Tour New Zealand Marvel (14 Days)

Hygieneprotocol

As of December 1st 2021, you must be fully vaccinated to travel with us. Your final vaccine dose must have been administered a minimum of 15 days prior to the start of the trip. This is your second dose of Pfizer, Moderna, or Astra Zeneca, or single dose of Johnson & Johnson.  You must be able to show documented proof of vaccination on trip. Your CDC card is sufficient (we recommend saving a picture on your smart phone as a backup option), but please be aware that certain destinations may require you to fill out additional forms online.

Meals

13 Full buffet breakfasts 2 Highlight Dinners 7 Dinners 1 Farewell Dinner

Transport

Travel by luxury coach Airport transfers (see flight information below)

Guide

From helicopter jaunts to thrilling jet-boat rides, winery expeditions to Hobbiton tours, your Travel Director is at your beck and call to organise travel optional experiences. Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver Guide

Accommodation

Your Guided Holiday includes a range of quality accommodation for your comfort. The accommodation you will enjoy on this tour includes: Ibis Hotel Christchurch Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier (Graham Wing) Copthorne Hotel and Resort Queenstown Distinction Luxmore Hotel Scenic Hotel Dunedin City Heritage Gateway Hotel Ibis Hotel Christchurch Picton Beachcomber Inn Travelodge Wellington Ibis Rotorua Hotel VR Queen Street Hotel & Suites

Others

There’s a reason why we give you downtime in Rotorua and Queenstown – there are enough attractions to fill every traveller’s wish list. Waterfalls, ancient escarpments and dolphins await in Fiordland National Park’s Milford Sound/Piopiotahi. This World Heritage Site is as humbling as it is immense. 1 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Fiordland National Park Centrally located premium 3.5-star hotels

Not included:

Optional

Monarch Larnach Castle Tour (Dunedin) NZ$76 Adult NZ$38 Child Monarch Wildlife Cruise (Dunedin) NZ$150 Adult NZ$56 Child Taieri Gorge Railway (Dunedin) NZ$105 Adult NZ$28 Child Haast River Safari (Franz Josef Glacier) NZ$109 Adult NZ$59 The Helicopter Line - Mountain Scenic Spectacular 40min Flight (Franz Josef Glacier) NZ$480 Adult NZ$336 Child The Helicopter Line - Twin Glacier Scenic 30min Flight (Franz Josef Glacier) NZ$350 Adult NZ$245 Air Safaris - Grand Traverse Scenic Flight (Mt Cook) NZ$395 Adult NZ$295 Child Queenstown Boutique Wine Tour (Queenstown) NZ$199 Adult NZ$139 Child Kiwi Birdlife Park (Queenstown) NZ$49 Adult NZ$24 Child Lakeshore, Forest and Bird Guided Walk (Queenstown) NZ$115 Adult / NZ$75 Child Shotover Jet Boat Ride (Queenstown) NZ$149 Adult NZ$79 Child Skippers Canyon Scenic Tour & Jet Boat (Queenstown) NZ$195 Adult NZ$115 Child Canopy Tours (Rotorua) NZ$149 Adult / NZ$119 Child Hobbiton Movie Set Tour (Rotorua) NZ$119 Adult NZ$77 Child Rainbow Springs Wildlife Park (Rotorua) From NZ$50 Adult NZ$30 Child Tarawera and Lakes Tour on the Rotorua Duck (Rotorua) NZ$89 Adult NZ$55 Child Te Puia (Rotorua) NZ$56 Adult NZ$28 Child Te Anau Glow Worm Caves Tour (Te Anau) NZ$98 Adult NZ$30 Child

Flights

Flights are not included.

Insurance

Insurance is not included.

Others

Other activities and services are not included.

