WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Immersive Insider Experiences
- 12 breakfasts and 8 dinners
- Expert tour director plus local guides in select locations
- Arrival and departure airport transfers in New Zealand
- Luggage porterage for your convenience
13 day New Zealand Discoverer
Explore the delights of New Zealand on your Value-Plus Escorted Vacation. Highlights include the geothermal geysers and rich Maori culture of Rotorua and the snow-capped mountains of the South Island. Visit the glowworm caves at Waitomo, immerse yourself in the Maori way of life as you indulge in a traditional Maori Hangi feast in Rotorua, Take a scenic cruise on the Interislander ferry across Cook Strait, Enjoy a full-length cruise along magnificent Milford Sound, Traverse Mt Cook National Park & more!
VIEW ITINERARY
Day 1
Arrive Auckland
Be met on arrival into Auckland and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy some time at leisure prior to dinner.
Stay: Rydges Auckland Hotel
Dinner
Day 2
Auckland, Waitomo, Rotorua
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Discover the magical natural spectacle of Waitomo Caves with a local guide.
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Enjoy a Maori Hangi feast with performances of song and dance at Te Puia tonight.
Leaving Auckland after breakfast, travel to Waitomo, home to the famous glow worm caves where thousands of tiny luminescent creatures radiate an unmistakable glow. Continue to the geothermal capital of New Zealand, Rotorua. Visit Te Puia, New Zealand’s premier cultural centre, and enjoy a guided tour of the Maori Arts & Crafts Institute. You will also see the Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley and witness the phenomenal spectacle of erupting geysers and bubbling mud pools. Delight in the opportunity to dine and interact with locals who will enchant you with their customs and cheerful hospitality.
Stay: Two Nights, Sudima Rotorua
Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3
Rotorua
Rotorua captures the essence of New Zealand with its geothermal geysers, fascinating Maori culture and rich heritage. The city is positioned on the Pacific Rim of Fire, and is therefore one of the world’s most active geothermal areas. Your sightseeing continues with a visit to one of New Zealand’s best-loved attractions, the Agrodome, with its entertaining sheep shearing demonstration, dog trials and animal nursery. Later, perhaps enjoy an optional helicopter flight for views over the active White Island volcano (own expense).
Breakfast
Day 4
Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington
Farewell Rotorua and enjoy the scenery as you travel along the Thermal Explorer Highway to Lake Taupo – the largest freshwater lake in Australasia – and thundering Huka Falls. Continue south across the vast volcanic plateau of World Heritage-listed Tongariro National Park to Wellington. The evening has been left free for you to explore the vibrant dining scene independently. From seafood cafes to cosy wine bars and spectacular fine-dining restaurants, you will see that New Zealand’s wild and fresh produce is showcased on a plate here in Wellington.
Stay: Travelodge Wellington
Breakfast
Day 5
Wellington, Cook Strait, Blenheim
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Enjoy one of the world’s most scenic voyages as the Interislander ferry traverses Cook Strait through the Marlborough and Queen Charlotte sounds.
This morning take in a city sights tour which includes Te Papa Tongarewa. Afterwards, admire coastlines defined by tiny coves on the way to Blenheim.
Stay: Blenheim, Quality Hotel Marlborough
Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6
Blenheim, Kaikoura, Christchurch
This morning, head to Kaikoura. Delight in the chance to embark on a whale watching cruise, where you may catch a glimpse of the arc of a tail, or a spouting fountain from a blowhole. Here is one of the few areas on Earth where sperm whales can be sighted all year round thanks to the deep Kaikoura Canyon that runs along the coast. Continue your journey onwards to Christchurch. Upon arrival, enjoy dinner.
Stay: Christchurch, Quality Elms Hotel
Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7
Christchurch, Fox Glacier
Absorb the rural scenery from aboard your coach before beginning the ascent into the Main Divide. Then, sit back and enjoy the vistas as you journey through the Southern Alps to Westland Tai Poutini National Park. This evening, enjoy dinner.
