Northern Spotlight

4.0/5 Based on 6 Reviews No Booking FeesDedicated Travel Advisor
Fully Guided Coach Group Scenic
Our Price From 3,762 Per Person
Exclusive Savings 708 Per Person
 Trip Length
8 Days
 Trip Starts
Auckland
 Trip Finishes
Wellington
8 Day Northern Spotlight Itinerary (AAT Kings)
Countries Explored: New Zealand
Trip Style
Best Buys
Departures
Accommodation
3 - 4 Star
Max. Group Size
49
Guide Level
Fully Guided
Trip Code
LABW

Overview

Read 6 reviews and enjoy exclusive savings on AAT Kings 8 Day Northern Spotlight. It’s incredible how much a tour of New Zealand’s North Island can reveal about the country. Your roll-call includes oh-so-cool cities like Auckland tours and Wellington tours, the gateways to the Bay of Islands and Rotorua. Adventure and bliss await.

Itinerary

Auckland is known as the ‘City of Sails'. And you'll discover why when exploring its two harbours at your leisure. Pick a waterfront precinct and find a perch to while away the afternoon with a glass of Central Otago sauvignon blanc and a backdrop of yachts darting the water. Should you need a closer look, take a cruise out to the wineries of Waiheke Island, or just meet fellow travel companions over a few local tipples tonight. Stay: Holiday Inn Express, Auckland

Your journey north on a Bay of Islands tour from Auckland is not short of drama - discover 140 droplets of land ringed by turquoise sea at the top of the country. It's undeniably beautiful, but it also holds a special historical secret: this is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, between Captain William Hobson and Māori chiefs. Your guide, likely an ancestor of one of the original signatories, will explain the significance of the site, while pointing out the world's largest ceremonial war canoe and a carved meeting house. (B/D) Stay: Copthorne Resort Bay of Islands, Garden Rooms (2 Nights)

If there's a travel destination that inspires wanderlust, the Bay of Islands is it. And today, you can do just that. At your leisure, venture up to Cape Reinga/Te Rerenga Wairua, the very top of New Zealand, via idyllic Ninety Mile Beach. Or glide around on an historic tall ship, enjoy local drops on a wine tour of the region, or join a tour of Russell and learn more about the settling of the Bay of Islands. The choice is yours. (B)

Northern exposure is a thing today, when you journey toward the top of the country to visit Whangarei - NZ's northern-most city, and a place where waterfalls meet beaches, galleries meet museums. It's like the country in a tantalising snapshot - a union of nature and forward-thinking culture. Explore at your leisure before sinking back into your seat for the mesmerising commute back to Auckland. (B) Stay: Holiday Inn Express, Auckland

There's no bad day in Auckland - today, your Auckland tour is filled with expeditions to the War Memorial Museum and Waitemata Harbour, before you set your GPS for the Waikato River and a Waitomo Caves tour. This place is radiant - quite literally. While cruising cavernous waterways, your route is cast in a magical light by thousands of glowworms. It's a landscape almost as otherworldly as Rotorua, where mud pops and jettisons from bubbling geysers, and steam rushes skywards from cracks in the Earth.

Tonight, delve deep into Maori culture and traditions at Te Puia. Your dinner, a hangi cooked underground, is served while you overlook the spectacular geothermal valley. The highlight is a Maori cultural performance in the beautifully carved meeting house, Te Aronui a Rua. (B/D) Stay: Ibis Rotorua Hotel (2 Nights)

Explore at your own pace today, but with plenty of tips from your Travel Director. Want a bit of down time? We wouldn't blame you for simply blissing out at in the steamy thermal springs at Rotorua's Polynesian Spa. Animal lover? Go behind the scenes on a working kiwi nursery and hatchery. Hobbit fans will want to take advantage of the opportunity to tour the sights featured in The Lord of the Rings movies at Hobbiton. These beautiful landscapes are not only a bucket list tour for Hobbit fans, but a gorgeous countryside getaway. (B)

You'll hear Huka Falls well before you see it - at this natural wonder, a staggering 220,000 litres of water thunder over an 11-metre-high waterfall every second. The road ahead unfolds in a broad panorama of Lake Taupo, its waters so vivid and blue you'll think someone has taken the glasses off your nose and cleaned them for the first time. Traverse the Kapiti Coast to New Zealand's cool little capital, Wellington, where there are so many restaurants and bars to choose from, you'll need a guidebook. Wait, you have an in-the-know Travel Director to talk to. (B) Stay: Travelodge Wellington

