17 Days from $8,220* per person, twin share

Guided Holidays - First Choice | Auckland to Christchurch

Inclusions:

• Centrally located premium 4- & 4.5-star hotels
• National Park entrance fees
• Arrival and departure airport transfers
• Meals:
  • 16 Full Breakfasts
  • 1 Lunch
  • 1 Be My Guest Lunch
  • 1 Be My Guest Afternoon Tea
  • 7 Dinners with Wine 
  • 3 Highlight Dinners
  • 1 Farewell Dinner

Highlights:

• Working dairy Red Barn is a dreamy destination for a country-style lunch – churn butter with the owners.
• Nature humbles in World Heritage listed Milford Sound, your cruise guide pointing out waterfalls alongside rare flora and fauna.
• From a traditional hangi meal to a cultural performance, Indigenous customs star at Tamaki Maori Village.
• Support AAT Kings’ Sustainable Tourism Commitment to restore NZ’s largest inland island through the Pomona Island Charitable Trust.

Travel Period: 01 April 2022 - 31 Mar 2023

Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome - Auckland

Welcome to Auckland, New Zealand’s City of Sails. Flights can arrive any time prior to 4.00pm and you will be transferred from the airport to your Auckland hotel in your private car. Tonight, enjoy a welcome reception and dinner at your hotel.

 Hotel : 2 nights, The Cordis

 Meals included: Dinner with Wine

Day 2: Auckland

Head to the New Zealand Maritime Museum for an exclusive America’s Cup tour. Then see the sights of Auckland, from the waterfront to Mission Bay. Capture spectacular panoramic views of the skyline, the North Shore and Waitemata Harbour from Bastion Point.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 3: Auckland - Tauranga

You’re invited to a Be My Guest lunch at the Red Barn on the Waikato farm of Lance O’Sullivan, a retired champion jockey, and his wife Bridgette. Later, travel to Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty.

Hotel: Trinity Wharf Tauranga

Meals included: Breakfast, Be My Guest Lunch, Dinner with Wine

Day 4: Tauranga - Rotorua

Travel through Te Puke to visit Kiwifruit Country, then on to Rotorua for an orientation tour. This afternoon explore Te Puia Thermal Reserve. Then an evening of culture, history and a Hangi feast Highlight Dinner awaits you at the Tamaki Māori Village.

Hotel: 2 nights, Millennium Hotel, Rotorua

Meals included: Breakfast, Highlight Dinner

Day 5: Rotorua Free Time

Perhaps embark on one of our optional experiences. You could glide through the Waitomo Glowworm Grotto or explore Rotorua and its lakes in an amphibious WWll-era Duck. Why not consider an adventure to the charming village of Hobbiton, the movie set of the now iconic The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies? Enjoy breakfast ‘on set’ before you’re treated to guided tour through the 12-acre set, stopping in the Alexander family sheep farm, past Hobbit Holes, and the Mill as your guide points out how the movie was made, famous locations, and the sets’ artistic details. Even if you’ve never seen the films or read the books, you’ll be entranced by the rolling green hills and lush landscape.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 6: Rotorua - Wellington

Journey through forests and farmland to the turquoise torrent known as Huka Falls. The road unfolds in a broad panorama of stunning Lake Taupo. Continue south and along the Kapiti Coast to the capital city, Wellington.

Hotel: James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 7: Wellington - Blenheim

Explore Te Papa Museum of New Zealand. Cruise the Cook Strait into tranquil Queen Charlotte Sound. The village of Picton is next, then it’s on to Blenheim for a city sightseeing tour. Tonight, enjoy a Highlight Dinner celebrating local produce and the wines of the Marlborough region.

Hotel: Chateau Marlborough

Meals included: Breakfast, Highlight Dinner

Day 8: Blenheim - Christchurch

Travel to Kaikoura, where an optional whale-watching flight is available. Continue along the Pacific coast and across the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch.

Hotel: Distinction Christchurch Hotel. 
Please note: For departure between 05-Apr-2022 to 28-Jun-2022, you will be staying at Novotel Christchurch Cathedral Square.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 9: Christchurch - Twizel

On your city sights tour, see how Christchurch is rebuilding after the devastating earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, and pop into the Transitional Cathedral in Latimer Square, Christchurch Cathedral’s temporary home. It is the world’s only cathedral made substantially of cardboard! Next, visit the home of Angie and Stan Taylor at Lake Tekapo, for a Be My Guest afternoon tea and hear about a lifetime spent farming in the Southern Alps. Later, view the little stone-hewn Church of the Good Shepherd on your way to Twizel.

Hotel: MacKenzie Country Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast, Be My Guest Afternoon Tea, Dinner with Wine

Day 10: Twizel - Dunedin Free Time

Journey along the Waitaki River, and travel through to Oamaru with its famous limestone buildings, and on to Dunedin. This afternoon why not choose an optional experience? Perhaps take a wildlife cruise out to Otago Peninsula or visit the famous Speight’s Brewery

Hotel: Scenic Hotel Southern Cross

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 11: Dunedin - Te Anau

Travel through lush sheep-farming land. Then the rolling, grassy hills turn back into forested, rugged mountains, as you meander your way up into Fiordland National Park and Te Anau. This afternoon you will hear and learn about the conservation efforts of the Pomona Island Charitable Trust, which aims to restore the largest inland island in New Zealand to its natural state. Get up close to the islands on a boat ride on Lake Manapouri. Stop in some quiet and tranquil spots to soak up the amazing surrounds, spot a few trout, and learn about the unique environment and fascinating history.

Hotel: Distinction Te Anau Hotel and Villas

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 12: Te Anau - Queenstown

You will take the scenic journey through the rainforests, beech forests and meadows of Fiordland National Park and out to Milford Sound to cruise on this natural wonder. Afterwards, travel to Queenstown for an orientation tour.

Hotel: 2 nights, Millennium Hotel, Queenstown

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 13: Queenstown Free Time

Why not get your final fix of Queenstown today with an optional experience? Ride the Shotover Jet, join a wine tour, a Pure Glenorchy Lord of the Rings Tour or a minibus tour through Skippers Canyon. This evening, cruise across Lake Wakatipu aboard TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a gourmet barbecue Highlight Dinner.

Meals included: Breakfast, Highlight Dinner

Day 14: Queenstown - Franz Josef

Visit the gold mining settlement of Arrowtown. From here you will travel to Cromwell to taste its delicious stone fruit. It is a day of gorgeous lakes, as you travel further into Central Otago. Cross over the Haast Pass, where the landscape changes from alpine scenery to the rainforest marvels of the wild West Coast. Your destination is Franz Josef Glacier.

Hotel: Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier (Douglas Wing)

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 15: Franz Josef - Punakaiki

Visit Hokitika, home of the native greenstone for a factory visit and jewellery demonstration. Later, travel to Punakaiki to view the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. You’ll spend the night in an eco-friendly resort right on the waterfront.

Hotel: Punakaiki Resort

Meals included:  Breakfast, Dinner with Wine

Day 16: Punakaiki - Christchurch

Travel to Greymouth to visit the iconic Monteith’s Brewery and taste some of their innovative brews before a pub-style lunch. Later you will journey aboard the TranzAlpine train to Christchurch and embark on one of the world’s great train journeys. This evening, join your Travel Director and new-found friends for a Farewell Dinner

Hotel: Distinction Christchurch Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Farewell Dinner

Day 17: Farewell from Christchurch

Say farewell to your fellow travellers when your holiday concludes after breakfast.

Meals included: Breakfast