Auckland Trip Overview
Tour includes:
Accommodation x14 nights.
Breakfast x14
Dinner x2
Activities include; Waitomo Glowworms Caves tour, Te Puia entry ticket, Tamaki Maori Village overnight experience, Spa thermal park reserve, Te Papa museum, Winery Tour (FROMM), Lake Tekapo Dark Sky reserve observatory, Queenstown Skyline and buffet dinner, Lots of hiking.
The ideal trip for any New Zealand first-timer. Experience some of the world’s most picturesque valleys, get up close to fascinating Māori culture and give the ticker a good workout with a plethora of adrenaline activities. This 14-day tour will take you around the country’s hottest spots, with accommodation and some activities included (see below), our all-inclusive tours are hassle-free, authentic experiences for those short on time.
Additional Info
Duration: 14 days
Starts: Auckland, New Zealand
Trip Category: Food, Wine & Nightlife >> Wine Tasting & Winery Tours
Explore Auckland Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Auckland, , New Zealand
Tour includes:
Accommodation x14 nights.
Breakfast x14
Dinner x2
Activities include; Waitomo Glowworms Caves tour, Te Puia entry ticket, Tamaki Maori Village overnight experience, Spa thermal park reserve, Te Papa museum, Winery Tour (FROMM), Lake Tekapo Dark Sky reserve observatory, Queenstown Skyline and buffet dinner, Lots of hiking.
The ideal trip for any New Zealand first-timer. Experience some of the world’s most picturesque valleys, get up close to fascinating Māori culture and give the ticker a good workout with a plethora of adrenaline activities. This 14-day tour will take you around the country’s hottest spots, with accommodation and some activities included (see below), our all-inclusive tours are hassle-free, authentic experiences for those short on time.
Itinerary
Day 1: Auckland to Hot Water Beach
Stop At: Cathedral Cove Walk, 65 Grange Rd S, Hahei 3591 New Zealand
Walk down to the famous Cathedral Cove.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Hot Water Beach, Hot Water Beach, Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato Region, North Island
Dig your own hot pool and relax as the geothermal energy beneath you creates your own natural hot tub.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Cathedral Cove Kayak Tours, 88 Hahei Beach Road, Hahei 3591, New Zealand
Paddle through sea caves, interact with the local marine life and discover the thrill of kayak sailing with the wind on your back. The tour offers great photo opportunities and is topped off with cappuccinos, hot chocolates and cookies at Cathedral Cove!
Duration: 3 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Hot Water Beach Top 10 Holiday Park
Day 2: Hot Water Beach to Waitomo
Stop At: Waitomo Glowworm Caves, 39 Waitomo Village Road, Waitomo Caves 3943 New Zealand
Enter a majestic underground world and visit the unique Waitomo Glowworm Caves.
Duration: 40 minutes
Stop At: Ruakuri Walk, Off Tumutumu Road, Waitomo Caves New Zealand
Your guide will talk you to this beautiful bush loop track, through limestone outcrops, caves, native forest and descends into the Ruakuri natural tunnel.
Duration: 40 minutes
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Waitomo Homestead
Day 3: Waitomo to Rotorua
Stop At: Hobbiton Movie Set, 501 Buckland Road Matamata, Hinuera 3472 New Zealand
Stop at Hobbiton Movie Set and visit The Shire, home to Hobbits from the famous Lord of the Rings series.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Kuirau Park, Ranolf Street and Lake Road, Rotorua New Zealand
Nature park with geothermal foot baths, hot springs & a lake, plus picnic tables & a playground.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Kaitiaki Adventures, 1135 Te Ngae Road, Tikitere, Rotorua 3074, New Zealand
Snake through steep native bush clad canyons and over 14 awesome rapids & 3 waterfalls including world-renowned 7 metre Tutea Falls, the Highest Commercially Rafted Waterfall in the World! Blended with touches of Maori culture, this trip offers it all, for both white water rafting enthusiasts and first timers.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Tamaki Maori Village, 1220 Hinemaru St 1070 State Highway 5, Rotorua 3073 New Zealand
This afternoon, we head off to visit the Tamaki Māori Village where you will be immersed in the traditions and cultural values of the Māori people. Participate in a pōwhiri (welcoming ceremony), learn about the history of the marae (village) and the Rotorua-area from a local Māori guide before feasting on some top kai (food) from the hāngi pit. Afterwards, gather around a blazing bonfire where you will enjoy Māori myths and legends before relaxing in a private forest spa pool and retiring for the night in a traditional carved whare moe (sleeping house).
Duration: 12 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Tamaki Maori Village
Day 4: Rotorua to Taupo
Stop At: Redwoods, Whakarewarewa Forest, Long Mile Road The Redwoods, Rotorua 3046 New Zealand
The history and culture surrounding the Whakarewarewa Forest, the variety of outdoor recreational opportunities, diverse range of exotic tree species, mix of native undergrowth, panoramic views, and proximity to lakes, thermal areas and the city centre have made The Redwoods & Whakarewarewa Forest one of Rotorua’s most spectacular natural assets and one of the city’s greatest treasures.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Tamaki Maori Village, 1220 Hinemaru St 1070 State Highway 5, Rotorua 3073 New Zealand
Experience the real New Zealand with Tamaki Maori Village.
