Celebrate the festive season Kiwi style, witness spectacular scenery and unique attractions of New Zealand. On New Year’s Eve celebrate with your fellow travellers, spend time with new friends and create unique memories. Travel with maximum of 20 travellers in Business Class seats on a full-size coach.
(B) Breakfast (L) Lunch (D) Dinner (SD) Specialty Dinner
Adjacent to Wellington’s waterfront, InterContinental Wellington offers a great central location. The guest rooms are spacious, all rooms feature a TV with cable channels and a large bathroom with modern amenities and bathrobes. The hotel’s restaurant is open for breakfast and offers an internationally crafted menu in a luxurious setting. The Lobby Lounge offers a warm and cozy setting to enjoy a snack and cocktail. There is a health club that features an indoor heated pool, a spa and sauna. Te Papa Museum of New Zealand is 5 minutes’ walk away.
With its superb location on the shoreline close to town, Sudima Kaikōura is blessed with stunning views of both the mountains and sea. It also puts the hotel within easy walking distance of Kaikōura activities, shops, restaurants, and bars. This state-of-the-art waterfront hotel has a 4.5 star rating with an outstanding in-house restaurant, a bar and conference facilities.
This 5 star boutique hotel is ideally located on Victoria Street amidst an array of cafes, restaurants and bars, and is only a martini olive pips’ throw from beautiful Hagley Park and Christchurch’s CBD. As a contemporary hotel it features luxe rooms, stylish restaurant & bar and elegant day spa. A great way to experience the ‘garden city’ in style.
This property once was the 1937 former Chief Post Office in Dunedin and has now been transformed into this elegant hotel, located in the rejuvenated and vibrant Warehouse Precinct in the heart of the city. All rooms offer superior soundproofing and are outfitted with cloud-like beds, a microwave, washer/dryer, 55″ televisions and luxurious dual fixture walk-in rain showers. Complimentary high speed WiFi is available. You can also take advantage of complimentary access to the gym, or enjoy pre-dinner drinks in the stylish Post Bar and the popular Parcels Restaurant is open daily for breakfast and dinner.
Located on the Te Anau lake front, a short stroll from the Te Anau town centre, Distinction Te Anau is perfectly situated for you to make the most of this beautiful area. There is complimentary unlimited WiFi as well as a great restaurant, renowned for offering the very best of South Island cuisine or the Explorer Bar & Lakefront Terrace is a great spot for relaxing and enjoying the uninterrupted views of Lake Te Anau. The hotel offers a range of recreational facilities, including a spa, sauna, outdoor swimming pool.
Millennium Hotel Queenstown is just minutes from Queenstown central shopping, entertainment and outdoor activities. The property features a business centre, gym and boasts contemporary city-inspired design. Most rooms offer scenic views of Queenstown city and mountains, providing the perfect backdrop to your trip.
The views from Heritage Hotel Queenstown are awe-inspiring – soak in the view of the towering Remarkables mountain range, rising from the rippling waters of Lake Wakatipu from the comfort of the hotel. Crafted from centuries-old schist stone and cedar, this is a comfortable hotel. The spacious, beautifully appointed rooms take in a variety of views of either the surrounding forest and towering mountains or the majestic Lake Wakatipu.
Located in Franz Josef, this eco-designed retreat provides an outstanding experience that is close to nature but far from ordinary. Nestled amongst native rainforest the Te Waonui Forest Retreat is the ideal place to reconnect with nature and the dramatic surroundings. This property is a great example of sustainable accommodation. The hotel’s four wings join together to enclose an area of native rainforest that was carefully preserved during construction, and is so dense that you can’t see the opposite wing, ensuring a sense of privacy. A truly unique experience.
Wellington is New Zealand’s capital city and the location of our parliament. Located at the bottom of the North Island it sits on the Cook Strait, which divides the North and South Islands. Strong winds through the Cook Strait give it the nickname “Windy Wellington”.
It is a vibrant and compact city, with a beautiful waterfront promenade, sandy beaches, a working harbour and some lovely turn of the century, timber houses on the steep hills it features. From Lambton Quay, the iconic red Wellington Cable Car heads to the Wellington Botanic Gardens.
