New Zealand Uncovered

17 days
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4.7/5 Excellent
100+ reviews  
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Cancellation Policy
Small Group Tour
From north to south, east to west, New Zealand is a country of contrasts. And that’s why we love it. One minute you’re drifting through World Heritage-listed gorges on a Milford Sound/Piopiotahi tour, then next you’re scaling ice on a Franz Josef Glacier/Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere tour. Sometimes there’s a Maori-inspired feast on the menu; at others there’s a...
26%
$9,380
From$6,948
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Overview

Trip type
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

What's this trip about?

    From north to south, east to west, New Zealand is a country of contrasts. And that’s why we love it. One minute you’re drifting through World Heritage-listed gorges on a Milford Sound/Piopiotahi tour, then next you’re scaling ice on a Franz Josef Glacier/Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere tour. Sometimes there’s a Maori-inspired feast on the menu; at others there’s award-winning wine. Spanning 17 days, two islands and countless attractions – both city and country – this trip to New Zealand is one for the record books.

Details

Itinerary focusClassic Highlights
Group sizeGroup - max of 40 people
Age range6 years and up
Flights and transportN/A
Start CityAuckland
End CityChristchurch (Nz)

Travel Themes

  • 50 plus
  • Cultural

Destinations

  • New Zealand

Activities

  • Culture

Trip includes

    • • Specialist team of two highly experienced Travel Director and Driver Guide • Centrally located premium 4 and 4.5 hotels • National Park entrance fees • Arrival and departure private airport transfers

Itinerary

Travel Map

Day 1: Welcome to Auckland

Auckland is the kind of place you could lose yourself in for a couple of weeks. Arrive at your leisure and explore new waterfront precincts, or just ready yourself to meet fellow travellers at dinner.

Horizon by SkyCity Auckland

Day 2: Auckland

A little bit of leisure, a little bit of culture – today is one of those days. Peek behind the scenes of racing history on the New Zealand Maritime Museum’s America’s Cup Tour. Your Travel Director then takes you around the city, pausing at Bastion Point for epic photo opportunities.

Horizon by SkyCity Auckland

Day 3: Auckland - Rotorua

Leave Auckland behind and journey into the countryside for an exclusive family-style Be My Guest lunch in the Red Barn on a working dairy farm. Expect country banter and farm-to-table fare prepared with a lot of love. The next hot spot – in every sense of the word – o...

Day 4: Rotorua Free Time

Today, choose your own adventure. We have plenty of ideas for the paths you might follow. Tonight, dive deep into Maori culture at Te Pā Tū Māori Experience, an important hub keeping tradition, art and music alive. Oh, and nurturing Māori cuisine. Enjoy a forest kai h...

Day 5: Rotorua - Wellington

Say goodbye to Rotorua and hello to the raging rapids of Huka Falls, where 220,000 litres of water barrel over this massive waterfall every second. Your outlook then unfolds into the dreamy landscape of Lake Taupo. Traverse the volcanic Central Plateau to NZ’s cool little capital of Wellington.

Rydges Wellington

Day 6: Wellington

Begin your day in Wellington with coffee at one of its uber-cool cafés. Take a city tour to discover highlights like its iconic cable car, parliament and Mt. Victoria.  This afternoon is all yours. You could visit Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand, perhaps the wine r...

Day 7: Wellington - Kaikoura

This morning cruise the Cook Strait into tranquil Queen Charlotte Sound and continue to Kaikoura, a marine life haven. On arrival be treated to a biodiversity talk from Sabrina Leucht, founder of Kaikōura Wildlife Centre Trust, and learn about the work the trust is do...

Day 8: Kaikoura - Christchurch

Enjoy a relaxed start this morning or sign up for one of several local wildlife experiences available. Sign up for a scenic flight for a bird's-eye view, get up close to dolphins by boat or kayak, or sample tasty crayfish at waterside fish-and-chip shops. Follow the c...

Day 9: Christchurch - Twizel

From its cardboard-crafted Transitional Cathedral to its gold-clad central library, Christchurch has well and truly rebuilt itself since the 2010/11 earthquakes. But South Island locals still cherish a simple life, as you’ll discover over a Be My Guest afternoon tea w...

Day 10: Twizel - Dunedin

Oamaru has a rich history and proud heritage, enriched by passionate and perhaps quirky locals. Explore the shops, galleries and traditional crafts within some of the Southern Hemisphere's most complete Victorian streetscapes, before landing in Dunedin.

