Best of New Zealand
Best of New Zealand
Best of New Zealand
14 Days Starting in Christchurch, New Zealand and ending in Auckland, New Zealand
Visiting: Christchurch, Franz Josef, Queenstown, Te Anau, Dunedin, Picton, Wellington, Rotorua, Auckland
Tour operator:
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
1 - 35
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Interests:
Activities:
Tour Overview
Embark on the "Best of New Zealand" tour and experience the ultimate adventure across this stunning country. Begin your journey in Christchurch, marveling at the breathtaking views of the Southern Alps and Mount Cook. Travel in style on the TranzAlpine train, explore the Franz Josef Glacier, and bask in the beauty of Queenstown, the Adventure Capital of New Zealand. Discover the enchanting Milford Sound, delve into Maori culture in Rotorua, and be mesmerized by the glowworm-illuminated Waitomo Caves. Conclude your adventure in Auckland, enjoying superior accommodations, guided tours, and delicious local cuisine throughout your 13-night stay.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1: Christchurch (Arrival) (-/-/-)
Location: Christchurch
Accommodation Name: hotel
Welcome to New Zealand! Upon arrival in Christchurch, you will be transferred to your hotel for check-in. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure or book an optional tour.
Overnight in Christchurch
Day 2: Christchurch – Franz Josef/Waiau (B/-/D)
Location: Franz Josef
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
After breakfast, get on the TranzAlpine train when the journey is just as important as the destination. As you begin your trip of New Zealand's South Island, you will travel through tunnels and across viaducts with panoramic vistas of snow-capped mountains, icy rivers, beech forests, gorges, and river valleys. When you arrive in Hokitika, you have a pounamu perspective (native greenstone or jade). Flutter your eyelids at the person you love instead of purchasing this special stone for yourself, according to Maori culture. Franz Josef Glacier/Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere, a snow and ice mass that sparkles like a pearl, is just around the corner. Get a bird's-eye view of this natural beauty by taking a Franz Josef Glacier/Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere flight tour, which is optional. If the weather cooperates, you might even be able to land there. That's cool now.
Overnight in Franz Josef
Day 3: Franz Josef/Waiau – Queenstown (B/-/-)
Location: Queenstown
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. After that, wait till you reach the Haast Pass today to see how spectacular the panorama is compared to yesterday. Over the saddle, the Southern Lakes' alpine scenery unfolds before you in a patchwork of blues and greens. First up is the picturesque Lake Wanaka, which has a willow and poplar-lined shoreline that is perfect for Instagram. After that, you'll stop at Lake Dunstan and Lake Hawea, both of which have the colour of an Ice Mint, to refuel with flavor-packed stone fruits. The Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu are in Queenstown, notwithstanding how alluring it would be to linger in the streets of movie-set-like Arrowtown.
Overnight in Queenstown
Day 4: Queenstown (B/-/D)
Location: Queenstown
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Breakfast at hotel. Choose your own adventure from the many available now. On the speedy Shotover Jet, you might feel the wind in your hair. Or visit a wildlife centre to see some of New Zealand's avian companions. Wine enthusiast? As you stroll around the nearby vineyards, sip wine. Wherever you go, be sure to come back in time to take the historic TSS Earnslaw across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a fine BBQ meal and some late-night dancing.
Overnight in Queenstown
Day 5: Queenstown – Te Anau (B/-/D)
Location: Te Anau
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
After breakfast, you will experience the entrance to Milford Sound/Piopiotahi, a vast wonderland where waterfalls thunder from ancient escarpments into inky sea where dolphins play, is through the Cleddau Valley, which you travel through on your way from the Mirror Lakes. They'll probably be seen throughout your Milford Sound/Piopiotahi cruise. The entire region is carved up by the gin-clear rivers, meadows, and beech forests of the World Heritage-listed Fiordland National Park. All the way to Te Anau, this will be your backdrop. Glow worm-filled grottoes appear just when you think the situation can't possibly get any more fantastic. We heartily urge you to go.
Overnight in Te Anau
Day 6: Te Anau - Dunedin (B/-/-)
Location: Dunedin
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Breakfast at hotel. On the banks of the South Islands biggest lake, Te Anau turns on the sunrise charms. Enjoy a morning stroll before swapping the forested slopes of Fiordland for the rolling green hills of the Edinburgh of the South. Welcome to Dunedin, a beguiling union of both Māori and Scottish heritage (it was colonised by Scots in the 19th century). While away the afternoon in atmospheric art-lined alleys or sipping a lager or two in Speights Brewery (a national institution). Or venture further afield to discover the wildlife that thrives in this pretty pocket of the country
Overnight in Dunedin
Day 7: Dunedin – Omarama (B/-/D)
Location: Dunedin
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Enjoy breakfast before heading out to explore grand Larnach Castle at your leisure – this is, after all, the only one of its kind in the country – then wander the manicured grounds of Otago University or the citys main George Street for an additional reminder of the citys ties to Europe. If youve ever wanted to see New Zealands oldest public gardens, today youre in luck with a visit to Oamaru, known for its stately tree-lined streets and limestone buildings.