Wellington is home to New Zealand’s National Museum, Te Papa, and bespoke art and creative pursuits thrive in this city. Couple this with a strong café and restaurant culture and you have an interesting and unique little city to explore.
Right in the heart of the Marlborough Sounds you will find Picton. This picturesque port town is home to great cafés, restaurants, galleries and specialty shops. It is the heart of the beautiful Marlborough Sounds.
The town is built around a very sheltered harbour, full of moored yachts. The attractive seafront is dotted with cafés, restaurants, various types of galleries and a pleasant place to wander.
There’s a floating maritime museum and an aquarium. The Marlborough Sounds offer cruising, fishing, dolphin watching, sea kayaking or mountain biking. And the iconic Queen Charlotte Track, running almost the length of the Queen Charlotte Sound, is a must-do for keen hikers.
Picton is also the South Island port for the Bluebridge and Interislander ferries that link the main islands of New Zealand.
Blenheim sits in the heart of the wine-growing Marlborough region. It is known as one of the sunniest towns in New Zealand. Mountains frame the area and trap the summer heat (temperatures over 30°C are quite normal in February and March).
Rows of vines thrive in this environment and produce the majority of New Zealand’s famous Sauvignon Blanc.
In and around Blenheim you’ll find an array of cafes, restaurants, wineries, bars, shops, artisan food outlets and golf courses along with popular walkways along the Taylor River Reserve.
Aircraft enthusiast are in for a treat. A 10 minute drive from the railway station and you will be outside enormous airport hangers, about to enter a world of flight and excitement. Omaka Aviation Heritage is home to Peter Jackson’s personal collection of WW1 planes and memorabilia.
Christchurch is an fascinating city to explore. It was once a historic garden city. Since the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes it has turned into a fascinating city of regeneration and growth.
The central city is filled with cutting-edge architecture alongside some of the oldest buildings in New Zealand. But Christchurch is constantly evolving, always giving locals and visitors something new to explore. Expect street art and innovative projects, a bustling hospitality scene and established green spaces.
The Avon River runs through the city, bringing a natural landscape to the urban environment. Cruise along the picturesque river on a flat bottomed punt. Take a ride on a historic tram through the city. With wonderful parks and botanic gardens to explore Christchurch is a great place to visit.
Known as the ‘Edinburgh of the South’, Dunedin is a city that wears its Scottish heritage with pride. The small city boasts some eye-catching architecture and is one of the best-preserved Victorian and Edwardian cities in the Southern Hemisphere.
A gaelic language namesake of ‘Edinburgh’, Dunedin sits at the end of a long picturesque harbour surrounded by dramatic hills. There is so much to see and do here. Stroll through the city and its heritage buildings. Visit intriguing museums and historic homes like Olveston. Experience the rare wildlife found in the spectacular landscapes that surround the city.
The nearby Otago Peninsula offers endless views and beautifully rugged beaches. Nestled at the foot of Taiaroa Head is the Royal Albatross Centre — the only place in the world on the mainland where you can view Northern Royal Albatross in their natural habitat.
You will also find other wildlife including colonies of the world’s rarest penguin on the Peninsula. On the beaches, you will find fur seals and sea lions just lazing around and enjoying their natural habitat.
Dunedin’s heritage even extends to a real castle, high on the hills of the Otago Peninsula. Larnach Castle is New Zealand’s only castle and a much-loved piece of Dunedin history.
A two hour drive from Queenstown, Te Anau is a Southland town. A pretty lakeside town, it’s known as a gateway to Fiordland National Park.
Te Anau offers great views of the lake and mountains beyond and a good range of cafes and restaurants. The awe-inspiring natural beauty of the park’s wilderness, including Milford and Doubtful Sounds is within easy reach.
The region is home to many of NZ’s Great Walks, endangered flightless takahē birds and abundant trout in Lake Te Anau. Te Anau Caves feature a limestone grotto of glowworms and an underground waterfall. To the southwest, the Kepler Track winds through beech forests, glacial valleys and mountains.
Famously described by Rudyard Kipling as the “eighth wonder of the world”, Milford Sound is a stunning fiord in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island.
