New Zealand Vacations

Luxury Tour Vacations 2

Duration: 15 Days / 14 Nights
Priced From: $2,075 pp dbl. occ. 
Dates: Jan - Mar /09 

Itinerary

Day 1 Fly USA to Christchurch

Please note international air from the USA has not been included in the package price.

Day 2 You cross the International Date Line

The International Date Line is an imaginary line on the earth’s surface that approximately coincides with the 180th meridian line (LONGITUDE), and separates the calendar date. Traveling east across the line takes the traveler back one day, traveling west takes the traveler forward.

Day 3 Welcome to Auckland, New Zealand

On arrival into Auckland you will need to clear customs and make your way to the domestic terminal for your connecting flight to Christchurch.  Upon arrival you will be transferred to your accommodation, or if you choose the rental car option, collect your rental vehicle from the airport depot and self drive to your hotel.

Christchurch is the South Island's largest city, beautifully encapsulates the best of what New Zealand has to offer. This is a vibrant city of exciting festivals, art galleries, theaters and great shopping. Award-winning attractions are available within the city and the surrounding countryside. Find out what variety really means; explore our unspoiled corner of the globe, where wilderness, adventure and sophisticated urban living can be found in perfect balance.

Day 4 At leisure, Christchurch

Christchurch, the city of parks and gardens, trees and beauty, is also buzzing with street life. Wine bars, street cafes and exciting entertainments give the central city vitality unique in New Zealand.  Christchurch is said to be the most English city outside England. The downtown district focuses on Cathedral Square, where you'll find buskers, speakers and the eccentric Wizard of Christchurch (who is classified as a living work of art). You can sedately cruise the Avon River by punt, on its meandering course through town, under many bridges and past historic landmarks, or do your own thing by canoe. Vintage car, horse and carriage, hot air ballooning and guided walking tours: these are just a few ways to explore the Garden City.

Day 5 Coach Transfer from Christchurch to Dunedin

Depart Christchurch and travel to Dunedin.

A university city of Scottish heritage, Dunedin possesses a unique combination of cultural riches, fine architecture, and world-famous wildlife reserves. The sheer physical beauty of Dunedin’s dramatic bush-covered hills and valleys at the head of a long natural harbor attracted Maori settlers to the site over four centuries ago. Then, in 1848, Scottish migrants established a town here, giving it the ancient name of Edinburgh. Soaring cathedral spires, a magnificent Flemish-style railway station, fine banks and office blocks, a nineteenth-century castle, old university buildings and a neo-gothic convent are among the city's architectural treasures. Dunedin's art gallery and museums contain some of the best collections in New Zealand. And within the city boundaries are internationally renowned wildlife reserves including a rare Albatross breeding ground and Yellow-Eyed Penguin colonies.

If you choose the self drive option, you will drive from Christchurch to Dunedin at your own pace.

Day 6 Tour - Dunedin cruise, Albatross and wildlife full day tour

Depart from your hotel for the scenic drive to Taiaroa for a guided Albatross land tour (restricted viewing from late September to late November).  A lunch stop is made (own expense), before transferring to Wellers Rock for the guided cruise to Taiaroa.

You will be fascinated and exhilarated by the wealth of wildlife, so close, so natural.  View albatross, seals, cormorants, geology and history from the Monarch, then transfer to the penguin reserve for a Yellow eyed penguin land tour before returning to Dunedin.

Day 7 Tour - Dunedin Taieri Gorge train and coach transfer to Queenstown

Travel Dunedin to Pukerangi aboard the Taieri Gorge Railway, considered by some as one of the world's great rail journeys.  See spectacular changes in scenery, from fertile plains to the rugged mountain gorges of the Taieri River.  The trip crosses giant stone & wrought iron viaducts, enters numerous tunnels carved from solid rock.

At Pukerangi, you change to the motor coach link to Queenstown.  You travel through Central Otago with its bizarre schist rock tors, desert landscapes, blue lakes and river gorges.

If you choose the self drive option, you will drive from Dunedin to Queenstown at your own pace.

Nestled beside the deep blue waters of Lake Wakatipu, at the foot of the Remarkables Mountain Range, Queenstown is a year round resort, where you can be as active as you want, or just leisurely enjoy the magnificent scenery.

