Contrasts of New Zealand

Christchurch
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New Zealand will set your heart racing, while you take the country’s pulse. From its unexpected city sights – who knew you could construct a church from cardboard? – to its culinary delights, this voyage is as thrilling as it is tasty. And then there are the natural wonders: gem-like glaciers, soaring fiords, snow-dusted mountains, and bubbling geysers among them. On this NZ holiday, drop in on Christchurch, soak your limbs in Rotorua, eat your way around Queenstown and feel the full force of nature at Milford Sound/Piopiotahi. Trips to New Zealand don’t get much better than this. 

Departure dates

From 06/09/2024 to 06/04/2025

What's included

Highlights.
Enjoy morning tea on a Sheep and Cattle Farm in the Hurunuri Hills.
Discover just how strong Māori culture is at Te Pā Tū Māori Experience, celebrating art, tradition and cuisine.
Bring your appetite for nurturing Māori cuisine.
Operation Nest Egg may sound James Bond-esque, but it’s actually a National Kiwi Hatchery project to care for the country’s kiwi population.
South Island countryside never fails to impress, as you’ll discover on your Milford Sound/Piopiotahi Cruise.
Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver Guide 1 UNESCO World Heritage Site – Te Wahipounamu inc.
Fiordland National Park Centrally located premium 4 and 5 hotelsSunglasses, sunscreen and hat Water bottle Warm layers in cooler months Camera Comfortable walking shoesFlights to and from the start/end of your trip are not included in the trip price.
Day 1 – flights to arrive by 4.
00pm into Auckland AirportDay 10 – flights to depart any time from Christchurch Airport Return arrival and departure airport to hotel transfers are included.
Internal-holiday flights Included Please note that prices include land and internal-holiday airfares, which AAT Kings will book in order to fulfil the holiday itinerary:  Day 4 – Auckland to QueenstownLow level of fitness required.
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• Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver Guide • 1 UNESCO World Heritage Site – Te Wahipounamu inc.
Fiordland National Park • Centrally located premium 4 and 5 hotels.
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Itinerary / more information