The “sound” was carved out by glaciers during the ice age like all modern fiords. But it’s majesty and the drama of its surrounding mountains is hard to match. It is known for the towering Mitre Peak, plus rainforests and waterfalls like Stirling and Bowen falls, which plummet down its sheer sides.
When it rains in Milford Sound — and it often does — those waterfalls multiply with magnificent effect. Whatever the weather it really is a breath-taking sight.
Boat tours are a popular way to explore the inky waters of this pristine natural wonder. The fiord is home to fur seal colonies, penguins and dolphins. Milford Discovery Centre and Underwater Observatory offers views of rare black coral and other marine life.
Queenstown is a stunning resort town, renowned for its beauty and wealth of adventure activities, it sits on the shores of the South Island’s Lake Wakatipu. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Southern Alps mountains, Queenstown is also a base for exploring the region’s vineyards and historic mining towns.
Iconic adventure activities include bungee jumping off Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge and jet-boating on the Shotover and Dart rivers. And in winter, there’s skiing on the slopes of The Remarkables, Coronet Peak and Cardrona ski resorts.
Queenstown is a hub of adventure, thrumming with adrenaline and an buzzing with a carefree sense of fun. But extreme activities aren’t the only options here. This world-famous resort town and its surrounding area boast many things to see, do, eat, drink and explore. Something for everyone at any time of year.
Franz Josef is the name of both the glacier and the nearby village. The small but lively Franz Josef Waiau village is surrounded by lush rainforest with the high snow-capped Alps rising above it.
There are many ways to take in the natural attractions within a short distance of the village. Your options include a cycleway, walks of varying lengths, guided walks, kayaking, and action adventures like rafting or skydiving. You can also visit the white heron colony or see the world’s rarest kiwi.
A short distance from neighbouring Fox Glacier, Franz Josef Glacier is one of the steepest glaciers in New Zealand. It descends from its origins high in the Southern Alps deep into the lush native rainforest of Westland’s National Park.
The glacier moves faster than your average glacier so no two days are the same. The main ice fall moves an average of 50cm per day, but steep sections can move as much as 10 metres in a single day. This creates some truly incredible features in the glacier such as ice caves, tunnels, seracs and crevasses; and all features are constantly changing and evolving.
The small alpine village of Arthur’s Pass is located between Canterbury and the West Coast of the South Island. Climbing to more than 900 metres through Arthur’s Pass National Park, it is the highest and most spectacular pass across the Southern Alps.
The road and rail tracks through this challenging environment are pieces of extreme engineering involving viaducts, bridges, rock shelters and waterfalls redirected into chutes. This is also the route of the famous Tranz Alpine Train journey.
Arthur’s Pass National Park itself is a landscape of two halves. Climbing the eastern side of the alps from Christchurch you’ll see wide, shingle-filled riverbeds and vast swathes of beech forest. Then, as you descend the western side, you’ll pass through dense rainforest alongside and over deeply gorged rivers.
Visitors should look out for New Zealand’s inquisitive and comical alpine parrot, the kea, along the way. This is a rugged and beautiful part of New Zealand.
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand’s national museum, located in Wellington. Usually known as Te Papa, it opened in 1998 after the merging of the National Museum of New Zealand and the National Art Gallery.
Rated by Lonely Planet as one of their top 500 places on earth, Te Papa is a museum like no other. This interactive museum is a must-do for any visitor to Wellington. Explore six floors of cutting-edge interactive exhibitions housed in an architectural wonder of a building.
Te Papa’s clever, contemporary and bicultural approach makes it stand out amongst more normal museum experiences. This is a really interesting and interactive experience.
The Interislander is one of The Great Journeys of New Zealand and doubles as a Marlborough Sounds cruise. It is New Zealand’s original Cook Strait ferry, sailing between Wellington and Picton several times a day connecting the North & South Islands’ road and rail networks.
Considered one of the most beautiful ferry journeys in the world, The Interislander is one of New Zealand’s most iconic travel experiences. The ferry takes around three-and-a-half hours to travel between Wellington in the North Island and Picton in the South Island.
From Wellington, your short voyage begins with a tour around Wellington Harbour. You’ll then cross the narrow passage between New Zealand’s two main islands. This passage, The Cook Strait, is named after Captain Cook, the English explorer who first mapped it.
