New Zealand Landscapes - Premium Tour

DAY 1: AUCKLAND (D)
You will be met on arrival at Auckland airport & will transfer in a private vehicle to your accommodation. The remainder of the day is at leisure to relax or explore. Sprawling over the narrow isthmus between the Tasman & Pacific Oceans, Auckland's waterside location & the local enthusiasm for the ocean have seen it named the "City of Sails". The highest extinct volcano, Mount Eden, is an ideal point to view this wide-spread metropolis, out across the Waitemata Harbour to the east & the Manukau Harbour to the west. Auckland is New Zealand's trade capital & centre of greatest population with a diverse mix of Polynesian, Asian, Maori & European cultures.

DAY 2: AUCKLAND - ROTORUA (B,D)
After meeting your driver, you will travel south to the thermal region of Rotorua. Rotorua is the centre of an extensive thermal region & geysers, bubbling mud pools & steaming, sulphurous lakes give evidence of nature's frightening yet fascinating power. On arrival, enjoy a private tour of Te Puia (Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve & the NZ Māori Arts & Crafts Institute).

DAY 3: ROTORUA - WHITE ISLAND (B,D)
After breakfast, enjoy a White Island helicopter excursion. White Island is one of the most fascinating & accessible volcanoes on earth, carrying with it an A grade level of scientific importance. It is also New Zealand's only live marine volcano & walking on it is like walking on the moon. Leaving directly from your lodge, the flight takes you north over Hell's Gate Thermal Valley to the Pacific Ocean coastline & the active volcano of White Island. Land at the crater's rim & spend approximately one hour on a guided walk of this fascinating natural attraction. Experience the volcanic fury of the main crater, view sulphur deposits & the remains of the old sulphur mine. Return to your lodge in time for lunch & enjoy the afternoon at leisure.

DAY 4: ROTORUA -NAPIER (B,D)
Today you will travel to Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake before then turning east & travelling out to the coast & the Hawkes Bay wine region. Napier & the Hawkes Bay region is a family resort area that offers many attractions for visitors. The 1931 earthquake & subsequent fires destroyed most of Napier's commercial heart, but the city was rebuilt with an art deco flavour & is now famous for the sheer concentration of art deco, Stripped Classical & Spanish Mission buildings.

DAY 5: HAWKES BAY (B,L,D)
Today you will be met by a local guide for a full day private wine tour. The long, balmy summer in the Hawkes Bay region gives grapes plenty of time to develop rich flavours; Chardonnay & the red grape varietals have done particularly well here. Today's tour is designed for those people who are looking for a more intimate experience of the regions wineries where you can meet winemakers, learn about creating different wine styles& taste wine from the barrel. You will also visit food producers & enjoy either a restaurant lunch or picnic hamper.

DAY 6: NAPIER - NELSON (B,D)
This morning you will transfer to Napier Airport to join the flight to Nelson. You will be met on arrival & transferred to your accommodation. Sunny' Nelson lives up to its name with the highest amount of sunshine in the country. Nelson is the commercial centre & seaport for a fertile, highly productive & extremely beautiful district noted for fruit, hops & tobacco growing as well as general agricultural & pastoral production. There is a vibrant Art's community with numerous galleries for art lovers to explore & Nelson is the gateway to the Abel Tasman & Kahurangi National Parks.

DAY 7: NELSON - ABEL TASMAN (B,L,D)
Today, head out for a day's sailing on the waters around the popular Abel Tasman National Park aboard your own private yacht; Simply Wild is a 50-foot Beneteau, ideal for those who want to experience hands on sailing or for those who just want to sit back & enjoy. Abel Tasman is New Zealand's smallest national park & established in 1942 the park is renowned for its golden beaches, sculptured granite cliffs &world-famous Abel Tasman Coast Track. During the day, you will sail the coastal waters, dropping anchor at isolated beaches for a swim or a short walk. Return to Nelson in the afternoon.

DAY 8: NELSON - HEAPHY TRACK - WESTPORT (B,L,D)
Today you will enjoy walking the popular Heaphy Track. The Heaphy Track is one of New Zealand's classic walks & this section of the walk offers those with limited time the opportunity to experience dense subtropical forest along the Heaphy River, its peaceful lagoon & the splendid isolation of the wild surf & golden sand beaches along the coastline to Karamea. A 30 minute helicopter flight will take you on to the track, from where you will pass through some of the most magnificent & remote peaks in the National Park, crossing over the Takaka valley, Mt Snowdon, Lonely Lake, Anatoki Peak, The Dragons Teeth, Adelade Tarn & Mt Olympus. It is a 24 kilometre fully guided walk along a wide, flat, easygoing track with gourmet morning tea, lunch & afternoon tea. At the end of the track, you will transfer to your accommodation in Westport.

