Day 6 - January 19th - Monday (B, D)
ROTORUA / TAUPO / NAPIER (Hawkes Bay Region)
Leave Rotorua for Napier via the Lake Taupo region, home to New Zealand's largest fresh water lake and fascinating geothermal areas. Visit the famous Huka Falls and witness the phenomenon of natural hydropower; also pay a visit to the Wairakei Geothermal power generating area. Optional flight over the active Volcanic Mt. Ruapehu and Ngarahoe at Lake Taupo, New Zealand’s largest freshwater lake. The city of Napier is a place to appreciate 1930s architecture and the wonderful surrounding vineyards and wines of the famous Hawkes Bay Region. Visit Church Road Winery, one of the oldest in Hawke's Bay, for a tour of the vineyards and a wine tasting. Dinner at the renowned Mission Restaurant at Mission Estate Winery, New Zealand's oldest winery housed in an elegantly restored historic seminary building with sweeping views over Napier City.
Te Pania Hotel
Day 7 - January 20th - Tuesday (B)
NAPIER / WELLINGTON
On the way to Wellington visit Pernel Fruitworld in Hasting for a guided tour
to experience over 85 varieties of fruit on the trees, such as apples, pears, peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums etc. Arrive in Wellington, the capital city New Zealand, nestled between a beautiful harbor and forested hills.
Hotel Grand Chancellor James Cook
Day 8 – January 21st - Wednesday (B)
WELLINGTON
A full day tour of the sights of Wellington will include Parliament Buildings, the city center and waterfront, and a restored, historic cable car ride from downtown Wellington up to the Botanic Garden, where there are sweeping views of the city and harbor. Visit the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary for a guided tour in this 250-hectare valley providing a safe haven for some of New Zealand’s most endangered birds like little spotted kiwi, saddleback, kaka and stitchbird.
Hotel Grand Chancellor James Cook
Day 9 – January 22nd - Thursday (B, D)
WELLINGTON
A private guided tour of the waterfront Te Papa, New Zealand’s famous National Museum for a unique insight into New Zealand, with exhibitions that embrace both Maori and European perspectives on the land, environment and people.
This is no ordinary museum. Te Papa is recognized as a world leader in the new wave of innovative and interactive museum experiences, and your tour will include exhibition highlights from the natural environment, Maori Culture, and art and colonial history. Evening Dinner at the White House Restaurant with its spectacular elevated outlook over the harbor and cityscape. The restaurant is renowned for its delicious cuisine, extensive wine list, and delightful ambience.
Hotel Grand Chancellor James Cook
Day 10 - January 23rd - Friday (B)
WELLINGTON / PICTON / BLENHEIM
Take a spectacular cruise across the Cook Strait (described as “one of the best ferry rides in the world … jaw droppingly stunning”) to Picton, South Island. Travel to Blenheim, the wine capital of New Zealand. Visit the Alan Scott Family Winery for a taste of wines that reflect this family’s wealth of winemaking and viticulture experience. The cellar door shop and “Twelve Trees”, Marlborough’s leading lunchtime vineyard restaurant, are located in a rustic rammed earth and timber building.
Scenic Circle Blenheim Country Hotel
Day 11 – January 24th - Saturday (B)
BLENHEIM / KAIKOURA / CHRISTCHURCH
Travel to Kaikoura, known for its complex marine system, where you will go on a Whale Watch cruise with the backdrop of mesmerizing mountains. View giant sperm whales in their natural environment with dusky dolphins, sea birds, and fur seals that frequent the Kaikoura coastline. Continue to Christchurch, the “Garden City” of New Zealand.
Heritage Christchurch Hotel
Day 12 – January 25th - Sunday (B)
CHRISTCHURCH / AKAROA / CHRISTCHURCH
Depart for a day trip to Akaroa, an historic French and British settlement nestled in the heart of an ancient volcano. The town is elegant and full of character. The streets have French names and local restaurants focus on French cuisine. The French settlers who arrived to establish the town in 1840 thought they were the first colonists of a new French territory, however the Treaty of Waitangi was signed just days before they arrived, which gave Britain sovereignty over the whole of New Zealand. Travel back to Christchurch via Governors Bay and Lyttleton.