Day 8 Tour - Dart River jetboating

Transfer from Queenstown by coach to Glenorchy and the mouth of the Dart River.  Here we board the 18 foot specially prepared jet boat and thread our way through a maze of channels between river flats in only inches of water.  Snow capped mountains surround you as you view the World Heritage Grandeur, and waterfalls cascade into the lush bush clad valleys - a magical, untouched place.

Your driver/guide shares his knowledge and explains all about the area, then pulls into a bank so that you may explore the area by foot. This optional 30-45 minute guided walk takes you into the native forests at an area called Paradise in the spectacular Rees Valley.  You will then be collected by the 4 x 4 coach to take you back to Glenorchy, before transferring back to Queenstown.  Trip duration is 6 hours.

Day 9 At leisure, Queenstown

At your leisure to explore the adventure capital of New Zealand. Set between the towering Remarkable Ranges and the bottomless Lake Wakitipu, Queenstown has it all - bungy jumping, jetboating, rafting, amazing scenic helicopter flights. You may wish to visit Milford or Doubtful Sound or the old gold mining town of Arrowtown.

Day 10 Coach transfer from Queenstown to Franz Josef

Depart from Queenstown to arrive at Franz Josef around 4.15pm.  Sit back, relax and take in the spectacular scenery of Kawarau Gorge, Lake Hawera, Haast Pass and Fox Glacier.  A stop is made en route for lunch (own expense).

If you choose the self drive option, you will drive from Queenstown to Franz Josef at your own pace.

Set between the stormy expanse of the Tasman Sea and the unbroken chain of the Southern Alps, the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand is truly a land apart. For six hundred kilometers from north to south, this wild and often sparsely-populated region of mountains and glaciers, of lakes and unruly rivers, of primeval forest and magnificent coastline, overwhelms visitors with its natural beauty. Opportunities on the West Coast are now virtually endless for activities like beach and forest walking, tramping, fishing, horse-trekking, canoeing, exploring old gold mining regions or ghost towns abandoned in the wane of the gold rush era.

Day 11 Tour - Franz Josef Glacier half day tour

The half day trip includes a 2-mile interpretive walk to the terminal face and the opportunity to climb on the rugged ice face of the Franz Josef Glacier.  During the walk, your guide will provide the story of the history of the glacier and geology in action, which is an experience in itself. Trip duration 4.5 hours (age restriction 5-60 years), includes up to 2 hours on the ice.  A reasonable level of fitness is recommended to fully enjoy this tour.

Day 12 Coach Transfer from Franz Josef to Nelson (Via Greymouth)

A point-to-point coach service will transport you from Franz Josef to Greymouth. A stop for lunch is made at Shantytown (own expense) before continuing on to Greymouth.  On arrival connect with another coach for the journey to Nelson.

Nelson is an extraordinary corner of New Zealand, where the attractions range from deep forest to crazy café culture.  The Nelson region is the northwestern half of the top of the South Island: the beautiful country lying between the northern edge of the Southern Alps and a great sweep of beaches.

Nelson’s trademark is the diverse culture that has bloomed in this area of rich resources and easy climate. There is always something happening in the Nelson region, and you can count on encountering original characters amongst a vital network of artists and craftspeople, farm and orchard settlements, Maori marae, alternative communities and adventurers - friendly folk happy to share their good life with you.

Days 13-14 At leisure, Nelson

The beach, shining sea, cruisy cafés, forest walks, beautiful landscapes, sun and blue skies, a thoroughly relaxed lifestyle, the artists attracted for the same reasons, their amazing art, the seafood, the wine, boutique breweries... this is Nelson.

Day 15 Fly Nelson to USA (Via Auckland or Christchurch)

Make your way to Nelson airport for your departure flight.

Hotels

Dunedin

• Scenic Circle Dunedin Hotel
• Larnarch Castle
• Corstophine House

• Scenic Circle A-Line Hotel
• Grand Mercure Hotel St. Moritz
• Sofitel Queenstown

• Punga Grove Motor Lodge
• Scenic Circle Franz Josef Hotel
• Westwood Lodge

• Cotswold Motor Inn
• Copthorne Central
• The George

• Hotel Monaco
• Rutherford Hotel
• Cambria House

3/09

New Zealand
Vacations

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