The best of New Zealand
See the best of New Zealand on this three-week self-drive tour
Only New Zealand crams so much scenery into so little space: snow-capped mountains and ice-age glaciers, craggy coastlines and footprint-free beaches, mirror-still lakes, steaming volcanoes, bubbling hot springs, virgin forests and plunging fjords. You can see them all on this tailor-made tour, designed to showcase the best of New Zealand in just three weeks.
The incredible terrain is certainly a canvas for exciting activities and we’ve included some tours that will get the pulse racing: a scenic flight to the ’place of leaping’, where Maori spirits step out from this world; a helicopter flight to an active volcano adrift in the ocean; a whale-watching trip in the waters of Kaikoura; a guided hike on a glittering glacier; and jet boat rides on the Haast and Dart rivers.
It’s not all action and wilderness though. See the ’City of Sails’ from the top of Auckland’s Sky Tower; explore Maori culture in bubbling Rotorua; uncork and unwind in a Hawke’s Bay vineyard; cruise in comfort along Doubtful Sound; and spend your nights at luxurious hotels, like the award-winning Blanket Bay in Glenorchy and incredible Fiordland Lodge in Te Anau.
Our New Zealand specialists have drawn on their knowledge of travelling in the country to create an itinerary that covers the highlights, but there’s a lot more to see that we couldn’t squeeze in. To tailor this trip or to add other places, call one of our specialists today.
1 night Auckland • 1 night Waipoua Forest • 1 night Bay of Islands • 2 nights Rotorua • 1 night Hawke’s Bay • 1 night Wellington • 2 nights Abel Tasman • 1 night Kaikoura • 1 night Christchurch • 2 nights Franz Josef • 2 nights Queenstown • 2 nights Glenorchy • 1 night Te Anau • 1 night Doubtful Sound cruise • 1 night Dunedin
Day 1: Auckland
Arrive in Auckland, the ’City of Sails’, and transfer to Mollies, one of the finest Relais & Châteaux properties in Australia.
Stay: Mollies (B)
Day 2: Waipoua Forest
Collect your hire car and drive up the west coast of Northland to Waipoua Forest, home to some of New Zealand’s largest surviving kauri trees. In the evening you’ll join Maori guides for a twilight tour of the forest, whose ancient trees were used by the Maori to build dugout canoes. Some span more than 14m in diameter and are thought to be nearly 3,000 years old.
Stay: Waipoua Lodge (B)
Day 3: Bay of Islands
Head east from Waipoua to the seaside town of Paihia, gateway to the wonderful Bay of Islands. In the afternoon enjoy a fly-drive trip to Cape Reinga, the northernmost point of mainland New Zealand. It’s here that the spirits of the Maori dead are thought to depart this world, earning it the name the ’place of leaping’.
The Salt Air trip will see you fly by light aircraft above Ninety Mile Beach (actually more like 90km long) to an airstrip 20km from the cape, from where you’ll travel by road to the cape lighthouse. The lighthouse stands like a sentry on the end of the cape and affords magnificent views of the meeting of the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean. Then, after a stroll along the beach and the chance to try sand surfing down the huge dunes that tower along the coast, you’ll fly back to the Bay of Islands.
Stay: Bay of Islands Lodge (B)
Day 4: Rotorua
Begin the day with a morning cruise through the islands to Cape Brett, the craggy peninsula at the outer limit of the bay, and the famous Hole in the Rock, a natural tunnel through Piercy Island - you may find yourself holding your breath as the ship passes straight through the hole. There’s also a good chance you’ll spot dolphins on the cruise, as the animals thrive in the bay’s subtropical waters.
In the afternoon, drop your hire car at Kerikeri Airport and take a flight to Rotorua (flight not included in guide price). Collect another hire car and check in to The Springs, an award-winning bed and breakfast with a nostalgic feel serving excellent home-cooked food.
Rotorua has been known for its geothermal features and therapeutic qualities since the early days of the Maori. Today it plays host to New Zealand’s leading international spa, the Polynesian Spa, and we’ve included entrance to its seven adults-only pools to help you relax in the evening.
