Spectacular New Zealand

Arrive into the wonderful city of Singapore and transfer to the four-star M Hotel City Centre. Occupying a great location in Singapore city centre, our hotel offers a warm welcome and a range of services alongside comfortable, contemporary accommodation.

Known as ‘the crossroads of Asia’, Singapore is a city where east meets west; a cosmopolitan melting pot with an inspirational identity. This morning, enjoy a tour of this wonderful city. Included is a stop at Merlion Park with impressive views of Marina Bay. See the historic Civic District, Thian Hock Keng Temple and the fabulous orchid gardens set within Singapore’s botanical gardens. Return to the hotel where the rest of our day is free to spend as we please.

A day at leisure in Singapore until it’s time to leave for our evening flight to Auckland. Perhaps explore the impressive Gardens by the Bay or enjoy a Singapore sling at the iconic Raffles hotel.

If flying with Qantas & Emirates, your flight will transfer via Australia before arriving into Auckland. On arrival, transfer to the Hotel Grand Chancellor Auckland, where we spend our first two nights in New Zealand. At the hotel, we meet our local Tour Manager, who will be our guide during our time in New Zealand.

This morning, we take an orientation tour of the city. Known as the ‘City of Sails’, Auckland is New Zealand’s most populous city, with a beautiful waterside setting and a landscape dotted with volcanic hills. We drive along the stunning coastline of the Waitemata Harbour. In the distance we see Rangitoto Island, a dormant volcano, dominating the horizon. Our afternoon is free to spend as we please. Perhaps take a scenic boat trip in Auckland’s harbour to enjoy the beautiful sunset.

Our travels today commence with a drive over the impressive Waitemata Harbour Bridge. Journey past dairy farms and rolling hills as we make our way north. We continue through Whangarei and Kawakawa, before arriving at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in the beautiful Bay of Islands. The Waitangi Treaty Grounds is where much of New Zealand’s history was shaped, including the signing of the Declaration of Independence, in 1835 and the Treaty of Waitangi, in 1840. We enjoy an informative guided tour of the grounds, before travelling to our home for the next three nights, the Scenic Hotel Bay of Islands, located in the picturesque seaside town of Paihia.

On today’s Freedom Day, there is the option to join a wonderful excursion to Cape Reinga, at the northernmost tip of New Zealand. Here, the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean, and the area has a deep spiritual significance to the Maori people. They believe Cape Reinga is the place where Maori spirits return to their traditional homeland, Hawaiiki-A-Nui, via the roots of an ancient and still-standing pohutukawa tree. Today’s tour will include breathtaking coastal landscapes, the Te Paki sand dunes and a drive along Ninety Mile Beach. The beach is actually 55 miles long but was named thus by early European settlers because they knew their horses could travel up to 30 miles in a day, and the journey along the beach took them three days!

This morning, we leave the Bay of Islands and travel via Auckland to the geothermal region of Rotorua, at the heart of New Zealand’s rich Maori culture. Our next two nights are spent at the four-star Distinction Hotel Rotorua and later this evening, at our hotel, we attend a concert of traditional Maori song and dance, which will include the legendary, fearsome Haka.

Our sightseeing this morning takes us via Rotorua’s famous Bath House, a Tudor-style building within the Government Gardens. We continue to Te Puia, home to the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve, with its spurting geysers and boiling mud pools. Our afternoon is free to relax at leisure. For those interested, a floatplane flight over Mount Tarawera offers breathtaking aerial views.

This morning, we make our way along the Thermal Explorer Highway to Lake Taupo, New Zealand’s largest lake. We visit the impressive Huka Falls where the Waikato River suddenly narrows to a chasm less than 15 metres across and heaves its vast bulk over an 11-metre ledge to boil furiously in a deep semi-circular basin below. Our journey continues to the Art Deco city of Napier, located in an area dominated by orchards and vineyards. The seamless line of 1930s architecture is quite extraordinary and one of the best ways to experience the town is on a self-guided walk. We stay overnight at the delightful Scenic Hotel Te Pania, superbly situated on Napier’s seafront.

