New Zealand ~Delightfully, Distinctly Different

New Zealand ~
Delightfully, Distinctly Different

January 13 – February 1, 2012


	The Land of the Long White Cloud – diverse, unspoiled and incredibly lovely! Glaciers and fjords, lakes and mountains, geysers and ocean shores ~ New Zealand has it all! Explore the Maori Culture with dinner at a pre-European village. Sample the wine produced on stunning Waiheke Island. See caves fantastically decorated by glowworms. Visit Larnach Castle and the Moeraki Boulders. See Auckland from the Sky Tower. Jet boat on the Shotover River. Cruise the breathtakingly beautiful fjord of Milford Sound, travel Lake Wakatipu on a vintage steamship and board the Taieri Gorge Railway for a journey through the rugged and spectacular Taieri River Gorge. Please join us as we explore this fascinating, compact little treasure of a country.


	Your Executive Worldwide Travel Tour Itinerary

	January 13 Day 01 & 02 Ottawa to New Zealand via Vancouver with Air Canada and Air New Zealand. January 15 Day 03 Arrive Auckland On arrival at Auckland International Airport, meet our local guide and transfer to our hotel, the Heritage Auckland, located in the centre of the city, just strolling distance from Auckland city's many attractions. Cooked breakfast at the hotel. The remaining day is at leisure. You might wish to visit the Auckland Museum, one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its collections concentrate on New Zealand history (and especially the history of the Auckland Region), natural history, as well as military history. The museum is also one of the most iconic Auckland buildings, constructed in the neo-classicist style, and sitting on a grassed plinth (the remains of a dormant volcano) in the Auckland Domain, a large public park close to the Auckland CBD. This evening, walk to the Orbit Restaurant, a rotating restaurant located 190 metres above the ground in the Sky Tower, providing amazing views of Auckland. Walk back to your hotel after dinner. Overnight: Heritage Auckland (B/D

		January 16 Day 04 Auckland Cooked breakfast at your hotel. The morning is at leisure, with lunch on your own. After lunch, walk to the Ferry building for our deluxe Vineyard Tour on stunning Waiheke Island, just off the Auckland coast – 92 square kms of beautiful beaches, vineyards, olive groves, native bush and laid back seaside villages. After arriving at Matiatia, travel by luxury coach to enjoy premium tastings at three of Waiheke’s finest vineyards. New Zealand wine is distinctive for its purity, vibrancy and intensity. The long ripening period - a result of cool temperatures - allows flavour development whilst retaining fresh acidity, a balance for which New Zealand wines are renowned. First stop is the picturesque Mudbrick Vineyard, to enjoy a tasting experience while overlooking the sparkling waters of the Hauraki Gulf. Ridgeview Estate, the next vineyard on route, is one of Waiheke's newest and highest wineries. The views across to Auckland city and beyond to the Coromandel are amazing. The exquisite Te Whau Vineyard, acclaimed for its 5 star quality wines, restaurant, stunning panoramic views and outstanding architecture, is the last stop on the tour. Return to Matiatia Wharf. From here you can hop on a ferry and return to Auckland, or take advantage of the All Day Bus Pass to continue exploring the island, and ferry home later at your convenience. Walk back to your hotel on your return. Table D’ Hote (TDH) dinner at your hotel. Overnight: Heritage Auckland (B/D)

January 17 Day 05
Auckland – Waitomo – Rotorua

Cooked breakfast at your hotel and check out.
Transfer to Waitomo Caves for a guided tour. The Waitomo Caves district is famous for its subterranean wonderland. Beneath the surface of this limestone region is a series of vast cave systems decorated with a galaxy of glowworms.

Lunch on your own.
Continue to Rotorua, and check in at the Millennium Hotel Rotorua.
This evening, travel to Tamaki Maori Village, an authentic, pre-European Maori village nestled in the thick of an ancient Tawa forest. Enroute, your guide will instruct you on the rules of entering a Marae and the protocol you must observe.

Discover Maori art forms, ancient rituals and traditions, experience thrilling song and dance and then share in a three-course meal with your Maori hosts. Overnight: Millennium Hotel Rotorua (B/D)


	January 18 Day 06 Rotorua Enjoy a cooked breakfast at the hotel before a morning sightseeing tour of Rotorua, including a guided tour and concert at Te Puia, the premier Maori cultural centre in New Zealand - a place of gushing waters, steaming vents, boiling mud pools and spectacular geysers. Return to hotel for lunch on your own. Enjoy an (included) afternoon at the Polynesian Pool, one of the world’s top 10 spas, adjacent to our hotel, or take a stroll to the nearby Rotorua Museum of Art and History. This evening, transfer to Skyline, located high on the side of Mount Ngongotaha. Enjoy a ride in the Gondola and Buffet Dinner at Skyline Restaurant. Transfer back to your hotel after dinner. Overnight: Millennium Hotel Rotorua (B/D)