Scenic Hotel Southern Cross

Day 11: Dunedin - Te Anau

From sheep farms to rugged mountains, today is one of contrasts. Venture into Fiordland National Park toward the South Island’s largest lake and the lakeside town of Te Anau. You'll experience the thrill of jet boating on scenic Lake Manapouri, home to Pomona Island, ...

Day 12: Te Anau - Queenstown

Your journey towards Milford Sound/Piopiotahi traverses native rainforest, alluvial flats and meadows, with mirrored lakes, thundering waterfalls, dramatic rocky ranges and millennia-old valleys. Your Milford Sound/Piopiotahi tour, cruising through this wild expanse, ...

Day 13: Queenstown Free Time

Adrenaline-junkies may wish to get some perspective on a tour of the gorges of Skippers Canyon. Gourmand at heart? Perhaps a Central Otago wine tour? Your day ends on a dreamy TSS Earnslaw cruise across Lake Wakatipu, landing at Walter Peak High Country Farm for a gourmet barbecue Highlight Dinner at the Colonel’s Homestead.

Millennium Hotel, Queenstown

Day 14: Queenstown - Franz Josef

From Arrowtown’s tree-lined avenues to Central Otago’s gleaming lakes, nature rules. Alpine scenery tiers into rainforest along the West Coast, where Thunder Creek Falls and the glacier-studded Mt. Hooker steal the scene. Welcome to the town of Franz Josef, home to Fr...

Day 15: Franz Josef Glacier - Punakaiki

Explore the small but lively Franz Josef/Waiau village before venturing to Hokitika, home of New Zealand's native jade greenstone. Then steel yourself for the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes of Punakaiki, a sliver of South Island geology that is as humbling as it is awe-inspiring. After a spectacular day, spend the night at an eco-friendly, waterfront resort.

Scenic Hotel Punakaiki

Day 16: Punakaiki - Christchurch

Beer for breakfast? We’ve got you sorted on a morning tour of legendary Monteith’s Brewery, which is followed by lunch. The best is yet to come – all aboard for the scenic TranzAlpine train back to Christchurch, through tunnels and over viaducts, with panoramic views of snow-capped peaks, icy rivers, beech forests, gorges and river valleys.

Distinction Christchurch Hotel

Day 17: Farewell from Christchurch

How many travel highs can you pack into a holiday? This itinerary has certainly pushed the boundaries. Now all you have to do is go home and sort through all those photos.

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Dates & Availability

Price From $6,948
Price per day$409
Last Updated: 9/1/2024
Departure Date
Finish Date
Double Room (Shared)
Single Room
Availability
15 Oct 2024
31 Oct 2024
$0
22 Oct 2024
07 Nov 2024
$0
29 Oct 2024
14 Nov 2024
$7,720
$9,795
05 Nov 2024
21 Nov 2024
$0
12 Nov 2024
28 Nov 2024
$7,720
$9,795
19 Nov 2024
05 Dec 2024
$0
26 Nov 2024
12 Dec 2024
$7,720
$9,795
03 Dec 2024
19 Dec 2024
$6,948
$8,816
10 Dec 2024
26 Dec 2024
$7,720
$9,795
17 Dec 2024
02 Jan 2025
$0

Check current availability, prices, specials & more.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

AAT Kings Reviews & Ratings

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Sep 2024

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Tassies Parks and Nature

Tour guide and the bus driver were wonderful ✨️ and the accommodation was good als

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Tour Operator

AAT Kings

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A century ago, the Australian outback was but a twinkle in most travelers’ eyes. But thanks to visionaries like the Pyke family and Bill King, the way we explore the Land Down Under was about to change in unimaginable ways. Over the coming decades, maps were unfolded, desert cruisers and coaches were customized, and guides were trained. From humble beginnings, the company now known as AAT Kings was going places few had gone before, pioneering new paths across Australia and New Zealand and taking intrepid travelers on a wild and wonderful ride. We’ve come a long way and clocked a few kilometers in the process. But some things will never change. Like our spirit for adventure. Our oh-so-knowledgeable Travel Directors. The local characters we meet (and will never forget) along the way. The epic, goosebump-inducing stories we’re told by First Nations guides. The life-changing experiences on offer – the kind that only 100 years of exploring affords. We’ve never been more passionate about our next discovery. Join us and fall in love with Australia and New Zealand all over again. #aatkings


Why we love this operator
AAT Kings is renowned for its quality service, knowledgeable guides, and extensive network of destinations.
What they’re known for
AAT Kings is known for being one of Australia and New Zealand's leading tour operators, specializing in guided tours.

