NZ Uncovered Tour

Touring Highlights in New Zealand

• After-hours guided tour of the Americas Cup exhibition at the New Zealand Maritime Museum
• Exclusive after-hours tour at Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland
• Guided Indigenous Experience at Te Pa Tu
• Geothermal Wonders of Rotorua
• Huka Falls from a panoramic viewpoint
• Kaikoura Wildlife Centre Trust
• Afternoon tea with Pavlova at Lake Tekapo
• Pomona Island in Fiordland National Park
• Cruise on spectacular Milford Sound/Piopiotahi
• Cruise Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak on TSS Earnslaw Steamship and gourmet BBQ with farm show at Walter Peak High Country Farm
• See Franz Josef Glacier from a panoramic viewpoint
• Visit Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and stay at an Eco Resort located right on the beach
• Visit the Pounamu Pathway for an immersive storytelling experience
• Journey on the TranzAlpine Train through the Southern Alps

Day 1: Welcome to Auckland, New Zealand

Welcome to Auckland, often referred to as the ‘City of Sails’. Your flight must arrive prior to 4.00pm and your day is free to spend as you choose on arrival in Auckland. Tonight, meet your group and enjoy a welcome dinner.

Day 2: Auckland

A little bit of leisure, a little bit of culture – today is one of those days. Peek behind the scenes of maritime racing history on the New Zealand Maritime Museum’s America’s Cup Tour, highlighting Auckland’s heritage of boat-building, and offering a glimpse of one of the world’s only replicas of the America’s Cup. Your Auckland tour guide then takes you around the city, pausing at Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial, and view Mission Bay for epic photo opportunities over the city’s dual harbour. By now you should have a few ideas for how to spend your afternoon exploring at your leisure.

Day 3: Auckland to Rotorua

Travel south today to Rotorua.

Day 4: Rotorua

Today, choose your own adventure. We have plenty of ideas for the paths you might follow. Optional Rotorua tour sightseeing experiences include relieving NZ holiday-weary limbs in the thermal waters of Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa. Or perhaps you’d prefer to zip across Rotorua’s three lakes in an amphibious WWII-era Duck (excursions option, own expense).

Day 5: Rotorua to Wellington

Say Haere Ra (goodbye) to Rotorua this morning and journey through pine forests and farmland to the turquoise torrent of rapids known as Huka Falls, where 220,000 litres of water barrel over this massive waterfall every second.. The road ahead unfolds in a broad panorama of Lake Taupo, New Zealand’s largest lake. The stunningly blue fresh water of Lake Taupo is home to some of the best Trout fishing in the world. Journey south over the Central Plateau, New Zealand’s main volcanic area, and along the Kapiti Coast to New Zealand’s cool little capital city Wellington, set on a pretty harbour.

Day 6: Wellington

Your day in Wellington should (must) begin with a coffee as the city is known for its cafés. Head out on city sights tour to take in highlights such as its iconic cable car, parliament, and Mt. Victoria. Your tour ends at Te Papa, the national Museum of New Zealand, where you may choose to visit the groundbreaking exhibitions on offer (additional entrance fee applies at Te Papa).

Later you may decide on an optional tour. Lord of the Rings fans will rejoice with a special tour and visit to Weta Workshop. Or choose to visit Zealandia’s ecosanctuary restoring 225 hectares of forest (excursions optional, both own expense).

Day 7: Wellington to Kaikoura

This morning cruise the Cook Strait into tranquil Queen Charlotte Sound from the North Island to the South, through a maze of arms and inlets into the sleepy seaside village of Picton. Continue to Kaikoura, where Sperm Whales, dolphins and fur seals can often be seen not far from shore. On arrival you will be treated to a biodiversity talk from the founder of Kaikoura Wildlife Centre Trust, Sabrina Luecht. Her ambitious goal is to implement a world-class wildlife hospital in this biodiversity hotspot. Wildlife rescue and rehabilitation is a critical conservation tool, providing treatment to injured and ill animals, ensuring at-risk native species have a chance at recovery and return to the wild. Tonight, you’ll dine at Hiku. Hiku celebrates what Kaikōura is all about – kai moana, fresh produce, marine life, and dramatic sea and mountainscapes.

Day 8: Kaikoura to Christchurch

Enjoy a relaxed start this morning or sign up for one of several local wildlife experiences available (optional, additional expense). Choose from an optional scenic flight over dramatic beaches framed by turquoise ocean where whales are regularly spotted, or perhaps you’d prefer a cruise to site pods of dolphin which are prolific in the area, or a kayaking tour of the coast to get up close and personal with seals basking on the rocks (all own expense). Follow the coast and Canterbury Plains to Christchurch, home to some of the country’s most innovative architecture, art institutions and restaurants. We can help you make a booking in any number of the latter.