Our journey continues south via Hastings and the Kapiti Coast as we make our way to Wellington, New Zealand’s capital. Upon arrival we have a short orientation tour of Wellington, including a visit to the top of Mount Victoria for the finest view of the city and its picturesque harbour. From Mount Victoria we make our way to Rydges Wellington where we stay for the next two nights.

A Freedom Day to spend as we please. Wellington is compact, cultured and full of character. There are a whole host of excellent activities in and around Wellington. A visit to Te Papa museum is highly recommended, as it offers a fascinating insight into New Zealand’s rich history and cultural heritage. Alternatively, ride a cable car to Wellington’s beautiful botanical gardens or take a relaxing stroll through the city’s streets and waterfront.

This morning, we leave North Island behind and board our ferry for a cruise across the Cook Strait to Picton on New Zealand’s South Island. As we make our crossing, look out for sea birds and dolphins and enjoy the spectacular views as we approach Queen Charlotte Sound. Disembarking, our journey continues to Blenheim, New Zealand’s largest wine-producing region. We visit a local winery for a chance to taste Marlborough’s world-renowned Sauvignon Blanc, before continuing to Nelson for our overnight stay at the Rutherford Hotel Nelson.

Departing Nelson, we travel first via Murchison and then through the impressive Buller River Gorge to the spectacular west coast. Our destination is Punakaiki and the Paparoa National Park. Here we see the famous Pancake Rocks – steep cliffs that resemble giant stacked pancakes – carved out by the roaring surf of the Tasman Sea. We view the dramatic bursts of sea spray, before arriving at our accommodation, the Scenic Hotel Punakaiki for our overnight stay. Ideally situated by the beach, we enjoy our location before we head out to dinner at a local pub.

Following breakfast, our journey continues southwards along the scenic West Coast. Travelling via the small towns of Greymouth and Hokitika, we see striking wild scree-scarred terrain and the forests of Crimson Rata and Kahikatea. We pass lakes Lanthe and Mapourika before entering Westland National Park and arrive at the Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier, for our overnight accommodation. For those that wish, we drive to the Franz Josef Glacier valley where there is the opportunity to walk through the rainforest and enjoy views of the glacier area. Weather permitting, we may also take an optional scenic flight (at an additional cost) over the glacier and the awe-inspiring alpine region.

The incredible scenery continues today as we travel across the Haast River Bridge and via Clark Bluff along one of the most exciting scenic roads ever built. Travel along the shores of Lakes Wanaka and Hawea as we enter New Zealand’s Central Otago region. We continue via Lake Dunstan, created by the mighty Clyde hydro dam in 1994. Later in the afternoon we reach beautiful, cosmopolitan Queenstown, and our home for the next two nights, the Scenic Suites Queenstown, situated only a short walk from the centre of town.

Queenstown overlooks Lake Wakatipu, framed by an incomparable alpine scene. Poplars and willows surround the lakefront and the lake seems to glisten every shade of blue. Today has been left free to take advantage of the incredible variety of activities available in and around New Zealand’s most glamorous alpine resort. For a relaxing experience, follow Queenstown’s wine trail, an enjoyable day excursion of wine tasting and sightseeing. There is also the option to take a leisurely cruise across Lake Wakatipu aboard the vintage steamboat TSS Earnslaw. The cruise includes a visit to Walter Peak Homestead and a sheep shearing show, before returning to Queenstown aboard the Earnslaw.

This morning, we visit the nearby historic mining town of Arrowtown, a charmingly quirky gold rush village nestled beside the sparkling Arrow River. At its heart is Buckingham Street, a row of heritage buildings and quaint tea rooms that stretch into a tree-lined avenue of well-preserved miners’ cottages. We travel onwards through high country landscapes to the lakeside town of Te Anau, gateway to the spectacular Fiordland National Park. We spend the next night at the Distinction Luxmore Hotel, Te Anau. Tonight, there is the opportunity (at an additional cost), to visit the magical Te Anau glow-worm caves.