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Logistics

Accommodation

Horizon by SkyCity Auckland Millennium Hotel Rotorua Rydges Wellington Sudima Kaikoura Distinction Christchurch Hotel Distinction Mackenzie Country Hotel Twizel Scenic Hotel Southern Cross Distinction Te Anau Hotel and Villas Millennium Hotel, Queenstown Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier Scenic Hotel Punakaiki,
Cancellation policy

Cancellation by the Traveller
Travel arrangements for any member of the party may be cancelled at any time by written notice by the person who made the booking.

If notice of cancellation is received by the Provider before final payment is due (see The Table), the deposit will be retained. If cancellation is made after final payment is due cancellation fees will apply (see The Table). These cancellation fees represent the costs incurred less any expected recoveries. Please also refer to Air cancellation Section where applicable.Notice of cancellation must be made in writing directly to the Provider or through your Travel Agent. Please also refer to the Provider's Gold Seal Additional Protection.

If a person in a party cancels and there is a room change caused by this cancellation (such as a twin share to Single, or Triple to twin share), charges for the new room type will be the responsibility of the remaining party. The charges detailed in the Summary Terms table (which includes GST), representing costs incurred by the Provider in cancelling your travel arrangements, will apply when notice of cancellation for your trip is given after the booking is confirmed. Please also refer to the Provider's Gold Seal Additional Protection.

If a guest fails to join the trip on the day of departure, cancellation fees will be 100% (unless the guest notifies us of the delay and joins the trip later at their own expense).

Cancellation fees as per The Table apply to additional accommodation and/or chargeable transfers prior to and after the trip, itinerary extensions or cruise reserved through the Provider.

Cancellation fees and charges will include any amounts that we have paid or have contractually committed to pay to third parties to deliver your travel arrangements which we cannot reasonably recover (for example payments made or due to airlines and hotels). Any payments we have made to third parties will only be refunded to you once we have deducted the above cancellation fees and charges and once we have actually recovered the amounts from the third parties.

All cancellation fees as per The Table are additional to any cancellation fees or other charges that may be levied by your Travel Agent.

Gold Seal Protection premiums are non-refundable.

If the reason for your cancellation is covered under your insurance, you may be able to reclaim these charges from your insurer. You are responsible for making the claim to your insurer. We will provide you with documentation to support your claim.

Cancellation by the Provider
The Provider reserves the right, to modify or cancel any trip, accommodation, in-destination activity or arrangement, definite or not, at any time.

Cancellation due to Failure to Pay

If full payment is not received by the due date (see The Table), The Provider has the right to cancel your reservation and no refund will be made. The Provider will not be responsible for lost reservations.

Cancellation due to Force Majeure Events

If The Provider cancels a trip as a result of a Force Majeure Event, a future travel credit (FTC) to the value of funds paid to date, less any unrecoverable third-party costs incurred, will be provided. All FTCs will be valid for 24 months from date of issue.

Where a trip is terminated mid-trip due to a Force Majeure event, if we provide you with any alternative services or assistance (such as hotels or travel) then you agree to pay for these costs.

Cancellation due to Events other than Force Majeure Events

If the cancellation by the Provider is not as a result of a Force Majeure Event, the Provider will provide an alternative comparable trip (if available). If an alternative is not available, then a refund will be made. The Provider is not liable for any cancellation or change cost or penalties incurred on other travel arrangements, including air travel, that may be affected thereby.

The Provider is not responsible for other travel arrangements that you or your party have made outside the Provider and which are affected by our cancellations.

For more additional details, see the booking conditions of TruTravels at the following web address: https://www.aatkings.com/about-us/booking-conditions-published-5-august-2024/

Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance alongside your travel package to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances such as medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other contingencies. It offers you peace of mind and ensures you are prepared for unexpected events that may occur before or during your journey
Visa requirements
Visa requirements vary depending on your country of origin and your country of destination. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the relevant requirements. For a handy tool that can help you quickly find the requirements, please visit this link .
Age Requirements
6 years and up
Additional Information
Trip ID
aatkin-ZAACF25

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