Day 01 : Arrive Auckland
Welcome to your tour of New Zealand, the land of the long white cloud. Auckland?s waterside location has fostered the local?s love affair with the sea, earning this place the nickname ?City of Sails?. Auckland sprawls over a narrow isthmus between the sparkling waters of the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours. A cloak of rainforest covers the surrounding hills, dozens of dormant volcanic cones dot the landscape.
After clearing Immigrations and Customs you will be met by our local representative for a private transfer to your hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure. Overnight at the hotel Auckland.
Day 02 : Auckland - Waitomo - Rotorua
Enjoy a buffet breakfast at the hotel. Venture south through rolling Waikato farmland to Waitomo Caves a world-famous cave formation, climaxed by drifting silently in a boat through a glow worm cavern lit up with thousands of tiny glow worm lights. After lunch continue to Rotorua, steeped in Maori culture and history. Tonight journey back in time at a pre-European Maori Village and take a special glimpse of many of the traditions, performance, songs, history of the Maori people and taste a traditionally-cooked Hangi meal cooked in earthen ovens.
Overnight at the hotel Rotorua
Day 03 : Rotorua
Enjoy a breakfast at the hotel. Today morning gain insight into New Zealand?s agriculture at the Agrodome Sheep Show including 19 breeds of sheep, sheep shearing demonstration, dog demonstrations, cow milking and lamb feeding opportunities. See a live Kiwi bird, a living dinosaur (the Tuatara), feed Rainbow Trout and stroll through beautiful native bush at Rainbow Springs. Tour Te Puia Thermal Valley where geysers, mud pools and boiling water still play after 40,000 years. Overnight at the hotel Rotorua.
Day 04 : Rotorua - Taupo - Napier
Enjoy a breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast transfer from Rotorua to Taupo stop at Waiotapu?s wonderfully coloured thermal Champagne Pools and the famous Lady Knox Geyser erupting daily. In Taupo visits will include Craters of the Moon, Aratiatia Rapids and Huka Falls. Continue on to Napier, famous for its Art Deco architecture. Check in at the hotel. Rest of the day is at leisure.
Overnight at the hotel Napier
Day 05 : Napier - Wellington
Enjoy a breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy the journey south to the capital city of Wellington, situated around the harbour, its houses clinging precipitously to the steep hillsides. A cosmopolitan mix of culture and arts give Wellington its heart, and vibrant atmosphere.
Overnight at the hotel Wellington.
Day 06 : Wellington
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Spend the day driving and exploring Wellington. Highly recommended is a visit to New Zealand?s national museum, Te Papa. Overnight at the hotel in Wellington.
Day 07 : Wellington - Kaikoura
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. In the morning depart to the South Island across the Cook Strait by ferry to the Marlborough Sounds and Picton. Board the Coastal Pacific Train that skims the spectacular coastline between the Kaikoura Ranges and the Pacific. Kaikoura is a mecca for seafood lovers with ample fresh delicacies for all.
Overnight at the hotel in Kaikoura.
Day 08 : Depart Christchurch
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. In the morning start the day with a Whale Watch excursion in the waters off the Kaikoura Peninsula a complex marine system provides an abundantly rich habitat for marine mammals and seabirds making it an ideal place for getting ?close to nature?. Afternoon board the Coastal Pacific Train and head south where your vacation ends on arrival into Christchurch Airport for your departure flight. We are sure that you must have enjoyed these dramatic landscapes of New Zealand with us.