We travel to Bluff this morning, the southernmost settlement on mainland New Zealand. Here we board our catamaran and travel across the Foveaux Strait, to remote Stewart Island. During our crossing, keep a lookout for the many seabirds – watching mollymawks soaring behind the ferry is a spectacular sight. With a population of around 400 people, Stewart Island, is a remarkable place with a rich history and natural beauty. We take a tour of the island to learn about its unique environment and heritage, before enjoying some free time to explore. Perhaps take a short bush walk or visit the local pub and enjoy a drink and a tale with one of the locals. Later we return to South Island and our hotel.

Following breakfast, we travel through sparsely populated hill country to the Catlins Forest Park, where ancient forests meet the stormy coastline. The scenery changes and is replaced with fresh, green farmlands as we travel towards Balclutha, which has a distinctive arched concrete bridge. Our destination is Dunedin, known as the ‘Edinburgh of the South’. The South Island’s second largest city, Dunedin is considered New Zealand’s architectural heritage capital, with its lovingly restored Victorian and Edwardian buildings. On arrival, we enjoy a short sightseeing tour taking in the city’s neo-Gothic churches, town hall, opulent theatres, and other 19th century buildings. We have time to admire the beautifully landscaped trees and plants of Dunedin Botanical Gardens and the historic buildings of Otago University and the famous Dunedin Railway Station, before we arrive at our hotel. Our next two nights are spent at the Distinction Hotel Dunedin.

A day at leisure to spend as we please. Perhaps join the Otago Peninsula Wildlife Tour – a perfect optional excursion for nature lovers. The tour includes an Otago Harbour cruise to Taiaroa Head, home of the world’s only mainland nesting place of albatross, and a visit to Penguin Place, a private conservation reserve for the endangered Yellow Eyed penguin.

This morning, our travels take us north. We stop at Hampden Beach to witness the geological curiosities known as the Moeraki Boulders, huge spherical boulders which are scattered along the beach, whilst others can be seen emerging from the sandstone cliffs. Each boulder weighs several tonnes and is up to two metres in diameter. According to Maori legend, the boulders are gourds washed ashore from the great voyaging canoe Araiteuru, when it was wrecked upon landfall in New Zealand hundreds of years ago. Scientists explain the boulders as calcite concretions formed about 65 million years ago. The soft mudstone containing the boulders was raised from the seabed around 15 million years ago and waves, wind and rain are uncovering them one by one. Our next stop is Oamaru, where we stroll through New Zealand’s best-preserved Victorian streets. Later in the day we arrive at the Distinction Mackenzie Country Hotel in Twizel.

On leaving Twizel, we head northeast to the turquoise-tinted Lake Pukaki, which gains its colour from the melting water of the Tasman glacier. If we are lucky with the weather, we may see the Southern Alps and the mighty Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain. We also stop at the Church of the Good Shepherd on the shores of Lake Tekapo. Later, descend from the Mackenzie Country over Burkes Pass to the Canterbury Plains and travel through small townships like Geraldine to Christchurch. On arrival in Christchurch, we take an orientation tour to see what this exciting developing city has to offer. We spend our final two nights in New Zealand at the Distinction Hotel Christchurch.

A Freedom Day to spend as we please. Founded in 1863 with the planting of an English oak tree, the Christchurch Botanic Gardens are within easy walking distance of our hotel and contain an impressive array of flora. Or perhaps, hop onto one of the restored heritage trams to explore the central city.

Our time in New Zealand comes to an end this morning when we transfer to Christchurch Airport. Your flight will either connect via Australia and Dubai, if flying with Qantas & Emirates, or Singapore if flying with Singapore Airlines.

This morning, we arrive at our chosen airport, bringing our Spectacular New Zealand adventure to an end.