Overview
Itinerary
Auckland is the kind of place you could lose yourself in for a couple of weeks. Arrive at your leisure and explore new waterfront precincts, or just ready yourself to meet fellow travellers at dinner. (D) Stay: Horizon by SkyCity Auckland
A little bit of leisure, a little bit of culture - today is one of those days. Peek behind the scenes of maritime racing history on the New Zealand Maritime Museum's America's Cup Tour. Your Travel Director then takes you around the city, pausing at Bastion Point for epic photo opportunities. (B) Stay: Horizon by SkyCity Auckland
Leave Auckland behind and journey into the countryside for an exclusive family-style Be My Guest lunch in the Red Barn on a working dairy farm. Expect country banter and farm-to-table fare prepared with a lot of love. The next hot spot - in every sense of the word - on your NZ holiday is Rotorua. Visit Te Puia to see and support Maori artisans at work, then continue your Rotorua tour at the steamy Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve, a staggering valley where geysers pop and thermal springs jettison skywards. (B/L) Stay: Millennium Hotel Rotorua
Today, choose your own adventure. We have plenty of ideas for the paths you might follow.
Tonight, dive deep into Maori culture at Te Pā Tū Māori Experience, an important hub keeping tradition, art and music alive. Oh, and exciting Māori cuisine. Enjoy forest kai horotai (seasonal canapés) and chef choice aperitif, followed by a seasonal three-course dinner. (B/D) Stay: Millennium Hotel Rotorua
Say goodbye to Rotorua and hello to the raging rapids of Huka Falls, where 220,000 litres of water barrel over this massive waterfall every second. Your outlook then unfolds into the dreamy landscape of Lake Taupo. Traverse the volcanic Central Plateau to NZ's cool little capital of Wellington. (B/D) Stay: Rydges Wellington
Your day in Wellington should - must - begin with a coffee. The city is known for its ubercool cafés and with coffee in hand you will head out on city sights tour to take in highlights such as its iconic cable car, parliament, and Mt. Victoria. Your tour ends at Te Papa, the national Museum of New Zealand, where you may choose to visit the groundbreaking exhibitions on offer.
Later you may decide on an optional tour. Lord of the Rings fans will rejoice with a special tour and visit to Weta Workshop. Or choose to visit Zealandia's ecosanctuary restoring 225 hectares of forest.
Tonight, there are so many restaurants and bars to choose from. Ask us for recommendations or explore at your leisure. (B) Stay: Rydges Wellington
This morning cruise the Cook Strait into tranquil Queen Charlotte Sound and continue to Kaikoura, a marine life haven.
On arrival be treated to a biodiversity talk from Sabrina Leucht, founder of Kaikōura Wildlife Centre Trust, and learn about the work the trust is doing towards Wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, at this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience.
Tonight, dine at Hiku, which celebrates what Kaikōura is all about - kai moana and dramatic sea and mountain scapes. (B/D) Stay: Sudima Kaikoura
Enjoy a relaxed start this morning or sign up for one of several local wildlife experiences available. Sign up for a scenic flight for a bird's-eye view, get up close to dolphins by boat or kayak (both own expense), or sample tasty crayfish at waterside fish-and-chip shops. Follow the coast and Canterbury Plains to Christchurch, home to innovative architecture, art institutions and restaurants. (B) Stay: Distinction Christchurch Hotel
From its cardboard-crafted Cathedral to its gold-clad central library, Christchurch has well and truly rebuilt itself since the 2010/11 earthquakes. But South Island locals still cherish a simple life, as you'll discover over a Be My Guest afternoon tea with retired farmers Angie and Stan Taylor at their home Morelea on the edge of Lake Tekapo. (B/D) Stay: Distinction Mackenzie Country Hotel Twizel
Oamaru has a rich history and proud heritage, enriched by passionate and perhaps quirky locals. Explore the shops, galleries and traditional crafts within some of the Southern Hemisphere's most complete Victorian streetscapes, before landing in Dunedin. (B/D) Stay: Scenic Hotel Southern Cross
From sheep farms to rugged mountains, today is one of contrasts. Venture into Fiordland National Park toward the South Island's largest lake and the lakeside town of Te Anau. You'll experience the thrill of jet boating on scenic Lake Manapouri, home to Pomona Island, where native birds are under threat - and this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience is helping to protect them through a community-based conservation project. (B/D) Stay: Distinction Te Anau Hotel and Villas
Your journey towards Milford Sound/Piopiotahi traverses native rainforest, alluvial flats and meadows, with mirrored lakes, thundering waterfalls, dramatic rocky ranges and millennia-old valleys. Your Milford Sound/Piopiotahi boat tour, cruising through this wild expanse, provides enough drama for an entire travel year - you still have the streets of Queenstown to explore. (B) Stay: Millennium Hotel, Queenstown
Adrenaline-junkies may wish to get some perspective on a tour of the gorges of Skippers Canyon. Gourmand at heart? Perhaps a Central Otago wine tour? (Both own expense). Your day ends on a dreamy TSS Earnslaw cruise across Lake Wakatipu, landing at Walter Peak High Country Farm for a gourmet barbecue Highlight Dinner at the Colonel's Homestead. (B/D) Stay: Millennium Hotel, Queenstown
From Arrowtown's tree-lined avenues (where you've been visiting a bygone time) to Central Otago's gleaming lakes, nature rules. Alpine scenery tiers into rainforest along the West Coast, where Thunder Creek Falls and the glacier-studded Mt. Hooker steal the scene.
