New Zealand Private Tour

Day 1

• Fly into Auckland Airport

Depending on what time your flight arrives I will pick you up at the Airport and take you on a city tour of Auckland before taking you to your accommodation for the night.

Day 2

• Today we will make our way  through Thames and a very scenic coastal drive through the fabulous Pohutakawa Trees which line the road and in December are a stunning array of Red colour (NZ Christmas Tree). We will then make our way into Coromandel where you will join a short 1 Hour train journey  taking you through replanted native Kauri forest and includes 2 spirals, 3 short tunnels, 5 reversing points and several large viaducts as it climbs up to the mountain-top terminus. It offers great panoramic views out over the island-studded Hauraki Gulf with the forested valley and mountains behind. Your night's accommodation will be in Coromandel.

Day 3

• We will drive today to  Rotorua to visit a living Maori Village of Whakarewarewa. You will join a tour  to enjoy traditional song & dance performances by the Te Pakira Performance Group and then afterwards lunch from a Hangi - traditional Maori way of cooking.afternoon. Maybe a swim in the hot pools...later that afternoon ...don't forget your swimmers.Your night's accommodation will be in Rotorua

Day 4

•  Today  you will  visit  one of the best Geothermal areas of New Zealand to  Orakei Korako where you catch a short ferry crossing to this spectacular Hidden Valley as it is called. You can spend a couple of hours walking the boardwalks around the amazing mud pools and geysers. Afterwards  will make our way across to Huka Falls which is a natural attraction in New Zealand and on through  Wairakei   where I will take you to  a lookout  with amazing views of the Geothermal Power Station. We  will drive through to Napier the Art Deco capital of the Southern Hemisphere. After a devastating earthquake in 1931, it chose to adopt this distinctive style of architecture. Your night will be in Napier

Day 5

• Today we will make our way down through the wine  regions of the Hawkes Bay and Martinborough where you can spend some time tasting a few wines on your way to Wellington the capital of New Zealand for your night's accommodation.
  

Day6

• Today is a day to yourselves .There are a few options to do in Wellington to explore and also the Te Papa Museum an interactive national museum. There is also  the Wellington Cable Car which has the best views of the city and harbour. Your night's accommodation will be in Wellington.

Day 7

• We leave the North Island to travel through the majestic Marlborough Sounds to the South Island via the Cook Strait Ferry. This in itself is a tour on it's on with stunning scenery of all the small Islands and rural properties scattered on the way to Picton the gateway to the South Island. Here we will continue along the Charlotte Sound Drive to your accommodation in the heart of the Vineyard area of Richmond.

Day 8

• Today we travel through  Murchison and the Buller River and Gorge through to Westport and Punakaiki (pancake rocks )and blowholes, where columns of water shoot skyward from rocks that resemble giant stacks of hotcakes. Our coastal drive with panoramic views takes you through to  Hokitika the Greenstone capital of New Zealand for your night's accommodation.

Day 9

This morning you can spend some time having a look around this delightful art and craft town of Hokitika  before we make our way down to Franz Joseph and Fox Glacier. I will take you out to  Lake Matheson, famous for its mirror-like reflections of Aoraki / Mount Cook and Mount Tasman/ Rarakiroa, New Zealand’s highest peaks, on a clear day. A delightful bush track walk follows the lake edge. There is also time for an actual walk on the Glacier if you wish or those who would prefer a scenic flight...its a great way to see the bigger picture.Your night's accommodation will be in Fox Glacier

Day 10

• We will leave the Glacier country to travel  through to the historic gold mining town of Arrowtown.  On our way we will pass  over the famous Haast Pass to  the township of Wanaka  with a pristine alpine lake at its doorstep and surrounded by the spectacular backdrop of the South Island's Southern Alps. Your night's accommodation will be in Arrowtown situated on the beautiful Arrow River.
  

Day 11

• Today we will make our way down to Queenstown situation on the beautiful Lake Wakatipu. Here you will join a 3-4 hours cruise on the majestic Paddle Steamer TSS Earnslaw  up through Lake Wakatipu to  visit  Walter Peak High Country Farm for a guided farm visit & barbecue lunch. After your cruise we will then make our way down to Te Anau for your night's accommodation.

Day 12

• The best way to experience the great Fiords of New Zealand is once again by water and I have chosen Doubtful Sound for you as has a few different components to it.

Your day begins in Manapouri with a cruise across the picturesque Lake Manapouri followed by a trip across New Zealand’s most expensive road over Wilmot Pass, pausing along the way to experience the dense Fiordland rain forest and view Doubtful Sound  below. In Doubtful Sound you will board a purpose built catamaran for a three hour cruise. You will also have a chance to visit the Manapouri underground Power Station. Your night's accommodation will be in Te Anau.

Day 13

• Today we will leave Te Anau to travel to Dunedin and enjoy a short city drive around   the City with it's  stunning Victorian and Edwardian architecture and the iconic Dunedin Railway Station. We will then make our way out to the  Otago Peninsula  with  panoramic views and your accommodation for the night at Larnach Castle a house built between 1871 and 1877 for William Larnach a famous Politician and Entrepreneaur of Colonial NZ.. It has  incredible views of the Otago Peninsula surrounded by beautiful Gardens.
  

Day 14

• Today we will make our way through the  East Coast of New Zealand stopping off at the  Moeraki Boulders which are unusually large and spherical boulders lying along a stretch of Koekohe Beach. Your tour will then take you through the beautiful Waitaki Valley up into the Blue lakes district calling into a Highland Salmon Farm just out of Twizel. We will then make our way to Lake Tekapo for your night's accommodation.

Day 15

• Your last day of touring will be driving to Christchurch  and stopping off at Fairlie the Church of the Good Shepherd situated on the beautiful Lake Tekapo and one of the most photographed churches in the world (and proud to say I was christened here.....had to throw that in). It will be then onto Christchurch for your night's accommodation situated in the heart of the City so plenty of time to explore the new city built after the devastation of the 2011 Earthquake.
• Day 16
•  Your flight out

The Total Cost For This Tour 

2 Persons -  NZ $7625.00 each

4 Persons - NZ $5330.00 each

This tour includes:

15 Nights 4-5 Star accommodation with 13 breakfasts(Other accommodation self-contained)

Private flexible touring for 15 Days including Airport Transfers

Doubtful Sound Cruise incl lunch

Lake Wakatipu Cruise at Queeenstown incl lunch

Whakarewarewa Guided Tour incl lunch

Orakei Korako

Train Journey at Coromandel
Please note all prices are based on Peak Time touring in NZ (Dec-Mch)