The unspoiled nature of New Zealand provide the traveler with the energy to revitalize the body and soul. This itinerary covers not only spectacular landscapes of New Zealand. There is time to relax in unique lodgings catering for the needs of body and soul by combining magnificent settings with activities and amenities of health resorts.
Tour Itinerary: Days 1-2: Waitakere. On route from the airport to the dense rain forest north west of Auckland we will show you the prominent features of Auckland, the City of the Sails. Locked between the Pacific and the Tasman Sea Auckland has attracted many nationalities and has grown to a busy Pacific metropolis. We drive an hour to the secluded lodge in the Waitakee Forest where we spend the first two nights to adjust body and soul to the slower and more relaxed pace in New Zealand. Days 3-4: Coromandel. We make our way through busy Auckland and travel south-east along the Hauraki Gulf to Thames. Then we cross the former volcanic Coromandel Ranges to the white beaches of the east coast. In the afternoon we reach the lodge where you can relax or visit the world famous Hot Water Beach at Hahei where boiling water makes it's way through the sand and meets the sea. It is fun digging shallow pools to create you own hot-water-pool – and if it gets too hot, cool off in the surf. Days 5-6: Thermal Wonderland. There are only three places on this planet where geysers blow clouds of steam and hot water. Today our four hour travel brings us to these geysers in the thermal region of New Zealand, where mud pools bubble and where hot steam penetrates the earth's crust through hissing fumaroles. On route to Rotorua you have the chance of a life time to visit active marine volcano White Island by helicopter followed by a scenic jetboat ride on the mighty Motu River. You then would be dropped off directly at the lodge accommodation. Rotorua is the cradle of living Maori culture and we will experience an ancient welcome ceremony, the Porwhiri, in a secluded forest setting where the proud spirit of the Maori culture comes back to life and touches our soul. Days 7-8: Volcanic Centre and Tongariro National Park. Our day gives us time to see more thermal and volcanic activities. Waiotapu is the most colourful thermal area in New Zealand. On route we pass Huka Falls and Lake Taupo, the biggest in the country and famous for the superb trout fishing. We continue along the shores of Lake Taupo with the occasional glimpse onto the highest mountains of the North Island. Our day ends at a lodge on the banks of the pristine Tongariro River. Stay at the lodge and try some fly-fishing with a local fishing guide or join your personal guide for a trip up to Whakapapa to do a walk on Mt. Ruapehu and/or do a scenic flight over the volcanic plateau. Days 9-10. Wellington, New Zealands Capital: Today we will travel through true New Zealand farmland with sheep and cattle dotted on green hills. We pass Wanganui, the city at the river mouth of one of the biggest rivers in New Zealand. We arrive in Wellington in the afternoon. After a city tour with a ride on the cable car to the Upper Botanical Gardens you will have have a day for visiting Te Papa National Museum or enjoy the busy city life and do some shopping. Days 11-12: Marlborough Sounds. We cross to the South Island by ferry. The last third of this 90 km journey we sail through the Queen Charlotte Sound where the waters are very calm. We leave the ferry at Picton and drive to the Kenepuru Sound. Our accommodation for the next two days is a resort on the shore of the sound. The hotel offers all the amenities for cleansing the body with sauna, spa and swimming pool. Your guide will take you on more energetic walks to explore the wilderness of the Marlborough Sounds. Or you enjoy the beaches or watersports. Day 13: Paparoa National Park. In the morning we drive to the Westcoast. We pass Nelson Lake’s and Kahurangi National Park, and descend from the Hope Saddle into the Buller Gorge. From Westport we follow the wild romantic ‘Irish’ coast to the Paparoa National Park and stop in Punakaiki to take in the vista of the world famous Pancake Rocks and the Blowholes. We can expect a stunning sunset watched from the deck of the hotel or while strolling along the adjacent beach. After dinner - if the weather permits - we could watch the ‘Ra Ririkis’, ‘The Little Suns’, as the Maori call the stars, with explanations about the visible constellations in the southern night sky. Day 14: Glacier Country, Westcoast Rainforest. Today we travel to the glacier region. In the morning we will have time to visit a Jade Factory and watch how greenstone is worked into the lovely ornaments that the local Maori have been doing so for hundreds of years. We continue our journey along the West Coast Road. The road passes secluded glacial lakes and mountains covered in mature rainforest until we reach the glaciers. Fox and Franz Josef Glacier are the fastest flowing glaciers in the world and the only ones to reach the rainforest at sea level. We have time to walk to the glacier tongue. And you have the option to do a heli-hike to comfortably explore this magical world of blue-ice-caverns. Days 15-16: Queenstown. The first couple of hours today will take us through dense beech and podocarp forest of the Mt. Aspiring National Park. We will have a few stops for short walks through incredible dense rainforests covered in mosses and mystical lichen. Queenstown’s alpine resort is the gateway to Fiordland National Park. Framed by the mountain panorama lies the picturesque Lake Wakatipu with bustling Queenstown on its eastern bend. In this town you can take your courage to the edge and have one adrenaline rush after the other: bungy jumping, paragliding, jet-boating etc. Or soak in the tranquillity of the mountains; take a walk along the water edge of the lake. Your escort will take you on a historic tour of discovery through the region and visit the picturesque Arrowtown. Optional are flight cruise excursions into the famous Milford Sound. Day 17: Christchurch. On the last day of our tour we drive to Christchurch. We start very early and the drive will take us through more breathtaking scenery: past the most turquoise glacial lakes framed by snow capped mountains and New Zealand’s Marino sheep country to the metropolis of Christchurch. The 'Garden City' is said to be the most English city outside of England. In the biggest town of the South Island you can slowly get used to the more active lifestyle of mordern life. We stay in a quiet hotel in walking distance to the city . Notes:
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