Essential New Zealand with Airfare

Board your Air New Zealand flight from North America to Auckland, New Zealand.

You will cross the International Dateline on your way to New Zealand.

Welcome to Auckland! Upon arrival to the airport, enjoy a private transfer to your hotel for the next few nights. After checking in, the day is yours to explore and discover!

Accommodation: Adina Apartment Hotel Britomart

Experience the best sights of Auckland City in the morning combined with an afternoon Wilderness Experience - a day of contrasts. Auckland is set on 52 dormant volcanic cones and between two harbours, the sparkling Waitemata and the brooding Manukau. Known as the City of Sails, it's New Zealand's largest and busiest city. The morning tour is a journey of discovery designed to explore the history and sights as well as see how Aucklanders live and play.

A 30 minute drive from downtown Auckland brings you to the Arataki Centre, the gateway to the rain forest, where the sweeping decks give breathtaking panoramic views from the Tasman Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Absorb the local history and admire the traditional Maori carvings that stand guard there. Head further west and experience the power of the wild and rugged west coast. Feel the black sand beneath your feet as you stroll along some of the most awe-inspiring beaches the world has to offer.

With your knowledgeable and experienced guide, your eco-tour continues on to the lush rain forest where you hear native birdsong as you walk the easy bush tracks amongst New Zealand's famous kauri trees and giant tree ferns.

Travel south from Auckland over the Bombay Hills to the rich farmland of the Waikato region. Your journey takes you through undulating green hills signaling that you are approaching The Shire. Your Bush and Beach guide will give you commentary on the way to Hobbiton with insights into the areas you are travelling through, along with some background to the movies.

On arrival at Shire's Rest you embark on your Hobbiton Movie Set tour. This location is the largest "green set" in the world and the only part of the set remaining in New Zealand. You see 44 hobbit holes, the Mill and double arch bridge, and the party tree. At this stunning location, you can take a photo at the gate to Bilbo's house, "Bag End", looking out over the whole set to the hills in the distance. You will also get to walk through a fully themed Hobbit Hole interior.

The tour ends with lunch and visit to the Green Dragon Inn. Enjoy time in the Hobbiton gift shop and the opportunity to spend your souvenir voucher before joining the shuttle and heading to Rotorua to check into your hotel for the next few nights.

Accommodation: Regent of Rotorua

This tour visits Rotorua's most natural and popular geothermal parks:
Wai O Tapu, Waimangu Volcanic Valley, Rainbow Mt and boiling mudfields.

Our local naturalist guide will explain the volcanic processes of Rotorua and New Zealand. Your clients will see volcanoes, geysers, New Zealand's largest boiling mud pool, and hot springs on a scenic drive around volcanic landscapes of farmland, native and exotic forests. The two heritage parks offer a variety of thermal activity; at Wai-o-tapu the amazingly colourful hot springs and moonlike landscapes are the key features along with the famous Lady Know geyser. At Waimangu Volcanic valley the guide will explain the Mt Tarawera eruption, native flora and fauna and the geothermal features which were blown open in 1886. Tour costs include entry to both thermal parks.

In the afternoon visit Rotorua's most popular attractions Te Puia and views of the our beautiful lakes including Tarawera, Okareka and the Blue/Green lake.

Spend an afternoon gaining an appreciation of New Zealand's Maori culture and nature. Learn about Maori customs, traditions, history and protocols, with a guided visit to Te Puia, Rotorua's premier cultural centre. Includes visit to the wood carving school, arts and craft gallery, Rotowhio Marae, weaving, boiling mud pools and NZ's largest geyser Pohutu.
Includes entry to Te Puia. Upon conclusion of your tour you will be transferred back to your accommodation.

This evening, you will engage in an immersive experience blending the best in Maori culture and cuisine. Get the chance to explore concepts, rituals, and stories of ancient Maori warfare and peace. Tu Te Ra is a time of year when the sun expresses its optimal energy. It is when days are longest and when the energy of the light nourishes the natural world. It is a time for harvesting and a time for celebrating. It is also a time for warfare, settling old scores and forging peace.

Your experience is filled with drama, performance and divine seasonal kai (cuisine) shared against a backdrop of blazing bonfires, towering Tawa trees and a natural forest amphitheater. Tonight's menu has been designed by award-winning Maori chefs and includes staple favorites, such as crispy pork, caramelized apple wrapped in kawakawa, paua, pikopiko fronds, smoked eel and charred hangi kumara, which are followed by a four-course hakari (feast).

Served al fresco on warmer nights and indoors on cooler nights, the space is eclectically designed to make you wonder if you have journeyed back to the times of trade and warfare and to make you feel the depth and generosity of hakari.

Enjoy one last wake up in the beauty of Rotorua before heading to the airport. After a quick flight, depart your plane in Queenstown and enjoy a private transfer to your hotel. Settle in with your bags before taking off the explore the city streets for the rest of the day.

Accommodation: Heritage Queenstown

Depart Queenstown and take a luxurious coach ride along the shores of Lake Wakatipu and Lake Te Anau. These tranquil lakes are crystal clear and reflect the surrounding mountains. The driver's compelling commentary will keep you informed and entertained throughout. Enter Fiordland National Park and pass-through Eglington Valley, one of the only road-accessible glacier valleys in New Zealand. Take the opportunity to capture some memorable shots of the Mirror Lakes or the ancient alpine forests as you get closer to Milford Sound.

The glass-roof coach will give you sensational views of the peaks soaring above you while you cross the Main Divide of the Southern Alps. Make a stop at Monkey Creek and drink some of the freshest water in the world before venturing through the Homer Tunnel, a 1.2km tunnel drilled into solid rock. After the Homer Tunnel, then experience The Chasm, a short but impressive walk over footbridges spanning a series of powerful, swirling waterfalls and rapids, before arriving at the fiord. Next, board the most luxurious catamaran in Milford Sound to explore the spectacular fiord. Venture out to the Tasman Sea while cruising past tumbling waterfalls, glacier-scarred rock walls and lush rainforests. Keep an eye out for wildlife species such as seals, penguins and dolphins and get a glimpse of Mitre Peak.

Today is totally free and at leisure. You can take advantage of any optional activities available or simply relax.

Today, transfer from Queenstown to Christchurch while exploring some of New Zealand's most spellbinding landscapes. This small group, fully-guided day trip combines all of the key highlights in the region, including the famous Lake Tekapo, Mt Cook National Park, Lindis Pass, and the Church of the Good Shepard making it the ultimate way to get from Queenstown to Christchurch. Your tour is led by passionate tour guides notorious for bringing the journey to life by sharing their stories and rich background knowledge.

Upon arrival to Christchurch, settle in at the hotel and explore the streets for your last night. 

Accommodation: Crowne Plaza Christchurch

This morning, transfer to the airport to board your flight back to North America.  Of course if you want to stay longer Goway can customize your perfect New Zealand Vacation