From 'TOP TO BOTTOM' includes all the Great Places of the North Island, before you catch a flight to the South Island. The Catlins region with it's abundance of wildlife is regarded as the best place to come close to some rare animals such as Sea lions, Hector Dolphins and the Yellow Eyed Penguin.
TOP TO BOTTOM - 15 DAYS
BOOKING CODE: 'TUI'
DEPARTS: AUCKLAND
DATES:
07 April - 21 April 2012
30 June - 14 July 2012
29 September - 13 October 2012
24 November - 08 December 2012
05 January - 19 January 2013
PRICE: $ 2150
INCLUDED ARE:
-Transport & Fuel
-A professional guide!
- A flight from Auckland to Dunedin
-All accommodation in Hostels or Holiday Parks
-All Breakfasts with cereals and/or toasts with jam, honey and more!
-All Dinners! We make sure you get plenty and good food to eat! You will love it!
-Hot Water Beach
-Cathedral Cove Walk
-Alternative program for those ones not going to “White Island”
-City Sightseeing Rotorua
-Lake District Rotorua
-Secret Hot Pool
-Huka Waterfalls
- Whangarei
- Kawakawa - Hundertwasser house
- Pahia
-Waitangi Treaty grounds
- Kaitaia
- Ahipara beach
- Hokianga Harbour
- Kauri Forest
-Dunedin
-Nugget Point, Catlins
-Sealions Colony - Cannibal Bay
-Porpoise Bay - Dolphin spotting
-Curio Bay - Fossil Forest
-Southland museum, Invercargill
-Milford Sound
-Arrowtown Gold mining town and 'Lord of the Rings locations'
-Sightseeing Queenstown and surroundings.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
We have negotiated 'special deals' with many operators, ask us for further details.
We have a detailed list available for you at the time of booking.
-Surfing - have fun and give it a go!
-White Island Excursions - walk on a volcano!
-Rafting the Kaituna - the highest commercially rafted waterfall is part of this trip!
-Whakarewarewa Thermal village - the one village on the planet build on a Thermal area!
-Wai-O-Tapu, the colorful thermal area with the orange Champage pool - a New Zealand icon.
-Cream Trip through the Hole in the Rock
-Sailing in the Bay of Islands
-Skydiving
-Zorbing
-Jet ski Tour Bay of Islands
-Horse riding Kaitaia
-90 Mile Beach to Cape Reinga trip
-Kiwi House - Queenstown
- Horse riding close to Queenstown
- Jet Boating in the Kawerau gorge. A dramatic gorge to go for a ride.
- Bungy Jumping - you got to do it once in your life!
-Gondola and Luging - great fun and great views from above Queenstown
- Ice Bar - build completely out of ice for a not alcoholic drink
- Milford Sound - the most well known tourist attraction in New Zealand, the dramatic drive
into Fjordland includes lots of waterfalls and cliff faces. Even better by plane!
-Activities in Queenstown - ask us for more information.
ITINERARY:
DAY 1: AUCKLAND TO COROMANDEL
We will pick you up in Auckland and drive to the Coromandel Peninsula.
Hot Water Beach, our next stop en route entices you to dig your own thermal pool into the sand (best at low tide), also to sit back and watch dolphins playing in the surf. This is also a good place to try out surfing! You will have time to walk to the famous Cathedral Caves, these Chalk cliffs lie around a couple of great beaches and it is a great place for a swim!
Overnight: Hahei, Coromandel
DAY 2: ROTORUA
We make our way south and reach the Bay of Plenty with it's many Kiwi Orchards 2 hours later. Not far from Rotorua you have the opportunity to go rafting can do this here, a beautiful river with lots of rapids is waiting for you. Back in Rotorua we will go for a Tour around town to show you the famous Museums building, the lake front and the Rachel Hot Springs.
Overnight: Rotorua
DAY 3: WHITE ISLAND VOLCANO
This day is not to be missed. Destination “White Island”, a volcanic landscape to be reached by boat. On arrival you will be given appropriate safety equipment. There is simply no place which resembles this landscape; the closest might be the Moon! Take your camera and take a spare data card!!
Those ones not wanting to go to White Island will have time to do activities in and around Rotorua or Whakatane.
Overnight: Rotorua
DAY 4: ROTORUA - THERMAL AREA - HOT POOLS - MAORI VILLAGE
We visit the Maori Village of Ohinemutu, where we get a fantastic insight into Maori life and culture. Afterwards you will have time to swim in a warm lake before taking a bath in a thermal river! Then we explore Wai-O- Tapu. This thermal area hosts the colorful ‘Champagne Pool” and has heaps of craters and sinter terraces.