  • Day 1 New Zealand's largest city is also one of its prettiest, as you'll discover exploring at your leisure. Arrive early to linger in its hip harbourside precincts, where galleries and design-driven stores await. You'll have worked up an appetite by the time you meet your fellow travel companions for a Welcome Reception and dinner at The Grill. Start your Auckland tour on a high, we say.
  • Day 2 If you didn't get your city bearings yesterday, you will on an Auckland tour today. Have your camera poised as you reach Mission Bay, a dreamy waterside suburb where the blues patchwork to the horizon. Click! Then get snap happy once again at Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial, offering epic vistas over Auckland and its harbours. Click, click, click! Want some tips on how to spend your free afternoon in New Zealand's largest city? How about going behind the scenes of the All Blacks, arguably the world's most legendary rugby team?
  • Day 3 You could be forgiven for thinking Rotorua's landscapes are a sci-fi movie set. Mud pops and jettisons from bubbling geysers, and steam rushes skywards from cracks in the Earth. The surrounding forest is a fertile habitat for New Zealand's national bird, being protected and bred at the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa. The cute-as-a-button, cotton-ball kiwi is under threat in the wild; at the hatchery, passionate conservationists reveal how they are saving the population, one incubated egg at a time. Tonight, dive deep into Indigenous culture and traditions at Te P? T? M?ori Experience. Enjoy a forest kai horotai (seasonal canap?s) and chef choice aperitif, followed by a seasonal three-course dinner.
  • Day 4 Leave Auckland behind and journey into the countryside for an exclusive family-style Be My Guest experience in the Red Barn on a working dairy farm. Over your farm to table morning tea prepared by the onsite chef, get a feel for country life as you're invited to roll up your sleeves and make your own butter - butter churners, tiny mason jars and all! The feel-good vibes that endure will follow you all the way to Queenstown, the self-proclaimed adventure capital of New Zealand. It makes perfect sense - there are ski fields, white-water river and bridges strapped with bungy cords wherever you turn. And then there's the dining scene; Queenstown is home to some of the country's most awarded restaurants. Whether you're in the mood for bulging burgers or lakeside tapas, ask us for recommendations on this leg of your Queenstown New Zealand tour.
  • Day 5 Bring your stamina and sense of adventure - things get a little wild today. Nature rules as you skirt Queenstown's gleaming Lake Wakatipu, and traverse the Devil's Staircase to Te Anau, the alpine gateway to UNESCO World Heritage listed Fiordland National Park. Once you've paused to admire the drama at Mirror Lakes, Knobs Flat, Hollyford Valley lookout and Cleddau Valley, you'll begin to understand why Rudyard Kipling called this the 'Eighth Wonder of the World'. You haven't even seen Bowen Falls or Milford Sound/Piopiotahi yet... Onboard your nature cruise, enjoy commentary from your eagle-eyed Naturalist guide, who not only narrates on the immense geological history of the Fjord, but will point out fur seals and dolphins should they choose to come out to play. The cruise includes a delicious picnic lunch.
  • Day 6 Take today's Queenstown New Zealand tour at your own pace. Like things fast and furious? Feel the wind in your hair on a high-octane jet boat ride, perhaps. Prefer to be able to talk (and drink wine) while you cruise? Glide across Lake Wakatipu aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a guided farm tour, including morning or afternoon tea, in a dreamy alpine setting (both own expense). Wherever you wander, be sure to save space for tonight's Highlight Dinner at Postmasters Caf??, a historic Arrowtown cottage replete with picket fence and Instagrammable gardens.
  • Day 7 Whether pinot noir grapes or cherries, things grow well in the fertile Central Otago region of the South Island. Get a taste for the area's plump stone fruit at the stall of a local orchard. Mountain drama is your backdrop en route to Lake Tekapo, with water so turquoise it looks like a Renaissance painting. This part of the country is ravishing and remote; the lack of light pollution means dazzling Southern Hemisphere stargazing at UNESCO World Heritage listed Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. It may be a late night, but tonight's star gazing experience at a purpose-built observation crater with expert astronomy guides is bound to be a highlight. If there was ever a NZ experience that put life in perspective, this is it.
  • Day 8 The Canterbury region of the east coast is a rustic union of grassy plains, mirror-like lakes and snow-capped mountains, the kind of landscape that you might see on postcards. Arrive into the beautiful English city of Christchurch for a guided visit. The city is not only rebuilding itself after the devastating 2010/11 earthquakes, but is changing the way architects think about design. Case in point the mind-bending Transitional Cathedral, made largely of cardboard, and Turanga, the gold-clad central library.
  • Day 9 Travel north through rolling countryside to Hurunui Hills, a hill country farm in North Canterbury. Enjoy warm Kiwi hospitality with the Bamford Family, who have been farming at Hurunui since 1884 with six generations focused on producing premium Merino sheep, wool and Angus cattle. Soak up stunning scenery while enjoying morning tea, meet the farm animals & discover what it is like to live off the land on this unique By My Guest experience. Continue to a local vineyard, Waipara Springs Winery, where it's time to relax and enjoy a platter-style lunch among the vines. A big day leads to a big evening joining your Travel Director and travel mates for a celebratory Farewell Dinner featuring produce from the Canterbury region.
  • Day 10 You've travelled hundreds of kilometres across two islands, likely taken thousands of photos, and made countless memories and new friends. The only thing left to do is plan your next trip to New Zealand.
  • Prices quoted valid for sale until 19 August 2024 unless otherwise stated or sold out prior.
  • Price is per person and subject to availability. Accommodation (if included) is based on twin share unless otherwise stated.
  • Airfare (including internal flights) is not included unless otherwise stated and, if included, is economy class unless otherwise stated.
  • Local payments, "trip kittys" or food funds may apply and may be payable direct to the supplier on arrival or to your travel agent prior to your departure. Where applicable, these payments are included in the total price quoted.
  • Gratuities are not included unless otherwise stated.
  • Additional conditions and travel restrictions may apply. Please enquire for further details.
  • Prices shown are fully inclusive of taxes, levies and government charges current at time of publication.
  • Additional levies, government charges and other applicable fees may apply and are beyond our control.
  • Seasonal surcharges and blackout dates may apply depending on date of travel.
  • Payments made by credit card will incur a surcharge.
  • Prices shown are for payments made by cash in store or Bpay.
  • These prices are a guide to the best price. Prices are correct as at 14 August 2024 and are subject to change without notice, due to matters outside our control, such as adverse currency fluctuations, fuel surcharges, taxes and airfare increases. Please enquire for further details.

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