Spirit of New Zealand

AN EXCLUSIVE 25 DAY FULLY ESCORTED SMALL GROUP TOUR - PRICES START FROM £4,995

There is more to a country than people, or history or landscape, or wildlife – no matter how friendly, dramatic, spectacular or rare. There is the spirit of a land: its essence. You can’t capture it or quite describe it. You can only experience it. And so you do when you take this unique tour of New Zealand to meet its people and discover its secrets.

On this tour you discover the many contrasting sides of New Zealand. You meet Maori elders and experience their culture, go wine tasting, cruising, wander down deserted beaches and through unspoilt bush. You see the very different cities, there are magnificent meals in wonderful settings, seals and whales to be spotted, gushing geysers and thermal springs. There’s a majestic fiord to sail, high mountains, an old Gold Rush town looking just as it did and unparalleled beauty and wildlife of every kind at every turn. And before all that, a stay in Hong Kong.

Tour highlights

• Sightseeing tours of Hong Kong, Christchurch & Dunedin

• Overnight stay in Mount Cook National Park

• Overnight cruise onboard Fiordland Navigator, Doubtful Sound

• Day trip to Stewart Island, including a visit to Ulva Island

• Wildlife along the Catlins coastline and the Otago Peninsula

• Journey on the Taieri Gorge Railway

• Wine tasting in the Wairarapa Valley

• Meeting Maori Elders at Wairakei Terraces

• Visit to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Reserve

• Dinner in the Orbit Restaurant, Sky Tower, Auckland

• Overnight cruise onboard Ipipiri, Bay of Islands

• Meeting with Maori chief Hone Mihaka

Pre-bookable holiday excursions from £63 per person

Whale Watch Kaikoura

Spot Sperm Whales with a host of whale and dolphin species, seals and albatross. 95% success rate - an 80% refund if your tour does not see a whale. Catamarans with outside decks give great viewing and photo opportunities. Spacious air-conditioned interiors, too.

Prices from £125 per person

Wine Lover’s Lunch

Departing from Queenstown head for the Gibbston Valley where you visit either Waitiri Creek Wines, Chard Farm or Peregrine Wines. Spend time in the vineyard unravelling the mystery of grape growing with a close up look at the vines before tasting some fine examples of the local product. Then head for Gibbston Valley Wines and a visit to the largest Wine Caves in New Zealand and some underground wine tasting followed by a stunning Harvest Platter lunch.

Prices from £63 per person

Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise

Depart for the charming historic French township of Akaroa, just 90 minutes from Christchurch. Join your Nature cruise and sail into the sweeping scenic splendour of Akaroa Harbour. See the playful, rare New Zealand Hector's dolphins, fur seals, penguins and many other kinds of sea birds. Visit the startling volcanic formation of Cathedral Cave, and see everything from relics of the area’s Maori and colonial past to a modern working salmon farm of today.

Prices from £63 per person

Milford Overflight 

What better way to see Milford Sound, the Tasman Sea, Bowen Falls and Mitre Peak than to fly over them? You get unparalleled views of the highest peaks, mighty glaciers, the famous Sutherland Falls and the green Fiordland National Park rainforest.

Prices from £133 per person

Extend your holiday 5 nights from £675 per person

Mamanuca Islands, Fiji

1 night - Sky City Grand Auckland

4 nights - Castaway Island Resort

• Return catamaran transfers

• Island Bure accommodation with breakfast, lunch and dinner daily

Castaway is the heart and soul of the Fiji Islands. Covered with lush tropical vegetation and surrounded by white sand beaches and vibrant coral reefs, could you imagine a better place to relax and unwind? The spacious yet secluded bures and creative island cuisine along with the warmth and genuine hospitality of the Castaway family of staff combine to provide a unique holiday experience.

Prices from £965 per person

Los Angeles

3 nights - Beverly Hilton

• Return transfers

• Private Half-day City Tour including Hollywood and Beverly Hills

• Deluxe Balcony Room accommodation with breakfast

People use that word “iconic” too much. But the Beverley Hilton has earned it. You don’t get any more “Hollywood” than this. It’s the red carpet hotel, three blocks from Rodeo Drive. Every president from Kennedy to Clinton stayed there. Now it’s your turn – and you get a guided tour in a private sedan.