Overnight in Omarama
Day 8: Omarama – Christchurch (B/-/D)
Location: Christchurch
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Breakfast at hotel. Your outlook this morning is the Canterbury Plains: the turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo, hemmed by snow-capped mountains and atmospheric towns. If it seems familiar, thats because it regularly stars on postcards. Take it in on an optional scenic flight for added perspective of the Southern Alps and on to Franz Josef Glacier/Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere. Back on the ground, its time to become reacquainted on a Christchurch tour, your in-the-know guide pointing out the citys miraculous transformation over the last decade. Local spirit is strong here.
Overnight in Christchurch
Day 9: Christchurch – Picton (B/-/D)
Location: Picton
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
After breakfast, start a great day! Forget powdery white sand – once youve seen the dramatic black Kaikoura cove, youll be spoilt for all future beach-bashing. Bonus points if you spot a sea lion or sperm whale frolicking offshore; a sighting is practically guaranteed if you opt for an aerial tour over the coastline. Your onward route skirts the pink-tinged crystallisation ponds of the Lake Grassmere Salt Works, before arriving in the pretty seaside fishing village of Picton.
Overnight in Picton
Day 10: Picton – Wellington (B/-/-)
Location: Wellington
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
After breakfast you will cruise through Queen Charlotte Sound, up the Tory Channel and across Cook Strait is a journey as scenic as it is serene. Todays chariot, the Interislander, transports you from the South Island to the North, navigating a maze of arms and inlets into New Zealands cool little capital of Wellington. We hope you got some rest on your journey, because youll need all your stamina to explore the award-winning (and eye-opening) Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand on a Wellington tour. Ask your Travel Director for tips on where to sip wine and coffee tonight – this city is known for its uber-cool cafes, restaurants and bars.
Overnight in Wellington
Day 11: Wellington – Rotorua (B/-/D)
Location: Rotorua
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Follow the lead of locals along the Kapiti Coast, the summer playground of Wellingtonians. The road ahead unfolds in a broad panorama of Lake Taupo, the largest (and perhaps bluest) of its kind in the country. Its a landscape almost as otherworldly as Rotorua, where mud pops and jettisons from bubbling geysers, and steam rushes skywards from cracks in the Earth. Tonight, delve deep into Maori culture and traditions at Te Puia. Your dinner, a hangi cooked underground, is served while you overlook the spectacular geothermal valley. The highlight is a Maori cultural performance in the beautifully carved meeting house, Te Aronui a Rua.
Overnight in Rotorua
Day 12: Rotorua (B/-/-)
Location: Rotorua
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Enjoy breakfast at hotel and spend the day at leisure to explore Rotorua on your own pace or pre-book an optional tour.
Overnight in Rotorua
Day 13: Rotorua – Auckland (B/-/D)
Location: Auckland
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Before you reach your destination for the day, enjoy breakfast at the hotel. After that, get set to glow on a tour through the Waikato Rivers Waitomo Caves. This place is radiant - quite literally. While cruising cavernous limestone waterways, your route is cast in a magical light by thousands of glowworms. Auckland, New Zealands largest city, appears on the horizon, dazzling with not one, but two harbours. And plenty of yachts to decorate both, as youll see from the lookout at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Overnight in Auckland
Day 14: Auckland Departure (B/-/-)
Location: Auckland
Accommodation Name: hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
In the morning you will have breakfast and check out of your hotel. If needed, you will be able to store your luggage in the hotel and explore the town before you are transferred to the Auckland International Airport to prepare for your onward flight home.
What's Included
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Accommodation
13 nights accommodation on a twin sharing basis at superior hotels or similar.
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Meals
Daily breakfasts, 1 lunch at local restaurants, 6 dinners at local restaurants, and 2 highlight dinners at local restaurants.
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Transfers
All arrival and departure airport transfers.
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Transportation
All transportation in modern, air-conditioned vehicles.
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Guided Tours
Services of English-speaking guide during the tours.
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Sightseeing
All sightseeing as per the detailed itinerary.