Having crossed Cook Strait, the final stretch of the journey is through the magnificent Marlborough Sounds. This sheltered stretch of water is spectacularly scenic. It’s the reason the trip is known for its scenery. And it is this hour long cruise through the Marlborough Sounds that makes the Interislanderr a must-do experience.
Situated on the picturesque Otago Peninsula, a short distance from Dunedin, Larnach Castle is one of New Zealand’s premier visitor attractions. It took more than 200 workmen three years to build the Castle shell. Then master European craftsmen spent a further 12 years embellishing the interior.
William Larnach spared no expense on his dream home, which features the finest materials from around the world. Allowed to decay, it has been lovingly restored over decades by the Barker family who purchased it in 1967.
The family has restored the empty buildings from ruin and have assembled a large collection of original New Zealand period furniture and antiques. A living collection that showcases the craftsmanship and spirt of New Zealand.
Visit Larnach Castle to discover its rich history, dating back to 1871. Its interiors are a fascinating insight into Victorian decor. And you’ll enjoy exploring the exquisite gardens, which have attained a Garden of International Significance award from the New Zealand Gardens Trust.
Cruise Milford Sound, the most well-known and accessible of all the fiords in New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park, a World Heritage Area. Its 16 kilometre (14 nautical miles) length is lined by sheer rock faces that soar 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) or more from the water.
Milford Sound is in the heart of a rainforest (annual rainfall is 6,813mm or 268 inches). This creates walls of temporary waterfalls on a wet day. In drier conditions this recedes to just two permanent waterfalls (Lady Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls). Glorious on a fine day, Milford Sound’s ethereal, moody beauty in the rain is equally spectacular.
On your leisurely and informative nature cruise, you’ll see towering cliffs and peaks. The spectacular 1692 metre Mitre Peak — NZ’s most photographed mountain — rises more than a kilometre straight out of the sea. Waterfalls cascade into the fiord. And luxuriant rain forest clings to sheer rock faces in this breath taking place.
The TSS Earnslaw offers one of the best ways to see Queenstown’s surrounding landscape. Cruise across Lake Whakatipu aboard the iconic century-old coal-fired steamship taking in the views at a leisurely pace.
An iconic piece of Queenstown’s history, The Earsnlaw has been lovingly maintained since 1912. Take time to explore the vessel, view the engine room, and study the historic displays of the steamship’s former life.
Your trip will take you across the lake, past the Remarkables mountain range and Cecil Peak to Walter Peak for a high country farm experience. Then you’ll cruise back to Queenstown Bay with plenty of time to take in that world-famous alpine scenery.
Arrowtown’s Lakes District Museum was established in 1948 as a Centennial of Otago project. Appropriately set in the former gold mining town, the museum started life in the billiard rooms of the Ballarat Hotel. It then shifted to the current home, the former Bank of New Zealand building, in 1955.
Over the last 60 years, innovative direction has seen the museum recognised as one of New Zealand’s leading small museums. It has a strong hands-on focus. Working displays cover two floors and incorporate three historic buildings. They offer a window into the past — an authentic picture of early Maori life and the harsh lives of European settlers and goldminers.
A short distance from Queenstown, the museum also houses an art gallery, bookshop, archives and research facility and a busy education programme.
Enjoy a very special view of the South Island’s striking natural landscape. Take the Tranz Alpine train between Christchurch and Greymouth. See epic vistas, travel the edges of the ice-fed Waimakariri River, traverse the Southern Alps, and see miles of native beech forest.
You’ll cross the remarkabley flat Canterbury Plains overlooked by the majestic Southern Alps before eventually crossing the aqua-blue Waimakariri River. Tunnels, viaducts and feats of railway engineering take you across alpine passes where you’ll then travel through lush lake valleys towards the West Coast of the South Island. This iconic train trip is the journey of a lifetime.
The TranzAlpine is acknowledged as one of the world’s great train journeys. The 223 kilometre (139 mile) one-way trip takes just under 5 hours and connects Christchurch and Greymouth on the West Coast via Arthurs Pass through the Southern Alps.
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