		January 19 Day 07 Rotorua – Lake Okataina Cooked breakfast at your hotel with the morning at leisure and lunch on your own. Afternoon transfer to Lake Okataina for a lake cruise on board MV Waiora. TDH dinner at your hotel. Overnight: Lakes Lodge, Lake Okataina, Rotorua (B/D)

	January 20 Day 08 Lake Okataina – Taupo - Wellington After breakfast, check out and travel to Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest fresh water lake, created by a series of small eruptions which came after an extremly large eruption in 181AD from Taupo volcano. Lunch on your own at a local café. Continue travelling to Wellington, the capital city, situated on the southwestern tip of the country's North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. Dinner and overnight: InterContinental Wellington (B/D)

		January 21 Day 09 Wellington Breakfast at your hotel, followed by a morning sightseeing tour of Wellington, including a guided tour “Introducing Te Papa” at Te Papa Museum. Te Papa is New Zealand’s national museum, renowned for being bicultural, scholarly, innovative, and fun. Its collections span five areas: Art, History, Pacific, Maori, and Natural Environment. Lunch on your own and afternoon at leisure. Dinner and overnight: InterContinental Wellington (B/D) January 22 Day 10 Wellington – Picton – Blenheim - Nelson Following breakfast, check out and transfer to the Interislander Ferry for the trip to Picton on the South Island. Lunch on board on your own. Transfer to Blenheim for a winery tour at a local winery. Continue to Nelson on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay and check into the Rutherford Hotel Nelson - A Heritage Hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. (B/D)

	January 23 Day 11 Nelson – Punakaiki – Franz Josef Glacier Breakfast and check out. Travel to Punakaiki. Lunch on your own at a local café. Continue to Pancake Rocks, then Franz Josef Glacier. Dinner and overnight: Te Waonui Forest Retreat (B/D) January 24 Day 12 Franz Josef Glacier – Haast - Wanaka Check out after breakfast and travel to Wanaka with a stop for lunch on your own at Haast. Dinner and overnight: Edgewater Resort Lake Wanaka (B/D)

		January 25 Day 13 Wanaka - Queenstown Check out after breakfast and travel to Queenstown with a stop in Arrowtown to visit Lakes District Museum, a great place to learn about early Maori in the Southern Lakes region, the harsh pioneering days of the European settlers and the exhilarating gold rush era in the 1800's. Lunch on your own at a local café. Continue to Queenstown, with a city sightseeing tour upon arrival. Check in at our hotel and walk to the wharf. Cruise across Lake Wakatipu on board the TSS Earnslaw Vintage Steamship to the Colonel’s Homestead at Walter Peak. After dinner, an entertaining farm demonstration provides a glimpse into high country farming life. Return to Queenstown. Overnight: Sofitel Queenstown(B/D)

	January 26 Day 14 Queenstown Breakfast at the hotel. Morning at leisure and lunch on your own. This afternoon, transfer to Shotover River for the ultimate jet boating experience, a unique breathtaking ride through dramatic and narrow canyons. Dinner and overnight: Sofitel Queenstown (B/D) January 27 Day 15 Queenstown – Milford Sound – Te Anau Check out after breakfast and travel to Milford Sound for a Scenic Cruise in the breathtakingly beautiful fjord of Milford Sound, with an International buffet lunch on board. Milford Sound has been judged the world's top travel destination in an international survey. Continue to Te Anau, and check in at our hotel. TDH dinner and overnight: Distinction Te Anau Hotel & Villas (B/L/D

		January 28 Day 16 Te Anau - Dunedin Check out after breakfast and travel to Dunedin for a guided tour and Alehouse lunch at Speights Brewery Heritage Centre. Transfer to Dunedin Railway Station to board the Taieri Gorge Railway for a journey through the rugged and spectacular Taieri River Gorge, across wrought iron viaducts and through tunnels carved by hand more than 100 years ago. TDH dinner and overnight: Scenic Hotel Southern Cross in Dunedin. (B/L/D) January 29 Day 17 Dunedin – Oamaru – Mount Cook Check out after breakfast and transfer to Larnach Castle for a guided tour and Scottish Lunch. After lunch, transfer to Mt. Cook, with a stop near Oamaru to see the Moeraki Boulders. Dinner and overnight: Hermitage, Mount Cook (B/L/D

	January 30 Day 18 Mount Cook – Lake Tekapo - Christchurch Breakfast at the hotel followed by a morning free to explore the area. Lunch on your own. This afternoon, check out and transfer to Christchurch, with a stop at the Church of the Good Shepherd, located on the shores of Lake Tekapo. Dinner and overnight: The George Christchurch (B/D)

		January 31 Day 19 Christchurch Breakfast at the hotel, followed by a morning sightseeing tour of Christchurch and a self-guided walk at Antarctic Centre. Lunch on your own and afternoon at leisure. Farewell Buffet dinner at Hinton’s at Hinton Estate Vineyard. Overnight: The George Christchurch (B/D) February 1 Day 20 Depart Christchurch After breakfast, check out and transfer to Christchurch International Airport for your flight home. (B)