Welcome to the town of Franz Josef, home to Franz Josef Glacier/Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere, which is ideally explored on an optional helicopter flight - you may be able to land and walk across the ice-fall. (B/D) Stay: Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier
Explore the small but lively Franz Josef/Waiau village before venturing to Hokitika, home of New Zealand's native jade greenstone. Then steel yourself for the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes of Punakaiki, a sliver of South Island geology that is as humbling as it is awe-inspiring.
After a spectacular day, spend the night at an eco-friendly, waterfront resort. (B/D) Stay: Scenic Hotel Punakaiki
Venture into the Ponaumu Pathway. Embark on a unique self-guided journey, as you make your way through this extraordinary storytelling experience born from a collaboration with the Weta Workshop. We've got you sorted for lunch at legendary Monteith's Brewery. Then all aboard for the scenic TranzAlpine train back to Christchurch, through tunnels and over viaducts, with panoramic views of snow-capped peaks, icy rivers, beech forests, gorges and river valleys. (B/L/D) Stay: Distinction Christchurch Hotel
How many travel highs can you pack into a holiday? This itinerary has certainly pushed the boundaries. Now all you have to do is go home and sort through all those photos. (B)
Trip Inclusions
- Enjoy an exclusive Be My Guest lunch at the Red Barn, a Waikato working dairy farm.
- Māori culture is celebrated across the country, no more so than at Te Pā Tū Māori Experience. Be immersed in art, tradition, culture… and nurturing cuisine.
- A limestone landscape of pancake-shaped rock formations, blowholes and surge pools sure have carved out a name for themselves. Punakaiki or Pancake Rocks are West Coasters that are known the world over.
- Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver Guide
- Centrally located premium hotels
- National Park entrance fees
- Arrival and departure private airport transfers
- 7 Dinners with Wine
- 16 Full Breakfasts
- 1 Be My Guest Lunch
- 3 Highlight Dinners
- 1 Be My Guest Afternoon Tea
- 1 Lunch
- 1 Farewell Dinner
- Warm layers in cooler months
- Camera
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat
- Water bottle
- Day 1 – flights to arrive by 4.00pm into Auckland Airport
- Day 17 – flights to depart any time from Christchurch 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 (2) Most Recent 'New Zealand Uncovered' Reviews
Included Experiences: The visits to the Kiwifruit Farm and Monteith Brewery ...read more were interesting, the Te Puia Whakawerawera visit as well as the Tamaki Maori Village Concert and Maori Hangi meal were both amazing as was the cruise across the Cook Strait into Queen Charlotte Sound.
The boat ride on Lake Manapouri was thoroughly enjoyable and the stop at Mirror Lakes was amazing. The Milford Sound cruise was an unforgettable experience as was the cruise aboard the TSS Earnslaw and dinner at Walter Peak High Country Farm. The Pancake Rocks, Blowholes and scenery at Punakaiki were great experiences.
Optional Experiences – The Amphibious WWII era Duck at Rotorua was thoroughly enjoyable, the Speights Brewery in Dunedin was interesting, the flight from Te Anau to Queenstown was spectacular and the Skippers Canyon Drive and Jet Boat were exhilarating – all well worth doing. The helicopter at Franz Joseph Glacier seats 6 passengers in a tight squeeze and the flight path tracks on the right hand side of Fox Glacier and down on the right hand side of Franz Joseph Glacier, therefore one’s experience depends on where you are seated. The really enjoyable part was getting out and walking on Fox Glacier. The accommodation was very good across the board and the included meals were delicious. Overall a great experience!
Brochure
AAT Kings New Zealand (2024-25)
Availability
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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. T&C’s apply.
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct 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.