Day 9: Christchurch to Twizel

From its eye-popping, cardboard-crafted Cathedral to its gold-clad central library, Christchurch has rebuilt itself since the 2010/11 earthquakes, setting the bar high for architecture and design across the country. On your Christchurch tour you will discover that despite this cosmopolitan culture, South Island locals cherish a simple life. Prepare yourself for plenty of country swagger over afternoon tea hosted by Lake Tekapo locals in their home overlooking the emerald lake and hear about a lifetime spent farming in New Zealand.

Day 10: Twizel to Dunedin

Your day starts with a journey along the Waitaki River through to the township of Oamaru, with its tree-lined streets and famous white limestone buildings. As well as shipping limestone to other cities for construction, Oamaru locals made sure that their own town represented the best in limestone building the mid-late 1800’s had to offer.

The afternoon is yours to discover the ‘Edinburgh of the Southern Hemisphere’, whether wandering the manicured grounds of its stately Larnach Castle, taking a wildlife cruise to spot little penguins, or sampling sustainable gin (excursions optional, additional expense).

Day 11: Dunedin to Te Anau

This morning travel through farm land, the rolling hills and heavily forested, rugged mountains and you make your way to Fiordland National Park and the South Island’s largest lake and the town of Te Anau.

Enjoy the thrill of jet boating on Lake Manapouri, home to Pomona Island where native birds are under threat. Stop in some quiet and tranquil spots, soak up the amazing surrounds, spot a few trout, and learn about the unique environment and fascinating history of Fiordland National Park.

Day 12: Te Anau to Milford Sound and Queenstown

Today is a day to have your camera battery charged. After leaving Te Anau, take a scenic journey to Milford Sound/Piopiotahi. There aren’t many places in the world that remind you how precious the planet is. Fiordland National Park is one. Your journey traverses native rainforest, alluvial flats and meadows, with mirrored lakes, thundering waterfalls, dramatic rocky ranges and millennia-old valleys. Now prepare yourself for your Milford Sound cruise through this wild expanse.

Day 13: Queenstown

Your day is free today to spend as you choose.  There are a huge range of activities available here. If you’re a gourmand at heart – take a Central Otago wine tour and sip your way through award-winning cool-climate wines. Or visit Kiwi Birdlife Park, take on the a jetboat ride or for Lord of the Rings fans, there’s the Glenorchy Scenic Tour (excursions optional, additional expense).

Your day ends on a dreamy TSS Earnslaw cruise across Lake Wakatipu, landing at Walter Peak High Country Farm for a gourmet barbecue dinner at the Colonel’s Homestead.

Day 14: Queenstown to Franz Josef

This morning, begin the passage through Central Otago to the west coast.  Visit the restored gold mining settlement of Arrowtown with its tree-lined avenues, gleaming lakes, alpine scenery and rainforest along the West Coast of New Zealand. Welcome to the town of Franz Josef/Waiau, home to Franz Josef Glacier/Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere, the massif ideally explored on an optional helicopter flight – conditions pending, you may even be able to land and walk across the ice-fall (optional experience, additional expense). A bird’s-eye view reveals the immensity of this gem-like mound of ice.

Day 15: Franz Josef to Punakaiki

Sleep in or take the morning to explore the small but lively Franz Josef/Waiau village – perhaps visiting the West Coast Wildlife Centre – before venturing to Hokitika, home of the native jade greenstone. From natural jewellery to natural surroundings, you’re off to Punakaiki to view the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. Stand at the edge of the water and take in these eroded limestone foundations – they really do look like pancakes! – which began forming 30 million years ago. Imagine the water and wind forming this pancake-like stack of limestone but be sure to listen closely. When you hear a ‘whoosh’ of water, you can be sure a burst of sea spray is coming through the blowholes. After a spectacular day, spend the night at the eco-friendly, waterfront retreat dining on local specialities with wine and views of the thundering surf just steps away.

Day 16: Punakaiki to Christchurch

Venture into the Ponaumu Pathway. Delve into the history and culture of the local Maori (Poutini Ngai Tahu) and the Mawhera Pa settlement. Embark on a unique self-guided journey, as you make your way through this extraordinary storytelling experience. We’ve got you sorted for lunch at legendary Monteith’s Brewery. The best is yet to come – all aboard for the scenic TranzAlpine train from Arthur’s Pass back to Christchurch. Travel through tunnels and over viaducts, with panoramic views of snow-capped peaks, icy rivers, beech forests, gorges and river valleys. Your NZ tour arrives in Christchurch just in time for dinner.

Day 17: Farewell Christchurch

Your tour concludes this morning after breakfast. Your flights can depart any time today and you will be transferred to Christchurch Airport.

Add Flights to your New Zealand Tour:

Flights referred to in the itinerary are not included in the tour price and you may need to ensure your flights arrive before/after certain times to take this tour.  Ask your Downunder Travel Destination Specialist to add the best value your flights to New Zealand (additional cost) based on your travel dates.