Journey back in time to pre-European days to get close with the people and their culture. Step inside the village amongst a native Tawa forest to learn the rituals, stories and history of Maori culture. Witness traditional ceremonies, powerful performances of song and dance, get involved with the interactive activities and to finish feast on a traditional hangi, feast meaning ‘All You Can Eat’. Before enjoying the evening by the fire or hot tubs and then sleeping in a traditional wharemoe (sleeping house)
Duration: 12 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Tiki Lodge or similar
Day 5: Taupo free day
Stop At: Huka Falls Rd, Taupo, Hinuera New Zealand
At Huka Falls you can witness the phenomenon of natural hydro power with more than 220,000 litres of water per sec barreling over 11 meter high waterfall.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Spa Thermal Park and Riverbank Recreational and Scenic Reserve, Taupo 3378 New Zealand
From Huka falls you can walk along side the Waikato river until you reach the warm geothermal waters from Otumuheke Stream. These waters flow gently into the Waikato River at Spa Thermal Park, providing a hot spot where bathers can relax in healing mineral water.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Tongariro Alpine Crossing, Off State Highway 48 Mangatepopo Valley, Whakapapa Village, Tongariro National Park New Zealand
Often described as the best one day hike in New Zealand, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing provides an opportunity to experience some of the most scenic, volcanically active areas of the park.
Duration: 6 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Tiki Lodge Taupo
Day 6: Taupo to River Valley
Stop At: Lake Taupo, Lake Terrace, Taupo 3330 New Zealand
At the heart of New Zealand’s central volcanic plateau sits the largest freshwater lake in Australasia, Lake Taupo. This huge, shining expanse of water, moving between aquamarine blue and jade green, is crystal-clear to a depth of 13 metres. It is home to one of the best wild trout fisheries in the world, more than 30 species of water bird, several types of native fish and native koura (crayfish).Most days, the lake is beautifully calm, but its creation was one of the most spectacularly violent natural events in history. The gigantic Oruanui eruption, 27,000 years ago, shot volcanic debris 50km into the air, covered the North Island in a thick layer of volcanic ash, and created the caldera that is now the lake.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Taranaki Falls, Mt Ruapehu, Tongariro National Park New Zealand
Walk this hike to a beautiful waterfall
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: River Valley Lodge
Day 7: River Valley to Wellington
Stop At: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, 55 Cable St, Wellington 6011 New Zealand
A museum
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Mount Victoria, Alexandra Lookout Rd, Wellington 6001 New Zealand
Great views over our capital city and the Wellington waterfront
Duration: 30 minutes
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Nomads Wellington or similar
Day 8: Wellington to Kaikoura
Stop At: Wellington Ferry Terminal, 1 Aotea Quay, Pipitea, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
Interislander ferry service is New Zealand’s original Cook Strait ferry. Sailing between Wellington and Picton, the Interislander journey is considered one of the most beautiful ferry journeys in the world and one of New Zealand’s most iconic experiences.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: FROMM Winery, 15, Godfrey Road, Blenheim 7272 New Zealand
Wine tour and tasting along with cheese platters in the heart of the Marlborough wine region
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Ohau Point Seal Colony, State Highway 1, Ohau Point, Kaikoura New Zealand
Check out one of NZ’s most populated seal colonies on your way to the marine capital of NZ, Kaikoura.
Duration: 30 minutes
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Dusky Lodge or similar
Day 9: Kaikoura to Christchurch
Stop At: Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway, 40 Fyffe Quay West End, Kaikoura 7300 New Zealand
Check out the beautiful peninsula walkway finishing in south bay before making your way further south to the south island’s most populated city.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: All Stars Inn
Day 10: Christchurch to Lake Tekapo
Stop At: The Church of the Good Shepherd, Pioneer Drive, Lake Tekapo 7999 New Zealand
The most photographed church in NZ, sitting on the picturesque shores of the stunning lake Tekapo. You will soon see why this church is a photographers dream.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Mount John University Observatory, 422 Godley Peaks Road, Lake Tekapo 7999 New Zealand
Hike to the top of Mt John to get stunning 360 degree views of the lake below and the towering southern alps. This hike will not disappoint.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, Lake Tekapo 7945 New Zealand
Enter the world of the “Dark sky project,” where your guide will take you on a journey into the universe and a chance to learn more about our stars and moons
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Lakefront Lodge Tekapo or similar
Day 11: Lake Tekapo to Mount Cook National Park
Stop At: Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (Te Wahipounamu), Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (Te Wahipounamu), Mackenzie District, Canterbury Region, South Island
Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park is a rugged land of ice and rock, with 19 peaks over 3,000 metres including New Zealand’s highest mountain, Aoraki/Mount Cook.
Duration: 3 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: YHA Mt Cook or similar
Day 12: Mt Cook to Queenstown
Stop At: Skyline Queenstown, Brecon St Top OF Street, Queenstown 9348 New Zealand
Eat a buffet dinner overlooking Queenstown
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Nomads Queenstown or similar
Day 13: Queenstown free day
Stop At: AJ Hackett Kawarau Bungy Centre, Gibbston Valley, Queenstown 9384, New Zealand
Ever since 1988, Aj Hackett has been in the business of fueling people with courage and adrenaline. Take an opportunity to Bungy/swing or catapult at one of the three sites located in Queenstown.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Shotover Jet Queenstown, 3 Arthurs Point Road, Arthurs Point, Queenstown 9371, New Zealand
Adventurous boat ride through the Shotover River Canyons, at 85km/hour, with spins & spraying water.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Nomads Queenstown or similar
Day 14: Queenstown to Glenorchy tour (return to Queenstown)
Stop At: Glenorchy, Glenorchy, Otago Region, South Island
Road trip out the head of lake Wakatipu in the small town of Glenorchy. Here you take some walks and soak up the picturesque scenes before making your way back to Queenstown
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.