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Day 1: Welcome To Christchurch
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Welcome To Christchurch

There are plenty of reasons to arrive in New Zealand’s ‘Garden City’ early, among them the astonishing transformation that has reinvigorated streets since the devastating 2010/11 earthquakes. Explore at your leisure. We recommend jumping aboard the Christchurch Tram – the conductors are a hoot – to glimpse the mind-bending Transitional Cathedral, made largely of cardboard, and Turanga, the gold-clad central library.
Day 2 Day 2: Christchurch - Franz Josef/Waiau
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Christchurch - Franz Josef/Waiau

When the journey matters just as much as the destination, jump aboard the TranzAlpine train. This scenic spectacular – the start of your tour of the South Island of New Zealand – takes you through tunnels and over viaducts, with panoramic views of snow-capped peaks, icy rivers, beech forests, gorges and river valleys along the way. Arriving in Hokitika, your outlook is all pounamu (native greenstone or jade). In Māori tradition, it’s bad luck to buy this sacred stone for yourself; flutter your eyelids at the one you love. Around the corner is Franz Josef Glacier/Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere, compact of snow and ice that shimmers like a gem. Get some perspective on an optional Franz Josef Glacier/Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere flight tour over this natural wonder – if the weather behaves, you may even get to land on it. Now that’s cool.
Day 3 Day 3: Franz Josef/Waiau - Queenstown
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Franz Josef/Waiau - Queenstown

If you thought the scenery yesterday was dramatic, wait until you hit the Haast Pass today: over the saddle, the alpine scenery of the Southern Lakes spreads before you in a patchwork of blues and greens. First up there’s lovely Lake Wanaka, with its Instagrammable shoreline of poplars and willows. Then Lake Hawea – the colour of an Ice Mint – and Lake Dunstan, where you’ll pause to refuel on flavour-packed stone fruits. As tempting as it is to linger in Arrowtown’s movie-set-like streets, Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables await in Queenstown.
Day 4 Day 4: Queenstown Free Time
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Queenstown Free Time

Today, choose your own adventure – there are plenty to be had. Feel the wind in your hair on the high-octane Shotover Jet, perhaps. Or discover some of New Zealand’s feathered friends at a wildlife centre. Wine aficionado? Sip your way through surrounding vineyards. Wherever you wander, make sure you’re back in time to glide across Lake Wakatipu aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a gourmet barbecue dinner and a little late-night dancing.
Day 5 Day 5: Queenstown - Te Anau
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Queenstown - Te Anau

There are some travel days that defy the imagination. Thankfully, you don’t have to dream about all the natural highs in today’s itinerary – they’re about to become a reality. Your route from the Mirror Lakes through the Cleddau Valley is the entrée to Milford Sound/Piopiotahi, a cavernous wonderland where waterfalls thunder from ancient escarpments into inky water where dolphins play. You’ll likely spot them on your Milford Sound/Piopiotahi cruise. It’s all part of World Heritage listed Fiordland National Park, an intoxicating union of beech forests, alluvial flats, meadows and gin-clear rivers, carving up the countryside. This is your backdrop all the way to Te Anau. And just when you thought things couldn’t get any more magical, glow worm-filled grottoes make an appearance. We highly recommend a visit.
Day 6 Day 6: Te Anau - Dunedin
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Te Anau - Dunedin

On the banks of the South Island’s biggest lake, Te Anau turns on the sunrise charms. Enjoy a morning stroll before swapping the forested slopes of Fiordland for the rolling green hills of the Edinburgh of the South. Welcome to Dunedin, a beguiling union of both Māori and Scottish heritage (it was colonised by Scots in the 19th century). While away the afternoon in atmospheric art-lined alleys or sipping a lager or two in Speights Brewery (a national institution). Or venture further afield to discover the wildlife that thrives in this pretty pocket of the country – fur seals and penguins, anyone?
Day 7 Day 7: Dunedin - Omarama
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Dunedin - Omarama

If you didn’t get a taste for Dunedin’s Scottish heritage yesterday, you surely will today. Explore grand Larnach Castle at your leisure – this is, after all, the only one of its kind in the country – then wander the manicured grounds of Otago University or the city’s main George Street for an additional reminder of the city’s ties to Europe. If you’ve ever wanted to see New Zealand’s oldest public gardens, today you’re in luck with a visit to Oamaru, known for its stately tree-lined streets and limestone buildings.
Day 8 Day 8: Omarama - Christchurch
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Omarama - Christchurch