Heritage Christchurch Hotel
Day 13 - January 26th - Monday (B)
CHRISTCHURCH / GREYMOUTH / FRANZ JOSEF
After breakfast, transfer to Christchurch Railway Station and take one of the great world train journeys on the Tranz Alpine through gorges, river valleys, and across the magnificent Southern Alps. After arriving in Greymouth you will travel south by motor coach to the hospitable town of Franz Josef, which serves the glacier of the same name.
Scenic Circle Franz Josef Glacier Hotel
Day 14 – January 27th - Tuesday (B)
FRANZ JOSEF/QUEENSTOWN
View the awesome river of ice of the Franz Josef Glacier, which was first explored in 1865 by geologist Julius von Haast, who named it after the Austrian emperor. Franz Josef There will also be time for travelers to take optional Ski Plane or Helicopter rides with snow landings on the glacier. Continue to Queenstown, often described as the jewel in New Zealand’s tourism crown with its stunning views of Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables mountain range.
Millennium Queenstown Hotel
Day 15 - January 28th - Wednesday (B, D)
QUEENSTOWN
View the sights of Queenstown including Arrowtown, one of the most picturesque settlements in New Zealand, and once the scene of a frantic gold rush. The town retains its historic character – there are more than 60 restored buildings from the 19th century. Also relive the elegance of turn of the century travel with a cruise aboard the TSS Earnslaw the only surviving steamship in New Zealand. Watch the stokers fuel the fire boxes, feel the heat from the boilers and hear the steam engines working as "the Lady" takes you across beautiful Lake Wakatipu. Disembark at Walter Peak High Country Farm, where you can take a walking tour of the farmyard, help feed sheep and get close to deer and Scottish Highland cattle. Also enjoy a special barbeque dinner.
Millennium Queenstown Hotel
Day 16 - January 29th - Thursday (B, L)
QUEENSTOWN / MILFORD SOUND / TE ANAU
Travel to Milford Sound which lies at the heart of Fiordland National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage area. On a comfortable scenic cruise you will be immersed in the moody majesty of the Fiord, as sheer rock faces emerge from the Sound and tower hundreds of meters over your boat. Marvel at the power and splendor of Stirling and Bowen Falls and take in the arresting beauty of Mitre Peak above you. Lunch aboard the boat and on the clear, still waters of the Fiord be on the lookout for wildlife such as dolphins, penguins and seals often seen in their natural habitat. Travel to Te Anau, perched on the edge of New Zealand’s second largest lake, for a unique evening Glowworm Caves Tour.
Te Anau Hotel
Day 17 - January 30th - Friday (B, D)
TE ANAU / MT.COOK
Travel to Aoraki Mt. Cook National Park for alpine walks and views
of New Zealand’s highest peak, Aoraki/Mt. Cook which helped Sir Edmund Hillary to develop his climbing skills in preparation for the conquest of Everest. This evening visit the Sir Edmund Hilary Center that has been recently opened. It contains the largest collection in New Zealand of items relating to his exploits located in an area where he did a substantial amount of climbing.
Aoraki Mount Cook Hermitage Hotel
Day 18 - January 31st - Saturday (B, D)
MT.COOK / CHRISTCHURCH
Time for an Optional Sky Plane Flight to the spectacular Tasman Glacier,which is 29 kilometers long and 4 kilometers wide with a depth of 600 meters, before departing for Christchurch via Lake Tekapo with its wonderful opaque turquoise color, the result of glacier-ground rock sediment in the water. Visit the beautiful stone Church of the Good Shepard standing on the shore of Lake Tekapo. The exquisite Church of the Good Shepherd is possibly the most photographed church in New Zealand - its altar window perfectly frames Mount Cook. Meet native New Zealanders at a farm-hosted visit and lunch in the Fairlie farming area of South Canterbury. On arrival, see some of the sights of Christchurch, the South Island’s largest city, its historic buildings house, lively arts community, and the award-winning International Antarctic Centre. Special Farewell Dinner at Tiffanys, Christchurch’s best-loved and most popular dining place.
Heritage Christchurch Hotel
Day 19 – February 1st - Sunday (B)
CHRISTCHURCH / USA
After breakfast, transfer to Christchurch International Airport for your departure to USA. |
