: because trip highlights can be subject to change, please contact one of our trip specialists to discuss the specifics as they will pertain to your trip.
DAY 1 | ARRIVE IN AUCKLAND
A representative will meet you at the Auckland International Airport to transfer you to the historic Airedale Hotel located in the heart of the district called �The Edge.� Check out the theaters and restaurants that characterize the city�s vibe.
DAY 2 | GO, GO GLOW WORMS
It�s an early start this morning. You�ll be picked up at around 8:30am for a city tour. Absorb the sights and sounds, then head south towards the Waikato farmlands and enroute have your morning coffee in a woodland garden. Travel along the waterfront towards Mt. Eden, an extinct volcanic cone that straddles two harbors�Waitemata to the east (famous for its sparkling waters) and Manukau in the west. Next, visit one of the best-known attractions in the country, Waitomo�s amazing glow worm caves. These acoustic, limestone caverns with stalactites and stalagmites makes even the tone deaf sound operatic. Take a guided tour through the cave. Head to a grotto for a boat ride to an underground lake, then cruise along the lake with the soft green, glow of the worms as your guide. Return to the old world charm Waitomo Caves Hotel for a first night celebration dinner.
DAY 3 | WAITOMO TO ROTORUA & THE MAORI
It�s a bubble, bubble, boil without trouble morning. Take a route via pine forests and lakes to Orakei Korako where silica terraces and bubbling mud pools abound. Enjoy seeing the thermal power of gushing geysers, warm mud and Aladdin�s cave. Rotorua mud is even sold as a beauty treatment and salon facials are widely available. Next, head to Rotorua Museum, Lake Tarawera, and the Rainbow Springs trout pools for some fly fishing. In the evening, stay in The Regal Geyserland Hotel overlooking the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve�swing by to get a glimpse of its geothermal activity. It�s near the Maori Arts and Crafts Centre. The Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand and the Centre details Maori woodworking and jewelry craftsmenship. Tonight, enjoy a Maori concert with songs handed down over the centuries and dance, and a traditional hangi dinner, cooked in an earthen oven. [B,D]
DAY 4 | TO NAPIER--VINEYARDS
Today, travel to the thundering Huka Falls on the Waikato River, the country�s longest river and skirt Lake Taupo, the country�s largest lake. Next, travel over the ranges to Napier where Art Deco lives. Taste fine wine at local vineyards. Take your pick of activities: gannet-watch at Cape Kidnappers, visit the artists� colony at Te Awanga or walk the art deco trail through the city center. Tonight, stay at the Merriwee Country House, built in 1908 and set in a fragrant apricot orchard with wonderful views of the Hawkes Bay coastline. Combine comfort and relaxation in large living rooms and verandahs opening to the expansive lawns and a swimming pool. And for those looking to try something a little different, check out the petanque court. Originally from France, petanque, a game of tossing metal balls is a great way to end the day. [B]
DAY 5 | NAPIER � MARTINBOROUGH: THE GIFT BASKET
Known as the country�s food basket, Hawkes Bay in picturesque Martinborough boasts orchards, vineyards and market gardens. Pay a visit to Mt. Bruce, a renowned bird sanctuary and garden. Tour the Wairarapa wine region, which bears a climatic resemblance to Burgundy, France. Taste the local specialty, the pinot noir that put this pretty, little village on the map. Spend the night in one of the quaint B&Bs and wake up to a fantastically huge home-cooked breakfast. [B]
DAY 6 | COOK STRAIT AND QUEEN CHARLOTTE SOUND
Today, head to Wellington, the capital city, to visit Te Papa New Zealand�s national museum. Take a tour of this harbor-side and interactive museum. Then, ferry across the Cook Strait and up the Queen Charlotte sound to Picton. Have lunch and dinner at any of the local restaurants, serving up fresh produce and the fresh catch of the day. Beautifully set on the water�s edge, the Lazy Fish Lodge is a restored colonial homestead. Nestled in its own private bay, it can only be reached by water taxi. Guests are welcome to use the complimentary windsurfer, rowboats and canoes to explore the nearby waters. [B]
DAY 7 | AROUND QUEEN CHARLOTTE SOUND
Today, take in a full complement of gorgeous scenery and seafaring. Hike the nearby native bush walk around the edge of Queen Charlotte Sound with its many inlets surrounded by high hills where holiday homes cling to the shoreline. A delicious packed lunch has been arranged so the day is yours to explore the sound by a charter nature cruise. Take a sea fishing tour at Ship Cove, Captain Cook�s favorite, or day trip by boat to Motuara Island, a nature sanctuary home to many endangered native birds. Return to the Lazy Fish Lodge for dinner. [B,L,D]
DAY 8 | WHALE WATCHING
Today, you�re bound for Picton and breakfast at Cellier Le Brun vineyard, an award-winning vineyard in the heart of Marlborough wine country. Established in the 1970s, Cellier Le Brun planted in pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier varieties. The vineyard is recognized nationally in using the �methode traditionelle.� To ensure consistency and quality, two underground cellars were dug into the hillside, which visitors can tour. And the vineyards, gardens and art galleries lead to the coast�s enchanting seascapes. Famed for whale watching, the small seaside town of Kaikoura offers close encounters of the marine kind. From the shore, see heaps of seals or take the Whalewatch boat trip (an additional cost) to see giant sperm whales, fur seals, Dusky Dolphins, the rare and endangered Hector Dolphins and a wide variety of seabirds, including the Royal Albatross. Undersea currents hit the walls of Kaikoura Canyon and provide plankton for the young male sperm whales that feed in these deep waters throughout the year. In the event that you do not sight a whale, Whalewatch guarantees a refund of up to 80% of the fare. Spend the night at The Old Convent. This B&B is set in rolling farmland with the Kaikoura Ranges as the backdrop. Originally built for an order of Catholic nuns in 1911, the Inn has an eclectic collection of rooms, gardens and complimentary perked coffee and tea, juice and biscuits served in the dining room. [B]
