Price per person: $7,500 pp Twin/Double Share $9,350 Sole Occupancy
Tour Duration: 11 Days
New Zealand’s North Island packs more into a short distance than almost anywhere else: subtropical bays in the far north, geothermal country and glowworm caves in the middle, and a compact harbour capital at the bottom. This 11-day escorted tour covers all three, travelling from Canberra with your group from the moment you leave home.
We begin in Auckland, then head north through kauri forest to the Bay of Islands for the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and a cruise out to the Hole in the Rock. Back in Auckland, day trips take us underground at Ruakuri Cave and out to Hobbiton. We finish with the Northern Explorer, one of the world’s great rail journeys, winding through the volcanic plateau and down to Wellington for two nights in the capital.
The pace is deliberately gentle. Long stays in each base mean fewer early starts, less packing and unpacking, and time to explore at your own speed, including a full day at leisure in Auckland.
Tour highlights
- Waitangi Treaty Grounds, birthplace of modern New Zealand
- Hole in the Rock cruise through the islands of the Bay of Islands
- Tāne Mahuta, the country’s largest living kauri, and the Kauri Museum at Matakohe
- Ruakuri Cave at Waitomo, walked rather than rafted, with glowworms overhead
- Hobbiton Movie Set, the Shire built and kept in full detail
- The Northern Explorer, Auckland to Wellington by rail through the central volcanic plateau
- Two nights in Wellington, with time for Te Papa and the waterfront
Activity Level: Easy to Moderate (Level 2)
This tour is comfortably paced, with a full day at leisure in Auckland and only three hotel changes. You will need to manage coach steps unaided and your own luggage at airports, and be able to walk on uneven ground and stand for periods of up to thirty minutes.
Two days ask a little more. The guided tour of Ruakuri Cave runs about ninety minutes and involves a long spiral ramp, steps and suspended walkways underground. The Hobbiton walking tour covers roughly a kilometre and a half on unsealed farm paths with gentle hills, and takes around two hours. Both are outdoors or underground in early-autumn weather, so comfortable walking shoes and a light rain jacket are essentials.
Days 1 and 11 are long travel days with a connection in Sydney at each end, and both involve international check-in and border formalities. Day 9 is a full day aboard the Northern Explorer.
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