Tour Itinerary: Day 1: The Waitakere Ranges Rainforest near the City Locked between the Pacific (Waitemata Harbour) and the Tasman Sea (Manukau Harbour) Auckland has attracted many nationalities and has grown to a busy Pacific metropolis. Your Lodge accommodation lies in the middle of the rainforest, less than half an hour drive from the bustling city centre. Day 2: Coromandel Peninsula 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. Lodge accommodation nestled amongst native bush. Day 3: Coromandel Peninsula You can relax at the lodge or visit the world famous Hot Water Beach at Hahei where boiling water makes its way through the sand and meets the sea. Day 4: Thermal Wonderland There are only three places on this planet where geysers blow clouds of steam and hot water. On route to Rotorua you have the chance of a life time to visit active marine volcano White Island by helicopter. The Lodge is sitting on a peninsula in a park like setting directly at the shores of Lake Rotoiti. Day 5: Thermal Wonderland 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. And we will of course visit the geysers at Whakarewarewa Thermal Resort. Day 6: Abel Tasman National Park and Golden Bay Today we fly from Rotorua via Wellington to Nelson. The very luxurious farm stay is the modern answer to the lavish turn of the century grande New Zealand country estates. Day 7: Abel Tasman National Park and Golden Bay You can take advantage of all the services at the lodge or accompany your guide into the Abel Tasman National Park for a 3 hour walk along the coast. Day 8: Paparoa National Park In the morning we drive to the Westcoast and 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 will stay at a hotel in Punakaiki with views over the Tasman Sea. We can expect a stunning sunset watched from the deck there. After dinner we could explore the ‘Ra Ririkis’, ‘The Little Suns’ as the Maori call the stars, with explanations about the visible constellations in the southern night sky. Day 9: Westland National Park and Glaciers 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 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 visit the glacier mouth. And you have the option to do a heli-hike to comfortably explore this magical world of blue-ice-caverns. Day 10: Otago Region and Queenstown, the St. Moritz of New Zealand After crossing the Haast Pass we will be in the region of Otago. There we visit Cadrona and Arrowtown, an old gold miner village, before reaching a well known golf and wellness resort, where we will stay for the next couple of nights. The resort at the outskirts of Queenstown, has all the amenities you wish for in a perfect setting at Lake Hayes. Day 11: Otago Region and Queenstown, the St. Moritz of New Zealand From here you can do a multitude of optional day-excursions, the probably most stunning being the flight to Milford Sound with a cruise there. Day 12: MacKenzie Highcountry, Mt. Cook and Canterbury On the last day of the tour we are traveling to Christchurch. We pass Mt. Cook and the unbelievable turquoise lakes at Pukaki and Tekapo. Christchurch is the biggest city of the South Island of New Zealand and the "most British" outside England. We stay at a luxurious boutique hotel at the Botanical Gardens. Notes:
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