The best way to begin a Wellington day? With a coffee. The city is known for its uber-cool cafés, designed to fuel you through a session at Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand. After lunch - read: a lunch that changes lives - it's time to bid farewell to your NZ crew. What a week. (B/L)

Trip Inclusions

  • Ancient volcanoes, thundering waterfalls and a yacht-studded harbour are your backdrop in Whangarei, New Zealand's northernmost city. What a wildlife wonderland.
  • Sometimes, the best meals are those you stumble upon. We can point you in the right direction in Auckland and Wellington – then go for it!
  • Explore at your own pace in Rotorua. Slow? Opt for a thermal soak at Polynesian Spa. Fast? Zipline through the rainforest.
  • Life becomes all the more radiant at Waitomo Glowworm Caves, a subterranean wonderland that replicates the night sky.
  • Thousands of kids across NZ go hungry every year. The ‘Eat My Lunch' programme that you support ensures this tide is turning.

  • Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver
  • 1 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Fiordland National Park
  • Centrally located premium 3.5-star hotels

  • 7 Full Breakfasts
  • 1 Lunch
  • 1 Dinner
  • 1 Highlight Dinner

  • Water bottle
  • Warm layers in cooler months
  • Camera
  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat

  • Day 1: Flights to arrive by 4:00pm into Auckland Airport
  • Day 8: Flights to depart after 2:00pm from Wellington Airport

  • Low level of fitness required

  • Accommodation, itinerary and inclusions subject to change.
  • Prices are for land/cruise and internal flights as specified only. Flights not specified are not included.

Trip Reviews (6) Most Recent 'Northern Spotlight' Reviews

4.0
AVG. RATING 4.0 / 5
6 Reviews
5 Star
17%
4 Star
67%
3 Star
17%
2 Star
1 Star
8 days in the North Island of NZ 0 , NSW, Australia, Sep 2018
Was very enjoyable, tours director and driver were excellent. Hotels were good and enjoyed my trip immensely. My fellow companions were good company and the coach was not full which gave room to move around. The inclusions were good and options were diverse although I did not take them.
A most enjoyable and relaxing holiday 0 , NSW, Australia, Oct 2015
A most enjoyable and relaxing holiday thank you, aided by a good group, fine weather, the guide (Mel) and the driver (Mark). Although we had previously visited the North Island on our own, the tour itinerary enabled us to visit and learn about areas not seen earlier. We would certainly advise a tour such as yours in preference to solo travel.
Great accommodation visiting lots of very scenic locations 0 , Australia, Mar 2013
Very good tour with great accommodation visiting lots of very scenic locations made more enjoyable by an excellent group of travelling companions. Thanks Kirby for a well organised and enjoyable tour.
Didn't like the tour pace 0 , Australia, Dec 2012
When I am on a tour I don't like free days. I would rather something was organized.
Very well organised and extremely good value for money 0 , Australia, Mar 2012
The tour was very well organised and extremely good value for money. The accommodation was excellent and varied from the wonderful Art Hotel in Wellington to the farm stay accommodation in Cambridge. Like any such tour, with so much ground to cover, one would have preferred more time to explore and less time sitting on the bus. We did not have a tour ...read more director but the bus driver did a very good job and his driving skills were exemplary. If you are providing feedback to AAT Kings one suggestion would be for them to provide information on recommended places to eat on the nights that dinner was not provided as part of the itinerary. I would also give AAT Kings and the driver a gold star for the way they handled an elderly gent on the tour who kept getting lost - they even drove him in the bus direct to the airport to ensure that he did not get lost there and miss his plane.
My father was always well looked after 0 , Australia, Jun 2011
I booked this trip on behalf of my father John Crabtree who was 83. Georgie was excellent in organising this trip for us, nothing too much trouble. My father had a marvellous time on this trip from the first night in Auckland to the finish in Wellington, The tour director Marty was great and made it a very pleasant trip. My father particularly enjoyed ...read more the Bay of Islands and the Maori Village in Rotorua. As this was a small group of 16 everyone got to know one another and my father was always well looked after. Thanks again.
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Note
A definite departure means minimum numbers have been reached for this departure to operate. Your Global Journeys Travel Advisor will check the availability of your departure date when you enquire. Additional savings may apply. We guarantee the lowest price in Australia. T&C’s apply.
Note
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Prices and trip information are correct at the time at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by AAT Kings. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from AAT Kings. These should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.

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