Stay: Heartland Hotel Fox Glacier
Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8
Fox Glacier, Queenstown
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Settle in for a two-night stay overseeing the calming blue waters of Lake Wakatipu, all the while admiring the dramatic backdrop of towering mountains.
Journey through spectacular Haast Pass, skirting the tranquil shores of lakes Wanaka and Hawea to the alpine resort of Queenstown on Lake Wakatipu. Delicious food is always on the menu in Queenstown as it is renowned for its world-class food scene and nightlife. This evening, during time at leisure, you may like to dine at one of the many restaurants in the town centre.
Stay: Two Nights, Copthorne Hotel and Apartments Queenstown Lakeview
Breakfast
Day 9
Queenstown
With the entire day to spend as you please, you have the freedom to simply relax or pursue your interests and choose one of our exciting select experiences. Perhaps step aboard the TSS Earnslaw steamship for a cruise to Walter Peak Station, or take a scenic gondola ride to the top of Bob’s Peak for panoramic views over Queenstown (both at own expense). Or, if you’re more of a gourmand, perhaps choose to set off into the Central Otago region independently – one of New Zealand’s foremost wine-producing areas.
Breakfast
Day 10
Queenstown, Milford Sound, Te Anau
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Board a boat and cruise the full length of Milford Sound, a magnificent fiord with views of cascading waterfalls, dense rainforest, sheer cliffs and surrounding mountains.
Enter Fiordland National Park along the Milford Road, then enjoy an exciting Insider Experience. Afterwards, make your way to your hotel and enjoy dinner.
Stay: Kingsgate Hotel Te Anau
Breakfast, Dinner
Day 11
Te Anau, Dunedin
Today, journey through rolling Southland countryside before arriving in Dunedin. Enjoy a guided tour then head to the nearby hills to take an intriguing tour of Larnach Castle, New Zealand’s only castle. Steeped in scandal and tragedy, it is filled with magnificent antiques and offers breathtaking views. Enjoy some time at leisure before dinner this evening.
Stay: Scenic Hotel Dunedin City
Breakfast, Dinner
Day 12
Dunedin, Mt Cook, Lake Tekapo
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Journey into Mt Cook National Park to view Australasia’s highest mountain, Aoraki (Mt Cook). Arrive this afternoon at your hotel, situated on the shores of Lake Tekapo.
INSIDER EXPERIENCE
Dine on fresh local produce at your hotel’s restaurant during a memorable Farewell Dinner.
See the Moeraki Boulders and visit Oamaru to see some of New Zealand’s finest 19th-century architecture.
Stay: Lake Tekapo, Peppers Bluewater Resort
Breakfast, Dinner
Day 13
Lake Tekapo, Depart Christchurch
Pay a visit to the tiny Church of the Good Shepherd before travelling to Christchurch airport for your onward flight.
Breakfast
Pricing & Departures
| Apr 17, 2020 | $3,795 |
| May 11, 2020 | $3,595 |
| Jun 15, 2020 | $3,595 |
| Sep 14, 28, 2020 | $3,795 |
| Oct 6, 13, 27, 2020 | $3,595 |
| Nov 3, 10, 15, 2020 | $3,595 |
| Dec 1, 15, 2020 | $3,595 |
Additional travel dates are available, call a Travel Team Agent for details.
Or, call 1.800.788.0829 to speak with one of our travel experts.
Notes:
- Land only package
- Prices based on availability & may be subject to change
- Prices in US dollars unless otherwise noted
- We have limited space on this package and it is subject to availability and prior sale
- All package prices are per person based on double occupancy unless otherwise noted
- Prices reflect cash discount
- Due to constantly changing policies to baggage restrictions, please check with your airline directly for latest updates and restrictions
- Information, including prices are subject to change without notice
- Restrictions and change and/or cancel penalties apply
- UBI-600-307-872-WA
