New Zealand Land of the Long White Cloud Escorted Tour Highlights

24 February – 29 March 2014

Price from £5,495

Enjoy the highlights of New Zealand, exploring the North and South Islands.

Highlights

• Two nights hotel accommodation in Christchurch.Complete tour of South Island, taking in Mount Cook, Milford Sound, Queenstown, Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, and of North Island taking in Wellington, Lake Taupo, Rotorua and the Bay of Islands.
• Traditional Maori evening meal.
• Hotel night in Auckland with Farewell Meal in the spectacular Skytower restaurant.

Tour itinerary

An overview of our New Zealand escorted tour’s 35 day schedule. Tour is subject to a minimum of 15 and maximum of 24 units participating.

Day 1 - 2
Depart London Heathrow to Auckland. Cross international date line and lose a day.

Day 3
Arrive Christchurch, where you are met on arrival by your escorts and transferred to the hotel (bed and breakfast basis only. All other expenditure, eg. meals, drinks, telephone calls, etc, is at your own expense).
Overnight Christchurch hotel.

Day 4
AM Breakfast, followed by guided coach tour of Christchurch.
PM At leisure. Welcome evening meal at hotel followed by vehicle presentation by motorhome company representative.
Overnight Christchurch hotel.

Day 5
Pick up vehicles and travel to Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand (192 miles).
Overnight Mount Cook campsite.

Day 6 - 7
Travel from Mount Cook to Dunedin via Oamaru (205 miles). See the Moeraki boulders en route. Day to explore Dunedin, the Otago peninsula and albatross colony.
2 nights Dunedin campsite.

Day 8 - 9
Travel from Dunedin to Te Anau via Balclutha and Te Anau (180 miles). Full day excursion to Milford Sound including the underwater observatory, a fjord cruise, views of many South Island landmarks including Mitre Peak (weather permitting) and wildlife spotting (wildlife permitting). Overnight Te Anau campsite.

Day 10
Go from Te Anau to Queenstown via Five Rivers (110 miles). Overnight Queenstown campsite.

Day 11
Day to explore Queenstown, world capital of adventure sports from paragliding to white water rafting. Take a cruise on Lake Wakatipu or the Skyline gondola to Bob’s Peak.
Overnight Queenstown campsite.

Day 12
Travel from Queenstown to Wanaka through the Southern Alps (48 miles).
Overnight Wanaka campsite.

Day 13
Travel from Wanaka to Fox Glacier through the impressive Haast Pass (175 miles).
Overnight Fox Glacier campsite.

Day 14
Day at leisure to visit Fox Glacier or nearby
Franz Josef Glacier – helicopter or ski plane flights over the glaciers are recommended. Overnight Fox Glacier campsite.

Day 15
Travel from Fox Glacier to Greymouth along the coast road between the Tasman Sea and the Alps via Hokitika Gorge (130 miles).
Overnight Greymouth campsite.

Day 16
Travel from Greymouth to Hanmer Springs via Reefton (135 miles).
Overnight Hanmer Springs campsite.

Day 17
A short drive today from Hanmer Springs to Kaikoura (63 miles) to ensure you arrive early enough to book the whale watching excursion for the next day, if whales are present. Overnight Kaikoura campsite.

Day 18
Day at leisure for whale, dolphin and bird watching, seal and dolphin swimming or even shark diving (in a shark cage) for the adventurous. Overnight Kaikoura campsite.

Day 19
Travel from Kaikoura to Lower Hutt. Bid farewell to the South Island and catch the Interislander ferry. Kaikoura to Picton (97 miles), Picton to Wellington Ferry crossing the Cook Strait (3 hours 30 minutes), Wellington to Lower Hutt (10 miles). Overnight Lower Hutt campsite.

Day 20
Day at leisure to explore Wellington, the capital city – make sure to visit Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand and the ‘beehive’ that houses the parliament.
Overnight Lower Hutt campsite.

Day 21 - 22
Travel from Lower Hutt to Napier via Hastings (200 miles). Following day at leisure to explore Napier, famous for its art deco architecture.
2 nights Napier campsite.

Day 23 - 24
Travel from Napier to Taupo on the shores of Lake Taupo, via Eskdale and Te Pohue (95 miles). Day at leisure to explore Taupo and to luxuriate in the thermal pools, visit the Craters of the Moon bubbling mud pools or the Huka Falls. 2 nights Taupo campsite.

Day 25 - 26
Travel to Rotorua, home of Maori heritage centres, hot springs and thermal pools (50 miles). Following day at leisure to explore the thermal reserves with their geysers that can spout as high as 30m. Meet the Maori for dinner. 2 nights Rotorua campsite.

Day 27
Travel from Rotorua to Orewa, north of Auckland (205 miles). Visit Te Puke, famous for kiwi fruit on the Bay of Plenty or Waihi, the old gold-mining town, en route.
Overnight Orewa campsite.

Day 28 - 30
Travel from Orewa to Paihia via Whangerei (120 miles) – en route visit Hokianga Harbour or some of the world’s biggest trees at Waipoua Kauri Forest. Try Waitangi National Reserve, where the treaty ceding New Zealand’s sovereignty to Britain was signed by the Maori chiefs. We include a boat cruise around the Bay of Islands and visit the Hole in the Rock.
3 nights Russell campsite.

Day 31
Travel from Paihia to Orewa, (168 miles), visiting places you missed on the way north.
Overnight Orewa.

Day 32
Return motorhomes. Transfer to Auckland city centre hotel (accommodation is on a bed and breakfast basis only, tax included. All other expenditure, eg. meals, drinks, telephone calls, tips etc, is at your own expense). Afternoon at leisure to visit Auckland. Farewell Dinner in Auckland’s Sky Tower with stunning views over Auckland by night.
Overnight Auckland city centre hotel.

Day 33
Day at leisure. Enjoy a museum, Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World or the Parnell Rose Gardens. Transfer to airport.
Evening Flight from Auckland to London.

Day 34 - 35
Arrive London. This ends the tour travel arrangements.

What’s included:

• Prices indicated are per person for two adults sharing a motorhome. Single supplement, extra adult sharing a vehicle and child supplement – available on request.
• Return Economy Class flights from London to Christchurch, return Auckland to London (including airport taxes).
• 29 days fully equipped 2-berth motorhome hire (including unlimited mileage), preparation and living kits and 29 days vehicle insurance (with nil excess)
• 28 nights site fees including hook-up where available.
• Services of tour escorts
• Interislander ferry crossing
• Hotel accommodation for two nights in Christchurch and one night in Auckland (bed & breakfast based on two adults sharing a double room)
• Coach transfers as stated
• Full day Milford Sound excursion, one Welcome Meal, one Maori meal, Hole in the Rock cruise, one Farewell Meal
• Touring information
• Tour daybook.

What’s not included:

• Personal insurance – please ask for a quote for Worldwide insurance at the time of booking
• Motorhome fuel or refills of propane gas
• Meals other than those listed
• Drinks with listed meals
• Excursions or entrance fees other than those listed
• Expenditure of a personal nature, tips etc
• Refundable motorhome security/cleaning deposit (usually about NZ$500).

Upgrades and extras:

A number of upgrades and extras can be added to the package prices.

• Upgrades to Premium Economy or Business – ask for a quote. To get best prices book early, as costs increase closer to departure.
• If you are a party of three or more, or if you require a little more space, please speak to our Travel Specialists about a 4 or 6-berth motorhome – we can then check availability of these vehicles for you.