Exploring New Zealand's Wonders featuring the North & South Islands

Cross the International Dateline and begin the adventure of a lifetime by skipping a day ahead.

Your tour opens in Auckland, the “City of Sails,” consistently rated one of the world’s best places to live. Auckland’s Polynesian population instills into its chic atmosphere the vibrant feel of the Pacific Islands. This evening, join your fellow travelers for a welcome dinner.

Come to know the best of Auckland during a panoramic city tour featuring the America’s Cup Village, the War Memorial, bustling Queen Street, and the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The full afternoon is yours to explore New Zealand’s largest city on your own.

Depart Auckland and travel north to the Bay of Islands, your home for the next 2 nights. This sun-soaked region boasts more than 144 islands and warm waters with abundant marine life. Visit the Waitangi Treaty House, the site where Maori and British leaders signed the 1840 treaty establishing New Zealand as a nation, to enjoy a traditional Welcome Ceremony and tour.

Begin the day with a cruise that features the bay’s famous Hole in the Rock. Look out at the Cape Brett Lighthouse, standing nearly 500 feet above sea level at the edge of the Cape Brett Peninsula. The rest of the day is yours to independently explore Paihia - the quaint town known as “the jewel of the Bay of Islands.”

Leave the sparkling waters of the Bay of Islands behind and head to Matakohe in the heartland of the North Island. Make a stop at the Kauri Museum and come to know the stories surrounding the giant kauri tree that can live for 2,000 years. Discover how the early settlers used this abundant tree to build a life for themselves. Later, continue on to the town of Rotorua, known for geothermal activity and Maori culture.

Find yourself amid the dramatic geothermal landscape of Rotorua, known as the Maori capital of New Zealand. Visit Whakarewarewa, a Maori cultural and geothermal experience. Explore an authentic Maori village where people live using natural geothermal resources to cook, bathe and heat their homes as they have done for centuries. In the evening, experience ceremonial Maori rituals at an authentic Hangi dinner and performance.

Today we travel to Wellington – New Zealand’s capital city, known as the “Windy City”, a coastal city nestled against the mountains.

Embark on a city tour of Wellington. See the Beehive – New Zealand’s Parliament; historic St. Paul’s Church; and the Old Government Building, the largest wooden building in the Southern Hemisphere. Explore the Te Papa Tongawera Museum, a fascinating center dedicated to art, history, and the Maori culture before enjoying an afternoon and evening at leisure. With your free time, perhaps you'll consider a ride on the Wellington Cable Car to the suburb of Kelburn for stunning panoramic views of the city.

Board a ferry and sail across Cook Strait. Experience what is considered to be one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world. Arrive in Picton on the South Island and continue along the breathtaking east coast to the largest city on the South Island, Christchurch.

Christchurch, the “Garden City,” is recreating itself after a devastating earthquake in 2011. See firsthand how this city is evolving on a sightseeing tour that highlights the city’s magnificent gardens and elegant park district. Pay a visit to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, a leader in the conservation of New Zealand species. Here, you’ll have the chance to view New Zealand’s “Big 5” – kiwi, kaka, tuatara, kea, and takahe – up close and personal. Learn about the local indigenous culture of the Maori, with a paddle on the Avon River in a traditional canoe or ‘waka’.

Journey through New Zealand’s unspoiled wilderness and arrive in the Mt. Cook region, where permanent ice fields and glaciers blanket the ragged peaks. The Maori word for Mt. Cook is Aoraki, which means “cloud piercer.” This is where famed New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary honed his skills before conquering Everest. You can take a nature walk, enjoy an optional glacier flightseeing tour (weather permitting), or simply meditate on the beauty of the Southern Alps.

Travel to Dunedin, situated on the southeast coast of New Zealand. One of the earliest European settlements on the islands, Dunedin holds proudly to its Scottish heritage and traditions. Visit Baldwin Street – the world’s steepest public road as awarded by the Guinness Book of Records.

Start your morning with a panoramic tour, visiting Larnach Castle the Royal Albatross Centre, the only mainland breeding location in the world for these otherworldly birds. Albatrosses are the focus in many seafaring myths, and their epic wingspan can reach nearly 10 feet. Enjoy a free afternoon before dinner at a local Ale House.

Drive past vineyards, amazing landscapes and the charming towns of Central Otago as you head to Queenstown. Dubbed the “adventure capital of the world,” it’s a mountainside town set against the shores of Lake Wakatipu. In the afternoon, it’s your choice! Go bird watching at the Kiwi Birdlife Park -OR- take a gondola to Bob’s Peak for stunning views of the area.

During a cruise of the beautiful Milford Sound, you will see why this fjord is one of the most visited sites on the South Island. With rock faces that rise nearly 4,000 feet on either side, the scenery will take your breath away. On your return to Queenstown, perhaps you will consider an optional scenic flight, allowing you to see the landscape from an entirely new perspective.

Enjoy a relaxed start to your day or head out to explore. Try an optional tour taking you through the stunning Queenstown countryside showcasing many of the locations where blockbuster movies have been filmed and learn about the gold rush that first brought travelers to the region. This evening, cruise Lake Wakatipu surrounded by Queenstown’s stunning landscape aboard an iconic coal-fired steamship. Then, enjoy a BBQ dinner lakeside followed by a sheepdog demonstration before cruising back.

Your adventure comes to a close today, leaving you with many pleasant memories of a wonderful trip.