Stay: The Springs (B)
Day 5: White Island & Rotorua
As impressive as Rotorua’s geothermal marvels are, they’re dwarfed in comparison to the massive volcanic structure that is White Island, about 50km offshore in the Bay of Plenty. Today you’ll get to visit the island by helicopter, soaring across the blue of the bay to land on the volcano. The tour begins at the site of an old sulphur mine and progresses to the open-sided crater. Here, amid pools of bubbling mud and skyscraper pillars of steam and smoke, you’ll be immersed in a desolate, otherworldly landscape. The crater lake itself lies 60m below sea level but smaller fumaroles lie all around, surrounded by garish yellow and white crystals that re-form in new and bizarre shapes each day.
Once back in Rotorua you’ll get to spend the evening learning more about Maori culture at the Mitai Maori Village, watching warriors battle in traditional dress, seeing hakas performed and feasting at a traditional hangi.
Stay: The Springs (B)
Day 6: Hawke’s Bay
The art deco cities of Napier and Hastings are almost entirely encircled by the Hawke’s Bay wine country, the oldest grape-growing region in the country and one of the most exalted. Of the 70 or so wineries in the area, many offer complimentary tastings, picnic areas and wonderful restaurants set among the vines.
Lists of wineries open to the public, along with current opening hours and facilities, are available from the Napier and Hastings visitor centres, but if you can’t agree on a designated driver, our New Zealand specialists will be happy to add a wine tour to this itinerary, most of which visit four or five wineries in the course of an afternoon.
Stay: Greenhill (B)
Day 7: Wellington
Continue south to the capital Wellington, where you’ll find many of the country’s best museums and art galleries, including the acclaimed Te Papa, the official museum of New Zealand.
If you’re still thirsty for wine, you may also consider stopping at Martinborough, a small rural settlement just outside Wellington noted for the production of fine pinot noir.
Stay: Amora Hotel (B)
Days 8-9: Abel Tasman
Drop your hire car at the ferry port and take the Interislander across the Cook Strait to the South Island ferry terminal at Picton. Collect another hire car and drive out to The Resurgence Luxury Eco Lodge.
Forest walks, sea kayaking, bird watching and wine tours are a few of the activities that can be enjoyed at this 5-star boutique eco-lodge. Or with a whole day at leisure you could venture into nearby Abel Tasman National Park, one of the country’s best-loved parks, with a coastline of long golden beaches, clear water and spectacular outcrops.
Stay: The Resurgence Luxury Eco Lodge (B)
Day 10: Kaikoura
Drive down the east coast to the whale-watching capital of New Zealand, Kaikoura. The town itself is squeezed between the imposing and often snow-capped Seaward Kaikoura Range and an underwater network of deep troughs and trenches that support large populations of dolphins, seals and giant sperm whales.
Stay: Hapuku Lodge & Tree Houses (BD) Dinner only included from May 2012.
Day 11: Christchurch
Join a Whale Watch tour in the morning to see Kaikoura’s whales in their natural habitat. Whale Watch catamarans are designed to minimise underwater noise, increasing the likelihood of spotting whales and dolphins. So confident are they that they’ll refund 80% of the fare if your tour does not see at least one whale.
In the afternoon, travel south to the South Island’s largest city, Christchurch, return your hire car to the airport depot and make your own way to your hotel.
Stay: Peppers Clearwater Resort or The George (depending on the season) (B)
Day 12: TranzAlpine Train
Transfer to the train station and cross the country aboard the TranzAlpine Train. One of the world’s most scenic train trips, the route crosses the Canterbury Plains, climbs up to Arthur’s Pass in the jagged Southern Alps and descends through subtropical rainforest to the former gold-rush town of Greymouth.
Upon arrival, collect your next hire car and head south down the coast to Franz Josef and its eponymous glacier.
Stay: Te Wainui Forest Retreat (BD)
Day 13: Franz Josef Glacier
Get a bird’s-eye view of what’s widely regarded as the gem of New Zealand’s west coast glaciers as you take to the skies for an exhilarating helicopter flight to the glacier’s higher reaches. It’s here that you’ll find the most spectacular ice caves, pinnacles and seracs, often in shades of electric and powder blue. Upon landing on the glacier, professional, experienced guides will lead you on a two-hour hike through the icefall terrain, usually only seen by experienced mountaineers. All technical equipment is provided (glacier boots, socks, ice crampons, ice axe and waterproof jacket) and although moderate fitness is required, the hike is safe, well led and hugely rewarding.
