Exploring New Zealand's Wonders featuring the North & South Islands - 2024
Overview
Highlights
- Experience an authentic Hangi dinner and learn about Maori culture.
- Enjoy a BBQ on the western shore of Lake Wakatipu.
- Cruise through the Bay of Islands’ famous “Hole in the Rock.”
- Overnight in the spectacular Mt. Cook region where permanent ice fields and glaciers blanket the ragged peaks.
- Visit Walter Peak High Country farm for a sheepdog demonstration.
- Relish a breathtaking cruise through Milford Sound fjord.
- Cross the Cook Strait by ferry.
- Explore Whakarewarewa, a Maori cultural and geothermal experience.
What's this trip about?
Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Attractions
Activities
Itinerary
Cross the International Dateline and begin the adventure of a lifetime by skipping a day ahead.
Your tour opens in Auckland, the “City of Sails,” consistently rated one of the world’s best places to live. Auckland’s Polynesian population instills into its chic atmosphere the vibrant feel of the Pacific Islands. This evening, join your fellow travelers for a welcome dinner.
Come to know the best of Auckland during a panoramic city tour featuring the America’s Cup Village, the War Memorial, bustling Queen Street, and the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The afternoon is yours to explore New Zealand’s largest city on your own. Perhaps you will choose to go on an optional America’s Cup sailing experience.
Depart Auckland and travel north to the Bay of Islands, your home for the next 2 nights. This sun-soaked region boasts more than 144 islands and warm waters with abundant marine life. Visit the Waitangi Treaty House, the site where Maori and British leaders signed the 1840 treaty establishing New Zealand as a nation, to enjoy a traditional Welcome Ceremony and tour.
Begin the day with a cruise that features the bay’s famous Hole in the Rock. Look out at the Cape Brett Lighthouse, standing nearly 500 feet above sea level at the edge of the Cape Brett Peninsula. The rest of the day is yours to independently explore Paihia - the quaint town known as “the jewel of the Bay of Islands.”
Leave the sparkling waters of the Bay of Islands behind and head to Matakohe in the heartland of the North Island. Make a stop at the Kauri Museum and come to know the stories surrounding the giant kauri tree that can live for 2,000 years. Discover how the early settl...
Find yourself amid the dramatic geothermal landscape of Rotorua, known as the Maori capital of New Zealand. Visit Whakarewarewa, a Maori cultural and geothermal experience. Explore an authentic Maori village where people live using natural geothermal resources to cook...
Today we travel to Wellington – New Zealand’s capital city, known as the “Windy City”, a coastal city nestled against the mountains.
Embark on a city tour of Wellington. See the Beehive – New Zealand’s Parliament; historic St. Paul’s Church; and the Old Government Building, the largest wooden building in the Southern Hemisphere. Explore the Te Papa Tongawera Museum, a fascinating center dedicated t...
Board a ferry and sail across Cook Strait. Experience what is considered to be one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world. Arrive in Picton on the South Island where you will have free time for lunch. Continue along the breathtaking east coast to the largest city on the South Island, Christchurch.
Christchurch, the “Garden City,” is recreating itself after a devastating earthquake in 2011. See firsthand how this city is evolving on a sightseeing tour that highlights the city’s magnificent gardens and elegant park district. Pay a visit to Willowbank Wildlife Res...
Journey through New Zealand’s unspoiled wilderness and arrive in the Mt. Cook region, where permanent ice fields and glaciers blanket the ragged peaks. The Maori word for Mt. Cook is Aoraki, which means “cloud piercer.” This is where famed New Zealand mountaineer Sir ...
Travel to Dunedin, situated on the southeast coast of New Zealand. One of the earliest European settlements on the islands, Dunedin holds proudly to its Scottish heritage and traditions. Enjoy time to explore this cultural city on your own.
Start your morning with a panoramic tour, visiting Larnach Castle and Baldwin Street – the world’s steepest public road. Later, spend time at the Royal Albatross Centre, the only mainland breeding location in the world for these otherworldly birds. Albatrosses are the focus in many seafaring myths, and their epic wingspan can reach nearly 10 feet.
Drive past vineyards, amazing landscapes and the charming towns of Central Otago as you head to Queenstown. Dubbed the “adventure capital of the world,” it’s a mountainside town set against the shores of Lake Wakatipu. In the afternoon, it’s your choice! Go bird watching at the Kiwi Birdlife Park -OR- take a gondola to Bob’s Peak for stunning views of the area.
During a cruise of the beautiful Milford Sound, you will see why this fjord is one of the most visited sites on the South Island. With rock faces that rise nearly 4,000 feet on either side, the scenery will take your breath away. On your return to Queenstown, perhaps you will consider an optional scenic flight, allowing you to see the landscape from an entirely new perspective.
Enjoy a relaxed start to your day or head out to explore. Try an optional tour taking you through the stunning Queenstown countryside showcasing many of the locations where blockbuster movies have been filmed and learn about the gold rush that first brought travelers ...
Your adventure comes to a close today, leaving you with many pleasant memories of a wonderful trip.
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The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
Collette Reviews & Ratings
Other Collette Reviews
Great itenerary both cultural and spectacular scenery
This was a tremendous trip. Nice mix of New Zealand s spectacular scenery and cultural highlights. In Australia Cairns was interesting for culture and great barrier ...
It was a wonderful trip and experience!
It was a wonderful trip and experience! We are still sorting all the pictures and memories about it, and some of them I would like to share with you - read my diary ...
Do not travel with Collette They area subpar company
This is worst tour I have ever taken. Poorly planned and not worth the money. Collette brought you to Lisbon where we sat for three days because NO TOURS or sited w...
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