Duration: 8 Days
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. Day 1
Welcome to Auckland
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. Meet fellow travel companions over a few local tipples tonight.
Day 2
Auckland - Bay of Islands
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.
Day 3
Bay of Islands Free Time
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.
Day 4
Bay of Islands - Auckland
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.
Day 5
Auckland - Rotorua
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 Māori 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.
Day 6
Rotorua Free Time
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.
Day 7
Rotorua - Wellington
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.
Day 8
Farewell from 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.
- Enjoy Auckland and Wellington
- Explore at your own pace in Rotorua.
- Life becomes all the more radiant at Waitomo Glowworm Caves, a subterranean wonderland that replicates the night sky.
Start Date: 2023-10-14
End Date: 2023-10-21
twin
Adult Price: $3895
Child Price: $3525
twinShare
Adult Price: $3895
Child Price: $2295
triple
Adult Price: $3710
Child Price: $3710
single
Adult Price: $5000
Start Date: 2023-11-04
End Date: 2023-11-11
twin
Adult Price: $3895
Child Price: $3525
twinShare
Adult Price: $3895
triple
Adult Price: $3710
Child Price: $3710
single
Adult Price: $5000
Start Date: 2023-11-11
End Date: 2023-11-18
twin
Adult Price: $3895
Child Price: $3525
twinShare
Adult Price: $3895
triple
Adult Price: $3710
Child Price: $3710
single
Adult Price: $5000
Start Date: 2023-12-02
End Date: 2023-12-09
twin
Adult Price: $3895
Child Price: $3525
twinShare
Adult Price: $3895
triple
Adult Price: $3710
Child Price: $3710
single
Adult Price: $5000
Start Date: 2023-12-09
End Date: 2023-12-16
twin
Adult Price: $3895
Child Price: $3525
twinShare
Adult Price: $3895
triple
Adult Price: $3710
Child Price: $3710
single
Adult Price: $5000
Start Date: 2024-01-06
End Date: 2024-01-13
twin
Adult Price: $4010
Child Price: $3630
twinShare
Adult Price: $4010
triple
Adult Price: $3820
Child Price: $3820
single
Adult Price: $5150
Start Date: 2024-01-13
End Date: 2024-01-20
twin
Adult Price: $4010
Child Price: $3630
twinShare
Adult Price: $4010
triple
Adult Price: $3820
Child Price: $3820
single
Adult Price: $5150
Start Date: 2024-01-20
End Date: 2024-01-27
twin
Adult Price: $4010
Child Price: $3630
twinShare
Adult Price: $4010
triple
Adult Price: $3820
Child Price: $3820
single
Adult Price: $5150
Start Date: 2024-01-27
End Date: 2024-02-03
twin
Adult Price: $4010
Child Price: $3630
twinShare
Adult Price: $4010
triple
Adult Price: $3820
Child Price: $3820
single
Adult Price: $5150
Start Date: 2024-02-03
End Date: 2024-02-10
twin
Adult Price: $4010
Child Price: $3630
twinShare
Adult Price: $4010
triple
Adult Price: $3820
Child Price: $3820
single
Adult Price: $5150
Start Date: 2024-02-10
End Date: 2024-02-17
twin
Adult Price: $4010
Child Price: $3630
twinShare
Adult Price: $4010
triple
Adult Price: $3820
Child Price: $3820
single
Adult Price: $5150
Start Date: 2024-02-17
End Date: 2024-02-24
twin
Adult Price: $4010
Child Price: $3630
twinShare
Adult Price: $4010
triple
Adult Price: $3820
Child Price: $3820
single
Adult Price: $5150
Start Date: 2024-02-24
End Date: 2024-03-02
twin
Adult Price: $4010
Child Price: $3630
twinShare
Adult Price: $4010
triple
Adult Price: $3820
Child Price: $3820
single
Adult Price: $5150
Start Date: 2024-03-02
End Date: 2024-03-09
twin
Adult Price: $4010
Child Price: $3630
twinShare
Adult Price: $4010
triple
Adult Price: $3820
Child Price: $3820
single
Adult Price: $5150
Start Date: 2024-03-09
End Date: 2024-03-16
twin
Adult Price: $4010
Child Price: $3630
twinShare
Adult Price: $4010
triple
Adult Price: $3820
Child Price: $3820
single
Adult Price: $5150
Start Date: 2024-03-16
End Date: 2024-03-23
twin
Adult Price: $4010
Child Price: $3630
twinShare
Adult Price: $4010
triple
Adult Price: $3820
Child Price: $3820
single
Adult Price: $5150
Start Date: 2024-03-23
End Date: 2024-03-30
twin
Adult Price: $4010
Child Price: $3630
twinShare
Adult Price: $4010
triple
Adult Price: $3820
Child Price: $3820
single
Adult Price: $5150