Overnight: Taupo
DAY 5: TAUPO - BAY OF ISLANDS
We allow for an early start - on the way up north we enjoy the views of the rural area south of Auckland, then Auckland itself before we reach the North Shore. We have a few breaks on the way before reaching the coast with magnificent views south of Whangarei Heads.
After a break at the Marina in Whangarei we stop for an exclusive Toilet break in Kawakawa - the toilets were build by the famous Austrian Architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. We reach Pahia in the Bay of Islands an hour later.
Overnight: Pahia, Bay of Islands
Day 6: BAY OF ISLANDS
Time to enjoy a cruise through the Bay, most famous is the Cream Trip - here the boat delivers and picks up milk from the farms on the way to the Hole in the Rock. It is also possible to swim with dolphins. You may also decide to hop of the vessel in Russel and enjoy some hours at the beach.
Overnight: Pahia, Bay of Islands
Day 7: BAY OF ISLANDS
A good and fun thing to do is to go on a Jetski Trip through the Bay. Then there is Waitangi, We show you round the Bay, including the Haururu Falls, the Mangroves and we walk through the Treaty Ground of Waitangi. We drive to the northernmost city in New Zealand, Kaitaia. The southern end of 90 Mile Beach is a fantastic place to go horseriding or surfing.
Overnight: Kaitaia, Northland
Day 8: NINETY MILE BEACH - CAPE REINGA
We leave early in the morning to link up with the bus leaving from Kaitaia to Ninety Mile Beach and to Cape Reinga or we drive with our vehicle to the top of the North Island.. You have the chance to have a lot of fun and enjoy a ride with a toboggan from the top of the dunes.
Overnight: Kaitaia - Ahipara, Northland
Day 9: AHIPARA - HOKIANGA HARBOUR - KAURI FOREST - AUCKLAND
Then it is off to Hokianga Harbour, huge dunes are expecting us across the harbour. We allow time to explore the Kauri Forests, including Tane Mahuta - the giant of the forest - a giant almost 2000 years old. We make our way back to Auckland, where we will be back in the evening. We take a late flight to Dunedin, South Island.
Overnight: Dunedin, South Island
DAY 10: DUNEDIN & ALBATROSS COLONY
We explore the city of Dunedin with it's famous historical buildings before driving onto the peninsula where you have the opportunity to see seals and learn about the Albatrosses in the famous 'Taiarua Head Albatross colony'.
Overnight: Dunedin
DAY 11: DUNEDIN - CATLINS
'Nugget Point' is the famous lookout at the northern end of the Catlins region. Not far from here is a colony of Sea Lions. Another hour later we reach Porpoise and Curio Bay. This is where you can see 'Hector' Dolphins and Penguins. In Curio Bay a fossilized forest invites to be explored.
Overnight: Catlins
DAY 12: CATLINS - MILFORD SOUND
Leaving the 'Catlins' region we reach the city of Invercargill. Here is the 'Southland' museum located, famous for it's deep insight into the life in the Subantarctic region. Further north we reach the last frontier before reaching Fjordland National Park. Mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, valleys, lakes and rivers form this National Park.
Milford Sound is at the very end of the road, the most dramatic cliff faces in the heart of a stunning fjord.
Overnight: Milford Sound
DAY 13: QUEENSTOWN TIME OUT
The early morning cruise is the best time to see Milford Sound.
Afterwards we allow time for a walk to the foreshore, then we can go swimming in a cold but clear river before making our way out of Fjordland. We reach Lake Te Anau - the largest lake in the South Island. Then it is Farmland before reaching the large lake, where Queenstown is located.
We reach the town in the afternoon, time to go shopping or to explore the town build around the lake front.
Overnight: Queenstown
DAY 14: QUEENSTOWN TIME OUT
In the morning we make our way to the Bungy bridge, time for a jump if you like to do it!
Then we allow time for a lunch break in the old Gold mining city ‘Arrowtown’.
In the afternoon you have time to get to know Queenstown, a great place to see the town and the stunning location is from the Top of the Gondola, where you also may try to go for a luge ride.
You also have the options to enjoy some of the Adventure Activities in Queenstown or get to know some remote parts of the country, such as ‘Skipper’s Canyon or go Fun yaking in the Paradise valley; a very well known area thanks to the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the 'Milka cow commercials'.
Overnight: Queenstown
DAY 15: END OF TOUR IN CHRISTCHURCH
Passing the mountain ranges of the Southern Alps with many lakes on the way we make our way back to Christchurch. We arrive at around lunchtime in the biggest city of the South Island.
From here you can make your way back to your destination by plane, bus or train.
Thank you for travelling with Active Planet.