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Entrance Fees
All entrance fees as per the detailed itinerary.
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Taxes
All applicable taxes.
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Transport Description
Travel in style with all transportation provided in modern, air-conditioned vehicles, including arrival and departure airport transfers, and a scenic journey on the TranzAlpine train.
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Accommodation Description
Enjoy 13 nights of superior accommodation on a twin sharing basis at top-notch hotels, ensuring comfort and relaxation throughout your New Zealand adventure.
What's Not Included
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Personal Expenses
Items of a personal nature, tips, and gratuities.
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Visa Fees
Visa fees, if applicable.
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Unmentioned Items
Any item not mentioned as included.
Mode of Transport
Travel in style with all transportation provided in modern, air-conditioned vehicles, including arrival and departure airport transfers, and a scenic journey on the TranzAlpine train.
Accommodation
Enjoy 13 nights of superior accommodation on a twin sharing basis at top-notch hotels, ensuring comfort and relaxation throughout your New Zealand adventure.
Check out our Q&As
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What kind of transportation is provided during the tour?
All transportation is provided in modern, air-conditioned vehicles, including arrival and departure airport transfers. Additionally, there is a scenic journey on the TranzAlpine train.
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What type of accommodation can I expect on this tour?
You will enjoy 13 nights of superior accommodation on a twin sharing basis at top-notch hotels, ensuring comfort and relaxation throughout your New Zealand adventure.
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Are meals included in the tour package?
Yes, daily breakfasts, 1 lunch at local restaurants, 6 dinners at local restaurants, and 2 highlight dinners at local restaurants are included in the tour package.
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Will there be a guide during the tours?
Yes, the services of an English-speaking guide are provided during the tours.
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Are entrance fees to attractions included in the tour price?
Yes, all entrance fees as per the detailed itinerary are included in the tour price.
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What activities are available in Queenstown?
In Queenstown, you can choose from various adventures such as the speedy Shotover Jet, visiting a wildlife centre, or strolling around nearby vineyards. Additionally, you can take the historic TSS Earnslaw across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a fine BBQ meal and some late-night dancing.
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What cultural experiences are included in Rotorua?
In Rotorua, you will delve deep into Maori culture and traditions at Te Puia, enjoy a hangi dinner cooked underground, and witness a Maori cultural performance in the beautifully carved meeting house, Te Aronui a Rua.
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What can I expect during the Milford Sound/Piopiotahi cruise?
During the Milford Sound/Piopiotahi cruise, you will experience a vast wonderland where waterfalls thunder from ancient escarpments into the inky sea where dolphins play. The entire region is carved up by gin-clear rivers, meadows, and beech forests of the World Heritage-listed Fiordland National Park.
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Is there an option to explore the Waitomo Caves?
Yes, you will have a tour through the Waitomo Caves, where you can cruise through cavernous limestone waterways illuminated by thousands of glowworms.
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What is the final destination of the tour?
The final destination of the tour is Auckland, New Zealand, where you will be transferred to the Auckland International Airport for your onward flight home.
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Can I join the tour once it has departed?
Yes, but only in case it was previously agreed by both sides and arranged by us.
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What documents will I receive before I travel?
Our e-document package includes all local contact details, daily itinerary, airline e-ticket information, service vouchers, and travel tips which should be everything you require to go on your trip.
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If I need one, who is responsible to obtain my visa?
You are responsible for obtaining the proper travel documents for the destinations on your itinerary, including having a passport that is valid for at least 6 months before the date of departure and a visa if required. Please check the Visa section in the Know Before You Go document for the countries you will be visiting.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
No, not as standard. Solo travellers can book and occupy their own room for a supplement.
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How long has the tour company been trading?
We have been organizing unforgettable trips since 2001.
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Can I arrange flights via Indus Travels, too?
In some cases, yes. Indus Travels can provide flights from/to selected departure points in the USA. If you would like a quote inclusive of flights, please let us know and we'll be happy to check the details for you!
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
Yes.
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What happens if I need to change my holiday date once I’ve booked?
Changes to an existing reservation up to the Final Payment Date, whatever the cause, will incur a $100 per person amendment fee, potential loss of any supplier fees (such as non-refundable event tickets, park permits, and sea cruise reservations) plus any costs for replacement services. On/ after the Final Payment Date, the $100 change fee is no longer valid, instead cancellations terms apply.
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Low Deposit
Indus Travels requires a minimum deposit of 25% or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 45 days before departure.
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Cancellation Policy
We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of indus travels charges.
Up to 75 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.
At 74 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.
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