DAY 9 | MORE WINE AND DINE: MT. SOMERS
Drive down the plains to Christchurch where the coastline turns inland, through the Canterbury plains farmlands, flanked by the Southern Alps. Next, stop at the Pegasus Bay Winery, the most acclaimed winery in the Waipara Valley wine region. Further south, Ian and Di Mackenzie host us for lunch in their historic Canterbury Farm Homestead, set on 1,200 acres of beautiful farmland called Akaunui, which is the Maori name for �Longbeach.� This is country hospitality at its best. Then, head west into the landscape to Mt. Somers where the plains meet the mountains. Your hosts for the evening, Christine and Robert Koller of Stonechrubie Chalets, are passionate about the outdoors and fabulous food. Christine is English and Robert, a brilliant chef, is from Switzerland. Together, they serve up some of the best food in the region, using fresh local produce. [B,L,D]
DAY 10 | CLYDE AND A CAF� CRAWL
Feast your eyes on the mountains and the turquoise lakes of Tekapo and Pukaki, nestled in the bed of an ancient glacier. Don�t miss The Church of the Good Shepherd, a pretty stone building and popular photographic stop, offering magnificent views of the Southern Alps, the lakes and mountains. Later, drive through the Lindis Pass and arrive at Clyde, a rich and prosperous town in the 1860s. Formerly known as Dunstan, it was the center of the Dunstan Gold Rush in 1862. The main street still features some of the charming old stone buildings from that era. Although, quaint and not well known to tourists, Clyde is now a major orchard area with crops of stone fruits, apricots, peaches and nectarines. Murray and Christine Bell, owners of the Dunstan House, which has been restored to its Victorian glory, also own a vineyard nearby. Caf� crawl the streets of this quaint goldmining town tonight. [B]
DAY 11 | STRIKE GOLD
Explore Central Otago Province�s craggy landscape and wander Bannockburn�s gold and wine trails. The trail at Bannockburn is an easy two hour walk up through the old gold mine tailings. In November, the fields are thick with thyme flowers. In February, the apricot trees are ripe. Later, wind through the Kawarau Gorge where you can try your luck at goldpanning. The rugged Kawarau Gorge is the main route into Queenstown and is framed by the mountains and the low-lying Kawarau River. It�s hard to fight the lure of Queenstown. Tonight, stay in the Browns Boutique Hotel owned by Nigel and Bridget Brown, longtime Queenstown residents. There is a balcony off each room to take in the night air. Stroll down to the town for the nightlife of shops and restaurants [B]
DAY 12 | IN QUEENSTOWN
Tour picturesque Queenstown at your leisure. Or, take a day excursion to scenic Milford Sound, cruising Lake Wakatipu, jet boating or take a dive and bungee jump. New Zealand is where it all started. Milford Sound is a fiord guarded by a spectacular rock formation called Mitre Peak. In wet weather, the waterfalls cascading down the mountain faces glisten. Writer Rudyard Kipling described it as the eighth wonder of the world. Return to the Browns Boutique Hotel. [B]
DAY 13 | ARROWTOWN AND THE MOUNTAINTOP
History comes alive in the leafy, goldmining town of Arrowtown where wood and stone cottages on main street stand as a reminder of days gone by. Stop at the Cardrona Hotel before climbing to the top of the mountain. Climb the mountainside to Snow Farm where John and Mary Lee host cross country skiers and the car testing industry. That�s right, the car testing industry. Every year top car and tire makers from around the world come here to Snow Farm, during the winters to test their new ABS braking systems. In the evening, dine on top of the world in the starkly beautiful mountaintop lodge at Snow Farm. See the world below from its many rooms. Check out the Altitude Shop that stocks mountain clothing and accessories. [B,D]
DAY 14 | RIVERS AND GLACIERS
In the morning, pass by the small town of Wanaka and Lake Hawea. Stop for short walks through Haast Pass� dramatic mountain beech forests, waterfalls and rivers. Hundreds of years ago, Haast Pass was the trail used by the Maori to move greenstone from the West Coast to the southern regions. Greenstone is a beautiful nephrite jade�ranging in color from sea green to dark green, and found mainly on the rugged mountains of the West Coast near the towns of Hokitika and Greymouth. Greenstone has spiritual significance to the Maori�known as �pounamu,� it was used for tools, ornaments and weapons. Then, continue on to Fox Glacier and north to Franz Josef Glacier. These glaciers are unique because glaciers do not usually descend to such low altitudes, just 820 feet above sea level. Stay overnight at the Punga Grove Lodge on the edge of the rainforest. Franz Josef town has a selection of restaurants just a short stroll away from the hotel. [B]
DAY 15 | FRANZ JOSEF
Begin your day by driving through Mt. Aspiring Park and Westland World Heritage Park to Franz Josef Glacier. It�s your chance to take a flight and see kotuku, the Maori name for the rare white heron. Other native birds such as the wood pigeon, bellbird, silvereye, fantail and tui are here. Next, visit greenstone and glass factories in Hokitika before heading east towards Arthur�s Pass National Park. Towering mountainscapes lead to the plains of Christchurch, where you�ll spend your last night at the Chateau on the Park Hotel. Set in five acres of meticulously manicured gardens, this French chateau-style resort is nestled between Hagley Park and the historic home and gardens of Mona Vale. [B]
DAY 16 | DEPART NEW ZEALAND
Say your goodbyes to this vast and varied country. Transfer from your hotel to the Christchurch Airport to catch your connecting flight. [B]
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