Auckland / Bay of Islands

Cross Auckland’s distinctive Harbour Bridge for the drive north along the scenic Hibiscus Coast, admiring the numerous stunning beaches as you travel onwards through Kawakawa to Paihia in the beautiful Bay of Islands. Here you will be met by a local Maori guide who will travel with you to the famous Waitangi Treaty House and Grounds. Once at the Treaty House and Grounds, you are free to explore at your own pace. Later this afternoon take a launch cruise across the idyllic Bay, discovering the areas world renowned game fishing grounds made famous by Zane Grey, before viewing the lonely isolated Cape Brett Lighthouse and spectacular “Hole in the Rock”. Return through the inner islands with their beautiful sandy beaches, sparkling waters and marine life. (B, D)

Accommodation

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Tanoa Hotel, Paihia

Tanoa Paihia – your Bay of Islands accommodation offers 67 well-appointed guest rooms and is surrounded by attractive natural bush making this a peaceful and serene property. Each Paihia hotel room has one double bed and one single bed accommodating up to 3 guests. 

www.tanoapaihia.com

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Bay of Islands / Auckland

Travel South today through Whangarei and Warkworth, passing a satellite tracking station and lush rolling scenery until you reach the charming village of Matakohe. This pretty town is home to the award winning Kauri Museum, a locally created treasure-trove of pioneering clothing, equipment and history. Particularly fascinating are the household objects and jewellery carved from precious Kauri Gum which once belonged to local families, as well as the extraordinary wealth of information about the Kauri trees themselves, so important to the early settlement of New Zealand. After this continue on to Auckland for an afternoon at your leisure. This evening, after dinner, why not take a stroll down to Auckland’s vibrant Viaduct district or check out the cafe culture evident in the city’s winding laneways. (B, D)

Accommodation

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Rydges Hotel, Auckland

The Rydges Auckland Hotel invites you to experience a bold contemporary take on New Zealand accommodation. Inspired by London sophistication, Sydney cool and New York style, , Rydges Auckland adds signature Kiwi hospitality to truly create a unique experience. With the addition of Hobson Tower, home to 88 stunning accommodation, Rydges is a 267-room urban oasis in the heart of Auckland.

www.rydges.co.nz

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Coromandel Peninsula

Today you will go on an exclusive journey through the Coromandel region with Kiwi Dundee Adventures, a true Kiwi local who will provide a unique insight into this stunning area and explain the rich history behind the destinations you explore. Discover regenerating Kauri forest and lush fern groves, view the old roads to Puketui, an 1890′s gold mining town, and visit a gold mine studded with glowworms. Walk on isolated beaches and feel the sand between your toes as you enjoy the fresh clean air and stunning vistas of the iconic Coromandel. And if conditions permit, perhaps even take a dip in the springs at iconic Hotwater Beach where underground water filters up through the sand and can be dug into warm soaking pools during low tide. Today a picnic lunch is included. (B, L, D)

Rotorua / Tongariro National Park

This morning you will enjoy a visit to the Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley, arriving at Te Puia to be greeted at the gates by twelve awe-inspiring guardians, each carved from wood with a distinctly unique expression and representing the divine realms. After this extraordinary arrival, you will enter the inspiring Maori Arts and Crafts Centre which aims to preserve Maori culture and traditional arts for generations to come. Discover this fascinating reserve which also showcases some of Rotorua’s best thermal activity, with its boiling mud, silica terraces and Pohutu Geyser. Next leave Rotorua behind and skirt massive pine forests and the Wairakei Geothermal Valley to pause at the powerful Huka Falls where the full force of the Waikato River pours through a narrow chasm and crashes into the river below. Arrive at Lake Taupo, New Zealand’s largest lake which is famous for trout fishing and a popular holiday spot, before venturing into the Tongariro National Park. In the heart of the park you will discover the elegant Chateau Tongagriro, built in 1929 and still retaining much of its original old world charm and tradition. (B, D)

Accommodation

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Chateau Tongariro Hotel, Tongariro National Park

The elegant Chateau Tongariro is located within Whakapapa Village – in the heart of Tongariro National Park and was constructed during the ‘roaring twenties’ and was also the year that was the beginning of the world’s great depression, 1929. 

Today, the hotel provides accommodation, restaurants, bars, conference facilities and is a popular wedding destination throughout the year. 

The Chateau Tongariro Hotel is surrounded by a stunning natural playground bursting with diverse landscapes for visitors to the Tongariro National Park to discover.

www.chateau.co.nz

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Wellington / Home

Today you will be transferred to Wellington Airport to join your flight home. (B)