Stay: Te Wainui Forest Retreat (BD)
Day 14: Haast & Queenstown
Every New Zealand holiday should include a jet boat ride and today you’ll take to the water on an award-winning river safari through the magnificent Haast Valley. Enjoy unobstructed views of this World Heritage Area from the warmth and comfort of a fully enclosed jet boat, with local guides providing fun and informative commentary.
Afterwards continue south to Queenstown, spectacularly set between Lake Wakatipu and the snow-capped Remarkables Mountains.
Stay: The Glebe (B)
Day 15: Queenstown
Join a half-day guided wine tour of the Central Otago wine country with award-winning Appellation Central Wine Tours. This fun and interactive tour is limited to a maximum of just 11 adults, ensuring that there’s ample time to talk with your guide and the vineyard staff, and to taste plenty of exquisite boutique wines.
Stay: The Glebe (B)
Days 16-17: Glenorchy
The rugged beauty of Glenorchy was not lost on New Zealand-born Peter Jackson, who shot several scenes of the Lord of the Rings films here. It’s only about 40 minutes around Lake Wakatipu to Blanket Bay, a rustic yet elegant hotel just south of Glenorchy and considered by many - including us - to be one of New Zealand’s best. You’ll have two nights to enjoy the lake and mountain views, fabulous dining and numerous health and fitness facilities. In between we’ve organised another jet boat ride, this time on the clear and fast-flowing Dart River, which meanders through the region’s blockbuster mountain scenery. The jet boat ride culminates with a guided walk through the Dart River Valley.
Stay: Blanket Bay (BD)
Day 18: Te Anau
For all of the South Island’s scenic grandeur, no single region quite matches the concentration of stupendous landscapes found in Fiordland National Park, New Zealand’s largest. Tiny Te Anau sits on the park’s eastern edge, hugging the shores of its eponymous lake, one of the country’s deepest and most beautiful. To the west, the lake’s watery fingers claw deep into bush-cloaked mountains so remote that their most famous inhabitant, the takahe, was thought extinct for half a century.
Enjoy the sense of increasing isolation as you drive to Te Anau and the exclusive Fiordland Lodge, which boasts wonderful views of the lake and has an excellent restaurant serving locally sourced dishes like rabbit and venison.
Stay: Fiordland Lodge (BD)
Day 19: Doubtful Sound overnight cruise
Doubtful Sound is an untouched wilderness of mountain peaks, mirror-calm waterways and tangled rainforest, ten times larger than its better-known brother, Milford. It’s especially serene in the evenings and at night, when the day-trippers have left - hence we’ve arranged a special overnight cruise aboard the Fiordland Navigator with award-winning, locally run company Real Journeys
To reach the sound, first drive to Lake Manapouri, where you’ll meet your guides. After crossing the lake and driving over Wilmot Pass, you’ll board the ship and cruise the full length of the sound, looking out for dolphins, seals and penguins as your guides shed light on the region’s history, flora and fauna.
Anchoring for the night in a sheltered cove, you’ll have the chance to get out and explore by kayak before dining on board.
Stay: Fiordland Navigator (BD)
Day 20: Dunedin
When back at your hire car, drive east across the island to Dunedin, often called the ’Edinburgh of the South’ - its name is a Gaelic translation of its Scottish counterpart and it shares the same street and suburb names. It’s also the gateway to the Otago Peninsula, home to an abundance of marine life, including penguins, seals, sea lions and most famously of all, royal albatrosses. The place to see these giant sea birds is Taiaroa Head, the only mainland albatross-breeding colony in the world.
Stay: Scenic Hotel Southern Cross (B)
Day 21: Dunedin/Christchurch
Return your hire car either to Dunedin or Christchurch airport (depending on flight requirements) and bid farewell to ’the land of the long white cloud’.
Pricing information
21-day tailor-made itinerary
Prices from: £6,606 to £9,260 per person
Valid for travel: 16 Apr to 23 Dec 2012
Package includes: International flights, car hire, inter-island ferry, tours as stated & 20 nights accommodation with meals as indicated.
B = breakfast • D = dinner
Terms & Conditions: Prices are per person based on two people sharing a twin/double room; prices are subject to availability and possible change; normal booking conditions apply.
To book, call 0845 643 6548
To book this travel offer, call one of our tailor-made travel experts now, quoting reference WEX102594.
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