DAY 9: WESTPORT (B,D)
Today you have a day to relax after the previous day's exercise. Perched above one of the most scenic & untouched rivers on the South Island, at the foot of a magnificent mountain range, Rough & Tumble Lodge is in a truly magical spot. Guests may explore the property & connect to the Mokihinui Gorge Track where there are several bushwalks ranging from 15 minutes to several hours in length. Just outside the lodge, the riverside campfire is perfect for gatherings on star-filled evenings & from there, a small plank walkway leads to 'The Pool' (the fishing hole/swimming area/flat-water kayak area). There is also a two-person bush bath... very romantic & private.

DAY 10: WESTPORT - FRANZ JOSEF (B,D)
Today your journey follows the rugged coastline passing through some of New Zealand's most scenic landscapes.

DAY 11: FRANZ JOSEF - QUEENSTOWN (B)
Continuing your journey along the spectacular West Coast, you will turn inland & travel through the Haast Pass before arriving in Central Otago. En-route we stop at the Big Picture Wine Adventure for an introduction to the wines of the region, before heading to Queenstown. Nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu Queenstown is a year-round alpine resort that caters for all interests. It enjoys a magnificent setting amid steep mountain ranges & pockets of native bush with the jagged peaks of the Remarkables Range rising from the lake. The lake was scooped out by glacial action thousands of years ago & a mysterious phenomenon causes the lake to vary several inches in depth every few minutes, giving credence to a Maori legend of an ancient Taniwha (demon) still breathing beneath the surface. Upon arrival, the remainder of the day is at leisure to soak up Queenstown's atmosphere.

DAY 12: QUEENSTOWN - MILFORD SOUND (B)
This morning enjoy an exclusive helicopter flight deep into the Fiordland World Heritage National Park. Discover a labyrinth of valleys & mountains as you fly west over the Main Divide of the Southern Alps. See Lake Te Anau, follow the Milford Track past the Sutherland Falls on this extensive tour to Milford Sound & walk through native rainforest for perfect photo opportunities. You will fly along the fiord to a seal colony or remote beach on the isolated coast of Fiordland. A glacier landing on the return flight will enable you to fill the ice bucket for your champagne luncheon at a Gold miner's cottage hidden in the mountains. On returning to Queenstown, enjoy the afternoon at leisure.

DAY 13: QUEENSTOWN (B)
Today you are free to explore Queenstown & the surrounding region at leisure. During your leisure time you might want to travel up Bob's peak by Gondola to enjoy spectacular views across Lake Wakatipu to the Remarkables Range in the distance or visit the Kiwi & Birdlife Park. You can take a cruise on Lake Wakatipu onboard the steam ship TSS Earnslaw & visit a high country sheep station for a farm tour or evening meal. The central Otago wine region is the world's southern most wine producing region & a private wine tour will tempt your taste buds with some of the award winning wines that are produced here. If all these leisurely pursuits become too much then Queenstown has more adrenalin pumping activities than most towns; you can jet boat up narrow river chasms, bungy jump, luge ride, go white water rafting, river surfing, abseiling, mountain biking, tandem parachuting & parapenting, to name just a few of the options available to you.

DAY 14: QUEENSTOWN (B)
Take a private transfer to Queenstown airport in time to join your outbound flight.

DAY 1: AUCKLAND (D)
DAY 2: AUCKLAND - ROTORUA (B,D)
DAY 3: ROTORUA - WHITE ISLAND (B,D)
DAY 4: ROTORUA -NAPIER (B,D)
DAY 5: HAWKES BAY (B,L,D)
DAY 6: NAPIER - NELSON (B,D)
DAY 7: NELSON - ABEL TASMAN (B,L,D)
DAY 8: NELSON - HEAPHY TRACK - WESTPORT (B,L,D)
DAY 9: WESTPORT (B,D)
DAY 10: WESTPORT - FRANZ JOSEF (B,D)
DAY 11: FRANZ JOSEF - QUEENSTOWN (B)
DAY 12: QUEENSTOWN - MILFORD SOUND (B)
DAY 13: QUEENSTOWN (B)
DAY 14: QUEENSTOWN (B)
End of our services.

PRICE

NB Chauffeur driven vehicles have the following configuration:
1-2 persons - sedan car
3-6 persons - small van
7-8 persons - large van or mini coach
The tour is essentially unescorted; chauffeur acts as a guide where appropriate but clients are on their own in the evenings & at sightseeing stops.  Fully escorted with a local guide is an option if required.
Prices exclude public holiday surcharges & any special event surcharges or minimum stay requirements which lodges apply from time to time.