Prices from £1,095 per person

Coral Coast, Fiji

1 night - Sky City Grand Auckland

4 nights - Castaway Island Resort

• Return island transfers

• Deluxe Ocean view accommodation with breakfast daily

Set in an enchanting 40-acre garden on the Coral Coast of the island of Viti Levu, The Outrigger on the Lagoon is a South Pacific dream! With the signature Talai Service, where a butler is available to unpack and press your clothing, make restaurant reservations and generally pamper you, you’re free to make the most of the tropical swimming pool, golf training facility or watch the traditional Fijian fire walking ceremony – heaven!

Prices from £675 per person

Day 1 Departure from London Heathrow

Your adventure starts at Heathrow. Here you meet your Tour Manager and companions whilst enjoying complimentary drinks and snacks in the Executive Lounge before your scheduled Air New Zealand flight to Hong Kong.

Meals: Inflight

Day 2 Arrival into Hong Kong

You arrive into Hong Kong mid afternoon. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Meals: Inflight

Hotel: InterContinental Grand Stanford

Day 3 Hong Kong

There’s a welcome get together before a spectacular funicular ride to Victoria Peak, and a sensational vista of skyscrapers, Victoria Harbour, and South China Sea’s islands. Then take a sampan boat ride around Aberdeen Harbour to see the unique boat people who live afloat all their lives. Afterwards, lively Stanley Market – a bargain hunter’s heaven.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: InterContinental Grand Stanford

Day 4 Hong Kong to Christchurch

Stroll around today- it’s a peoplewatcher’s and gourmet’s heaven - before you fly to New Zealand.

Meals: Breakfast, Inflight

Day 5 Arrival into Christchurch

You arrive in Christchurch – the Garden City – via Auckland. Christchurch with the river Avon running through, is rather like the England of your memories. Fancy a ride in one of the restored antique trams? There’s a stop outside your hotel.

Meals: Inflight

Hotel: Millennium Christchurch

Day 6 Christchurch

This morning there’s a tour of this quaint city. The afternoon is then at leisure for you to explore. Go up Mount Cavendish by cable car – there’s a wonderful view. You could punt on the river or visit Kaikoura to see whales and dolphins.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Millennium

Day 7 Christchurch to Mount Cook

Now it’s South through the great Canterbury Plains to the Fairlie district for a farm tour before lunch. Then it’s on to the alpine glories of Mount Cook National Park - and New Zealand's highest mountain.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hotel: Hermitage

Day 8 Mount Cook to Queenstown

This morning you travel over dramatic Lindis Pass to see Arrowtown’s picturesque tree lined streets and miners’ cottages – exactly as they were in the 19th century gold rush, before arriving at Queenstown on Lake Wakatipu.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Millennium

Day 9 Queenstown

You have a free day - with so much choice. Try panning for gold, take a jet boat ride on the famous Shotover River or maybe take the Skyline Gondola for breathtaking views of Coronet Peak, The Remarkables mountain range and across Lake Wakatipu to Cecil and Walter Peaks.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Millennium

Day 10 Queenstown to Doubtful Sound

Now comes a real highlight – Doubtful Sound, second largest of the 14 fiords in Fiordland National Park. You cruise across Lake Manapour before going over Wilmot Pass to board the Fiordland Navigator at Deep Cove for your overnight cruise. Doubtful Sound is home to bottlenose dolphins and fur seals, and you may even glimpse the rare Fiordland Crested Penguin. After anchoring for the night you can kayak around the shoreline, explore in the tender craft with a guide or simply relax on deck.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Vessel: Fiordland Navigator

Day 11 Doubtful Sound to Invercargill

Today you continue south to New Zealand’s southernmost city, Invercargill, with its wealth of Edwardian, Victorian and Art Deco buildings

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Ascot Park

Day 12 Stewart Island

Did you know New Zealand had three islands? Today you take the catamaran from Bluff (superb oysters) to Stewart Island. Here you glimpse what New Zealand might have been like if settlers had never landed. Sweeping bays and beaches, forested hills, many native birds – absolutely glorious. There’s an afternoon cruise to Ulva Island wildlife sanctuary where many rare and endangered species live before you return to Invercargill.

