Tour Inclusions
- Auckland - Freedom of Choice Touring
- Arrowtown - Lakes District Museum
- Christchurch - Freedom of Choice Touring
- Dunedin - Freedom of Choice Touring
- Franz Josef Glacier
- Haast River Safari in the Haast Pass
- Hokitika - Greenstone (Jade) Factory
- Huka Falls
- Interislander Ferry Cruise
- Kaikoura
- Lake Tekapo - Church of the Good Shepherd
- Mt Cook - Freedom of Choice Touring
- Milford Sound - Mitre Peak and Bowen Falls
- Milford Sound Red Boat Cruise
- Moeraki Boulders
- Queenstown - Freedom of Choice Touring
- Rotorua - Freedom of Choice - including Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland
- Rotorua - Mitai Maori Village
- Te Anau
- TranzAlpine Train
- Waitomo Caves - Glowworm caves tour
- Wellington - city sights tour
- Wellington - Te Papa (New Zealand’s National Museum)
- Wairakei Steam Valley
- Westland National Park
Accommodation Highlights
- Stay in Auckland at Skycity Hotel
- Enjoy a night at Franz Josef Glacier
- Enjoy two nights at Queenstown’s Novotel Gardens Hotel
- Stay overnight at The Hermitage, Mt Cook
- Option to do a Rotorua Country Homestay
Meals
- 12 hot breakfasts (B)
- 12 dinners (D) including 2 Feature Dinners (FD)
Escorted Coach Tour Standard Inclusions
- Air-conditioned coach travel
- An experienced Tour Director and Driver
- Quality Twin Share Accommodation
- Admissions outlined in the Itinerary
- Airport transfers on the first and last day
| 1 |
Arrive Auckland, Freedom of Choice Touring On arrival today, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Then choose the sightseeing activity that interests you the most from our range of Freedom of Choice Touring options. Options include a city sightseeing tour, a climb up Auckland Harbour Bridge, a cruise aboard the Pride of Auckland on Waitemata Harbour, a visit to Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Encounter & Underwater World and many more. |
ACCOMMODATION: Sky City Hotel (2 nights) |
| 2 (B) (FD) |
Auckland, Waitomo, Rotorua, Hangi Feast Leaving the ‘City of Sails’ we travel south to Waitomo Caves and experience a guided tour of the underground limestone caverns. Join a silent boat ride and glide through a mystical grotto lit by thousands of tiny glow-worms. Emerge into daylight and continue to Rotorua and tonight immerse yourself in traditional Maori hospitality and culture as you enjoy the Mitai Maori Village of song and dance. |
ACCOMMODATION: Heritage Rotorua (2 nights) |
| 3 (B) (D) |
Rotorua, Freedom of Choice Touring Take the opportunity to choose an Exclusive Experience and we will include it. Perhaps visit Rotorua’s ‘Must See Three’ attractions including Te Puia Thermal Reserve, the Agrodome for an entertaining sheep show then walk amongst beautiful native flora at Rainbow Springs. You might prefer a relaxing spa treatment at the Polynesian Spa. There are many activities for your to enjoy. It’s your choice! |
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| 4 (B) (D) |
Rotorua, Wellington Follow the Thermal Explorer Highway to the heart of the North Island and view Wairakei Steam Valley, where thermal energy is harnessed in the world’s second largest geothermal power plant. Visit the mighty Huka Falls and Lake Taupo before travelling south across the vast volcanic plateau of World Heritage-listed Tongariro National Park on our way to Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city. |
ACCOMMODATION: James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor |
| 5 (B) (D) |
Wellington, Blenheim Enjoy a brief city sightseeing tour this morning before visiting Te Papa, the National Museum of New Zealand. This afternoon board our Interislander Cruise for a journey across Cook Strait to Picton. Rejoin the coach and travel to Blenheim for dinner and your overnight stay. |
ACCOMMODATION: Heartland Hotel Marlborough |
| 6 (B) (D) |
Blenheim, Christchurch Today enjoy a spectacular scenic journey between mountains andsea. Travel through the Marlborough region, an area with a strong international reputation for white wines. Arrive in the thriving seaside settlement of Kaikoura, an area offering unique whale, seal and dolphin-watching experiences. Journey between the Pacific Ocean and rugged Kaikoura Ranges, through North Canterbury to Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island and renowned as the Garden City due to its profusion of elegant gardens and beautiful architecture. Christchurch was founded in 1850 as a model Church of England settlement and has retained a unique English flavour. |
ACCOMMODATION: Copthorne Central Hotel |
| 7 (B) (D) |
TranzAlpine Train, Franz Josef This morning after breakfast, board the award-winning TranzAlpine Train for a trip through breathtaking landscapes to Arthurs Pass. Voted one of the top train journeys in the world, the TranzAlpine is known as New Zealand’s Great Rail Adventure. Cross the vast patchwork farmlands of the Canterbury Plains before climbing up into the Main Divide. Disembark at Arthurs Pass and continue to Hokitika by coach. Here you will have the opportunity to see Pounamu (jade) being carved into beautiful jewelry and other items. You’ll also visit the ancient glacial scenery and take in the rain forest surrounding Franz Josef Glacier, a sweeping shelf of ice, said to be the tears of a Maori princess pining for her lost love. |
ACCOMMODATION: Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier |
| 8 (B) (FD) |
Franz Josef, Queenstown, Dine Around Dinner Enjoy a day of incredible scenery as you travel along the Haast River by safari boat, capturing views of the massive glacier-formed Haast River Valley. Continue to Queenstown, where you’ll choose from four different restaurants. |
