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14 Days Lord of the Rings Tour Package Duration : 14 Days / 13 Nights Priced From: Call Travelwizard Dates : Daily 
Enjoy New Zealand on your self-drive tour. Experience the magic of breathtaking scenery and majestic vistas while perhaps taking in the sites where the movie "Lord of the Rings" was filmed. Tour Itinerary Day 1 : Arrive Auckland We suggest a harbour cruise or sailing trip this afternoon (optional). Next stop is Rotorua, which sits squarely on the Pacific Ring of Fire, so volcanic activity is part of the city's past and present. Explore the geothermal areas and discover the unique culture of New Zealand's Maori people. This evening we suggest you enjoy a traditional Maori concert and hangi at the Maori village of Te Tawa Ngahere Marae Pa. (We recommend you pre-book this tour - see below for costs). Day 3 : Rotorua Via Lake Taupo To Tongariro / Mt Ruapehu The road to Taupo will keep you entertained with its unusual, volcanic geography. You'll also drive through large tracts of plantation pine forest. Lake Taupo is famous for its trout, year-round water sports and stunning views across the water towards those mystical Middle-earth volcanoes. Take a side road to a geothermal park, where you'll discover geysers, silica terraces and craters of boiling mud.
Day 4 : Tongariro/ Mt Ruapehu Day At Leisure The Tongariro Crossing is regarded as one of the best one-day walks in the world. Day 5 : Mt Ruapehu Via Ohakune / Wellington Continue through the central North Island and along the Kapiti coast where you can visit Waitarere Forest, which was the location for Trollshaw Forest and Osgiliath Wood. We also suggest a visit to Kapiti Cheeses before arriving in the capital city.
Day 6 : Wellington Day 7 : Wellington/Nelson (243km/152 miles traveling time 3 a half hours) The picturesque seaside town of Picton is the gateway to the marine, forest and island attractions of the Marlborough Sounds. Museums and interesting walks will keep you entertained while you're here.
The city of Nelson is home to a fascinating community of beach, bush and art lovers. From here you can organise yourself an eco-adventure or become immersed in the local creative culture. Every year the city hosts the Montana New Zealand Wearable Art Awards, where art comes off the wall and onto the body. Day 8 : Nelson
Day 9 : Nelson Via Nelson Lakes To Punakaiki (275km/180 miles traveling time 5 hours) Day 10 : Punakaki/Franz Josef (227km/135 miles traveling time 3 hours and 50mins) Day 11 : Franz Josef/Queenstown (404km/251 miles traveling time 6 hours) Travel through the scenic wilderness of Haast pass, stopping along the way to take advantage of many short nature walks and picnic spots before continuing to Queenstown, the adventure capital of New Zealand. Take your pick from a selection, jet-boating, white water rafting, bungy jumping or scenic helicopter flights. Day 12 And 13 : Queenstown At Leisure We Suggest prebooking a special 4WD half or full daytour which will take you off road and into the filming locations for Lord of the Rings, your expert guide will share his stories with you. See below for details of cost. Day 14 : Depart Queenstown Price Includes 14 day (full size, automatic) car rental, 13 nights accomodation (based on properties listed), Inter-Island ferry crossing for passengers. Save time, money and stress! For reservations: Fill out the vacation planner to be contacted by our New Zealand Adventure vacation specialist. Contact: Travelwizard.com 12/08 |
New Zealand must be the luckiest tourist country in the world, with its spectacular mountains, active volcanoes, deep fiords and rugged coastline, picturesque lakes, streams and beaches, bubbling mudpools and geysers, its unique Maori culture and warm hospitality. 
As you cruise down the highway, suburban scenery gradually gives way to the farmland of South Auckland. A couple of hours south of Auckland lies the lush farmland of the Waikato. Famous for dairying and fine thoroughbred horses, it's easy to see why these green pastures and rolling hills were chosen to portray Hobbiton and The Shire. Although much of the set was deconstructed post filming, hobbit fans can still visit Hobbiton, wander among the hobbit holes and listen to the fascinating commentary about how it was all created. Got a taste for bigger caverns? Check out Waikato's massive Waitomo Caves for dramatic stalactites, stalagmites and zillions of sparkling glow-worms. You can glide through on a barge, take a black water rafting trip, or even abseil (rappel) down into the abyss! 
From Lake Taupo, drive to National Park Village, which follows the edge of the Tongariro National Park. National Park Village is well positioned to explore the Tongariro National Park. The volcanic peaks of Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro can be seen from here. The park was gifted to the New Zealand people in 1887 by the Ngati Tuwaretoa tribe and is now a World Heritage area. 
As the terrified hobbits hide from the approaching Ringwraiths, you'd never know they were only minutes away from great coffee! But such contrasts are typical of Wellington. In this compact, vibrant and cosmopolitan capital, a forested green belt runs right through the city centre and you can be windsurfing or mountain biking minutes after you've finished work. Cafes, bars restaurants and a thriving arts scene will keep you busy downtown - explore by foot or hop on a City Circular bus. Home of Peter Jackson and production company Weta Studios, Wellington provided lots of scope for locations. Bree was built on an old army base, and only minutes away by car were Minas Tirith, the fortifications of Helms Deep and Isengard. On your way over to the wine district of Martinborough (just over an hour's drive) you'll pass the Hutt River (where hobbits launched their boats numerous times) and Kaitoke Regional Park, home to scenes from Rivendell and the Fords of Isen. 
Collect your new vehicle in Pincton and drive to Nelson which takes you through the town of Havelock, which is known as the Green Shell Mussel Capital of the World. Nearby Canvastown is a place to explore old gold mining fields - thousands tried to get rich here in the 1860s. At Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve you can enjoy a bush walk or a swim, depending on the time of the year. And if you'd like a glimpse of local life in 1890, Rai Valley has a beautifully preserved cottage museum. 
Start with the art and craft trail where the characters are as colourful as their vibrant works. 'The One Ring' was made by a Nelson jeweller and many local artisans worked on props for The Lord of the Rings movies. Drive over Takaka Hill (Chetwood Forest) for stunning views of Golden Bay and access to the famous Abel Tasman Coastal Track. Take a helicopter tour for a spectacular bird's eye view of the remote site where the Fellowship hid from Saruman's black crows, and Dimrill Dale (Mount Olympus and Mount Owen in Kahurangi National Park). At the end of the day, pop into Harrington's brewery in Richmond, makers of the stout served over the bar in The Prancing Pony! 
In historic Queenstown and Arrowtown you can get really close to the hobbits' journey - float on a raft down the same river as Frodo, bungy jump into it or wade into the Ford of Bruinen. Or take a drive out to the beautiful beech trees of Fangorn Forest, near Te Anau, situated on Takaro Road. You won't regret a side trip to the stunning Lake Wanaka and the memorable drive through the golden Cardrona Valley - savour the views of the River Anduin, site of the Pillars of the Argonath and Dimrill Dale. And of course, no visit 'down South' would be complete without taking in the unspoiled beauty of Lake Manapouri and Doubtful Sound in the Fiordland National Park. |
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