Meals: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch

Hotel: Ascot Park

Day 13 Invercargill to Dunedin

A splendid scenic drive to Dunedin, passing over the wild Catlins where the South Pacific bites into the land. A region of abundant wildlife and rugged, dramatic coastlines – making for a spectacular journey.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Southern Cross

Day 14 Dunedin

You start with a tour of Dunedin, a city built from the riches of the gold rush. Then out to the Otago Peninsula and a wildlife cruise with the chance to see albatross, penguins and maybe even whales. Afterwards, a trip on New Zealand’s most scenic train ride - the Taieri River Gorge - across wrought iron viaducts and through tunnels carved by hand over a century ago.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Southern Cross

Day 15 Dunedin to Wellington

A short flight takes you to Wellington and its mountain- ringed harbour – often rated one of the most spectacular in the world. It's a city waiting to be explored and that’s just what we do – a high point is the Te Papa National Museum.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Copthorne Oriental Bay

Day 16 Wellington to Masterton, Wairarapa Valley

You really mustn’t leave New Zealand without seeing one of the many wine regions. An hour’s drive from Wellington is Wairarapa Valley - one of the very best. This afternoon visit two local vineyards for wine tasting before continuing to Masterton.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Hotel: Copthorne Hotel Solway Park

Day 17 Masterton to Wairakei

You now travel the Desert Road through the Tongariro National Park, and its three snow-capped active volcanoes towering above you. One, Mt. Ruapehu which last erupted in only 1996, is a paradise for hikers in summer and for skiers in winter. Then via the shores of Lake Taupo, New Zealand’s largest, into the Wairakei Thermal Valley.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Wairakei Resort

Day 18 Wairakei Resort

Today as you visit a traditional Maori Village at Wairakei Terraces. Meet an Elder of the Ngati Tuwhateroa Maori Tribe and discover Maori culture first hand, learn how to prepare a traditional Hangi and enjoy a traditional Hangi lunch. Your afternoon is at leisure to relax.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Hotel: Wairakei Resort

Day 19 Wairakei to Auckland

It’s another amazing day as you visit the gateway to New Zealand’s most colourful volcanic environment, Wai- O-Tapu. There has been volcanic activity here for some 160,000 years. You see the world famous champagne pool, geysers, bubbling mud, steaming ground, huge volcanic craters and terrace formations. This evening enjoy dinner high above the city in the spectacular revolving Orbit Restaurant of the Sky Tower -New Zealand’s tallest man-made structure.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Sky City Grand

Day 20 Auckland

Spend the day relaxing or exploring the beautiful "City of Sails".

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Sky City Grand

Day 21 Auckland to Bay of Islands

You drive via Whangarei to the Bay of Islands where there’s an abundance of dolphins, whales, seals and penguins. Then comes a magical overnight cruise on the Catamaran Ipipiri.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Vessel: Ipipiri

Day 22 Bay of Islands to Karikari Peninsula

You disembark this morning and take a short transfer to Waitangi where another unique opportunity is waiting. Meet Hone Mihaka, chief of the Ngaphi tribe who escorts you in his Waka (Maori canoe) along the Waitangi River. Learn Maori chants and songs to the rhythm of the oars, hear ancient stories of the Maori. Then it’s on to one last wonderful experience: the Karikari Peninsula.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Carrington Resort

Day 23 Karikari Peninsula

The Karikari Peninsula is famed for its miles of white sand beaches and secluded coves. Spend a day relaxing before your Farewell meal at your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: Carrington Resort

Day 24 Karikari Peninsula

Another day to relax (why not visit the Carrington winery?) before you fly to Auckland, then the UK via Los Angeles.

Meals: Breakfast, Inflight

Day 25 Arrival into London Heathrow

You arrive at London Heathrow with new friends and splendid memories to take home with you.

Meals: Inflight

Destination introduction

New Zealand offers you more kinds of heaven than anywhere on earth. There’s the north’s sub-tropical Bay of Islands and the south’s magnificent Fjordland, with in-between, Rotorua’s geysers, Queenstown’s lake and mountains and majestic Milford Sound. All this, and when it comes to food and wine, a gourmet’s dream.

Did you know? Currently New Zealand generates about 10% of its electricity geothermally from volcanic heat.