New Zealand Highlights Escorted Tour

Tour Dates

7 October – 30 October 2013 

6 October – 29 October 2014

Price from £3,300

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

Highlights

• One night hotel accommodation in Christchurch
• Complete tour of both islands including Mount Cook, Queenstown, Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, Wellington, Rotorua, and the Bay of Islands
• Bay of Islands excursion including the Hole in the Rock
• Evening Meal with the Maori
• Milford Sound excursion
• Welcome and Farewell Meals

Tour itinerary

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

Day 1 – 2
Depart London to New Zealand, cross the international date line and lose a day.

Day 3
Arrive Christchurch where you will be met by the tour escorts and transferred to your hotel (bed and breakfast basis only. All other expenditure, eg. meals, drinks, telephone calls, etc, is at your own expense). Following a presentation of your motorhome, we will have a Welcome Meal where you can meet the rest of your fellow travellers.
Overnight Christchurch hotel.

Day 4
Pick up your motorhome and drive to Mount Cook (192 miles), New Zealand’s highest mountain. Overnight Mount Cook campsite.

Day 5
Travel to Dunedin on the Otago Peninsula via Oamaru (180 miles). See the Moeraki boulders en route. Overnight Dunedin campsite.

Days 6
Drive from Dunedin to Te Anau via Balclutha (180 miles) with its Scottish influences.
Overnight Te Anau campsite.

Day 7
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 8
Drive to Queenstown via Five Rivers (110 miles). Overnight Queenstown campsite.

Day 9
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 10 - 11
From Queenstown head for Fox Glacier (210 miles) with a free day to explore the
glacier or the nearby Franz Josef Glacier – helicopter or ski plane flights over the glaciers come highly recommended.
2 Nights Fox Glacier campsite.

Day 12
Travel from Fox Glacier to Hanmer Springs via Reefton (257 miles).
Overnight Hanmer Springs campsite.

Day 13
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 14
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 15
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 16
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 17 - 18
Travel to Rotorua, home of Maori heritage centres, hot springs and thermal pools
(279 miles). Following day at leisure to explore the thermal reserves with their
geysers that can spout as high as 30m. Enjoy an evening meal with the Maori and learn about their culture.
2 nights Rotorua campsite.

Day 19
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 20 - 21
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. 2 nights Paihia campsite.

Day 22
Travel from Paihia to Orewa, (168 miles), visiting places that took your fancy on the way north.
Overnight Orewa campsite.

Day 23
Travel to Auckland (16 miles) and return your vehicle. You will then be transferred to the airport for your evening flight to London. This ends the tour travel arrangements.

Day 24
Arrive London.

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.
• Economy Class flights from London to Christchurch and Auckland to London (including airport taxes).
• 20 days fully equipped 2-berth motorhome hire (including unlimited mileage), preparation and living kits and 20 days vehicle insurance (with nil excess); 19 nights site fees including hook-up where available.
• Services of tour escorts; Interislander ferry crossing, hotel accommodation for one night in Christchurch (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.

Tour Gallery - 6 photos