Your outlook this morning is the Canterbury Plains: the turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo, hemmed by snow-capped mountains and atmospheric towns. If it seems familiar, that’s because it regularly stars on postcards. Take it in on an optional scenic flight for added perspective of the Southern Alps and on to Franz Josef Glacier/Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere. Back on the ground, it’s time to become reacquainted on a Christchurch tour, your in-the-know guide pointing out the city’s miraculous transformation over the last decade. Local spirit is strong here.
Day 9 Day 9: Christchurch - Picton
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 9: Christchurch - Picton

Forget powdery white sand – once you’ve seen the dramatic black Kaikoura cove, you’ll be spoilt for all future beach-bashing. Bonus points if you spot a sea lion or sperm whale frolicking offshore; a sighting is practically guaranteed if you opt for an aerial tour over the coastline. Your onward route skirts the pink-tinged crystallisation ponds of the Lake Grassmere Salt Works, before arriving in the pretty seaside fishing village of Picton.
Day 10 Day 10: Picton - Wellington
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 10: Picton - Wellington

Cruising through Queen Charlotte Sound, up the Tory Channel and across Cook Strait is a journey as scenic as it is serene. Today’s chariot, the Interislander, transports you from the South Island to the North, navigating a maze of arms and inlets into New Zealand’s cool little capital of Wellington. We hope you got some rest on your journey, because you’ll need all your stamina to explore the award-winning (and eye-opening) Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand on a Wellington tour. Ask your Travel Director for tips on where to sip wine and coffee tonight – this city is known for its uber-cool cafes, restaurants and bars.
Day 11 Day 11: Wellington - Rotorua
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 11: Wellington - Rotorua

Follow the lead of locals along the Kapiti Coast, the summer playground of Wellingtonians – for good reason. The road ahead unfolds in a broad panorama of Lake Taupo, the largest (and perhaps bluest) of its kind in the country. 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 Maori 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 Māori cultural performance in the beautifully carved meeting house, Te Aronui a Rua.
Day 12 Day 12: Rotorua Free Time
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 12: Rotorua Free Time

Sometimes, the best adventures are those that you have when you least expect them. Like wandering into Rotorua’s Polynesian Spa and falling into a few hours of bliss while soaking in steamy thermal springs. Who knew nature was this relaxing? Or discovering endangered birds 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 13 Day 13: Rotorua - Auckland
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 13: Rotorua - Auckland

Before you reach your final destination, get set to glow on a tour through the Waikato River’s Waitomo Caves. This place is radiant – quite literally. While cruising cavernous limestone waterways, your route is cast in a magical light by thousands of glowworms. Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, appears on the horizon, dazzling with not one, but two harbours. And plenty of yachts to decorate both, as you’ll see from the lookout at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Day 14 Day 14: Farewell From Auckland
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 14: Farewell From Auckland

The ‘City of Sails’ flutters as if waving goodbye as you make your way home – with two weeks’ worth of extra baggage (all that wine!) and an innumerable number of memories.

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14 days tour

New Zealand Marvel (14 Days)

This tour includes:

Not included:

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip New Zealand Marvel (14 Days)

Day 1: Welcome To Christchurch

Day 2: Christchurch - Franz Josef/Waiau

Day 3: Franz Josef/Waiau - Queenstown

Day 4: Queenstown Free Time

Day 5: Queenstown - Te Anau

Day 6: Te Anau - Dunedin

Day 7: Dunedin - Omarama

Day 8: Omarama - Christchurch

Day 9: Christchurch - Picton

Day 10: Picton - Wellington

Day 11: Wellington - Rotorua

Day 12: Rotorua Free Time

Day 13: Rotorua - Auckland

Day 14: Farewell From Auckland

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