ACCOMMODATION: Novotel Lakeside Gardens Hotel (2 nights) |
| 9 (B) |
Queenstown, Freedom of Choice Touring Queenstown is an exhilarating, year round, alpine resort, perfect for adventurers and leisure seekers alike. Nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and overlooked by the Southern Alps, the scenery is simply majestic. Today you have a selection of Exclusive Experiences to choose from. Wineries in this area are gaining an international reputation, so you may like to choose a wine tour that will give you the opportunity to taste some local vintages. For pure fun, jump on board a Double Decker bus to explore Queenstown and quaint Arrowtown. If you are a thrill seeker then an exciting jetboat ride might be more your style. Alternatively stroll around the shores of Lake Wakatipu on a guided forest and bird walk or a journey into the hills behind Queenstown would take you on a fascinating exploration of the film locations that feature in the Lord of The Rings movies. |
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| 10 (B) (D) |
Milford Sound Cruise, Te Anau Follow the Remarkables Mountain Range and trace the shores of Lake Wakatipu to Fiordland National Park. Journey along the Milford Road and wind down the Eglington and Hollyford Valleys, then through the Homer Tunnel into Milford Sound. We board our Red Boat and cruise the length of this fiord and see Mitre Peak rising from the waters. View waterfalls, dense rainforest and towering mountains in this World Heritage listed area. This afternoon we drive to the tranquil settlement of Te Anau. |
ACCOMMODATION: Village Inn |
| 11 (B) (D) |
Te Anau, Dunedin, Freedom of Choice Touring Journey through rolling Southland countryside to the city of Dunedin. This afternoon you choose an Exclusive Experience and we will include it. Perhaps jump aboard the Taieri Gorge Railway Excursion, or view the magnificent Royal Albatross or Yellow-eyed Penguin colonies on the Otago Peninsula. |
ACCOMMODATION: Dunedin City Hotel |
| 12 (B) (D) |
Dunedin, Mt Cook, Freedom of Choice Touring Departing Dunedin, journey north to see the unusual Moeraki Boulders. Stop at Oamaru, renowned for its distinctive cream limestone buildings, then continue inland passing beautiful glacier-fed lakes of incredible color. Arrive in the heart of MacKenzie Country, surrounded by majestic mountain scenery and wide open tussock grasslands. Then journey into New Zealand’s highland and Mt Cook National Park, which was awarded World Heritage status in recognition of its qualities and rare beauty. View Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain at 12,516 feet above sea level. On arrival, join your selected Exclusive Experience touring activity, with options including a guided walk through the national park or stargazing with expert astronomy guides. |
ACCOMMODATION: The Hermitage |
| 13 (B) (D) |
Mt Cook, Christchurch Leaving the snow-capped mountains of Mt Cook National Park behind, travel by coach to picturesque Lake Tekapo. Here, you’ll pay a visit to the tiny Church of the Good Shepherd, built of locally gathered stone and oak and erected as tribute to the early pioneers of the region. Travel through Burkes Pass to Christchurch. |
ACCOMMODATION: Copthorne Central Hotel |
| 14 (B) |
Depart Christchurch, Freedom of Choice Touring Choose from our range of touring activities in Christchurch. Perhaps take a garden tour, go punting on the Avon, take a bike tour around the city or visit Christchurch’s ‘must see four’, before the tour ends and you transfer to the airport in the afternoon. |
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Prices are in New Zealand Dollars (NZD).
On APT Tours, if you're a solo traveller and are happy to share a room with a solo traveller of the same gender, you'll only pay the Twin Share price. If we can't find you a room-mate, you'll stay in a single room by yourself at no added cost, subject to availability.
On APT Tours, if you're a solo traveller and are happy to share a room with a solo traveller of the same gender, you'll only pay the Twin Share price. If we can't find you a room-mate, you'll stay in a single room by yourself at no added cost, subject to availability.
To book this tour:
- Click on the DATE - a tick will appear in the checkbox.
- Click on the PRE or POST accommodation you require.
- Change the "NUMBER OF TRAVELLERS" to 2, or If you are a single traveller, "Single Supplement" checkbox.
- Click [Add to Cart].
- Airfares are not included in the prices, unless where stated.
- You receive a smart travel wallet, luggage labels and a useful booklet containing valuable holiday information. Plus, while on tour, you will receive a map of New Zealand as a memento of your special escorted coach holiday.
- Twin-share accommodation is the basis of the price.
- TRAVELLING ALONE? If you are willing to share a room with a person of the same gender then you can save paying a single room supplement. We will ensure you share a room with a person of the same gender, if you tell us at booking time. Please note: No smoking policy in all shared rooms.
- A single supplement must be added for travellers wanting a room alone.
- All tour information is correct at time of tours going live, however is subject to change, and all details will be confirmed at time of booking.
- Dates are subject to availability at time of booking. You will receive confirmation within 24 hours from booking.
- Prices indicate brochure rates and dates, less discounts, however are still subject to final confirmation.
- If in doubt for any reason, please use the "Contact Us" form for this tour.
