We have explored New Zealand extensively in recent years and have been thrilled to see its special features first-hand, including active volcanoes, magnificent alpine areas, and a particularly interesting native flora and fauna. Late spring is a wonderful time to visit New Zealand, as the climate is temperate and very comfortable for travelling. We know you will be as excited as we are to have this opportunity to explore one of the most dramatic countries in the world
Itinerary
(Breakfast - B, Lunch - L, Dinner - D)
Day 1
Depart North America
Our journey to New Zealand will start today as we leave North America and fly directly to Auckland, New Zealand.
Day 2
Cross International Date Line
As we fly across the Pacific Ocean, we will cross over the International Dateline and lose a full day. We will regain this lost day when we again cross the International Date Line on our return to North America.
Day 3
Arrival in Auckland
Since this is the end of many hours of flying from North America, no activities have been planned for today. Kirilee Ramsay, the Quest leader, will be meeting the group flight and will assist us with the city transfer and check-in at the hotel. Our hotel is very well located near the harbour so we’ll be able to relax and explore the city and harbour on foot. An orientation meeting is planned for the late afternoon, prior to dinner.
o/n President Plaza Hotel, Auckland (L, D)
Day 4
Tiritiri Matangi
On our second day in New Zealand, we’ll take a ferry from the Auckland docks, to one of the most sensational conservation areas in the country – the island nature sanctuary of Tiritiri Matangi. The crossing will take approximately an hour. On the way, we’ll be looking out for Australasian Gannets, Fluttering Shearwaters and perhaps Blue Penguins.
Tiritiri Matangi is a predator-free island in the Hauraki Gulf where extensive plantings of native trees by voluntary workers has established large areas of regenerating forest. As a result, several species of endangered endemic birds have been successfully introduced. We’ll walk along well-maintained trails, fringed with trees and shrubs in full-bloom, and be on the lookout for such birds as the Tui, Red-crowned Parakeet and the North Island Saddleback. Our path through the forest will take us along a magnificent boardwalk that winds through different woodland habitats. We’ll hear the remarkable songs of bellbirds, fantails, and stitch birds as we stroll along the walkway. We’ll have a picnic lunch by the lighthouse where there are several Takahes, a bird that was thought to be extinct and was found in the remote Fiordland Mountains in 1948. We’ll return to Auckland in the middle of the afternoon.
o/n President Plaza Hotel, Auckland (B, L, D)
Day 5
The Firth of Thames / Lake Taupo
We’ll have an early start today and drive south to the spectacular geothermal region of Lake Taupo. On the way we will visit Miranda, on the Firth of Thames, one of the finest wading bird habitats in the country. We will be looking for Pied Oystercatcher, Pied Stilt and New Zealand Dotterel, as well as such Arctic migrants as Bar-tailed Godwit and Lesser Knot. As we continue south, we will drive onto the high central volcanic plateau and explore the fascinating and volatile Waimangu Thermal Valley. It lies across from Mt. Tarawera, whose giant eruption formed this eerie valley of boiling cauldron lakes, steaming fumeroles and numerous boiling springs. Our hotel for the night is across from Lake Taupo, a lake that has been formed in a huge volcanic crater.
o/n The Lakeland Hotel, Lake Taupo (B, L, D)
Day 6
Wellington / Cook Strait / South Island
This morning we will drive to Wellington, the nation’s capital. As we start out, we’ll skirt Lake Taupo, whose basin is the crater of an ancient volcano and whose waters are blessed with monster Brown and Rainbow Trout. We’ll drive by white pumice beaches, yellow-flowered Kowhai Trees bordering the lake before continuing on through Tongariro National Park, with its snow-capped peaks. Tongariro, a World Heritage Park, is a unique alpine park with long vistas, tussock grasslands, raging rivers, and active volcanoes.
In the afternoon we will take the ferry to Picton on South Island. This is a sensational trip as we sail first through Wellington Harbour, then across a short stretch of Cook Strait, before travelling up the Marlborough Sounds for the final hour. During this three-hour crossing, we’ll keep a sharp eye open for Little Blue Penguins, Wandering Albatrosses, Mollyhawks, Fairy Prions, Fluttering Shearwaters and fur seals. The scenery is out of this world and never to be forgotten. We’ll stay overnight in Blenheim.
o/n Chateau Marlborough, Blenheim (B, L, D)
Day 7
Nelson Lakes National Park
We’ll leave in good time this morning for the hour-and-a-half drive through the peaks of the Southern Alps to Nelson Lakes National Park. This is a scenic park with walking trails that lead to the southern beech-fringed glacial lake of Rotoiti. In this magical forest, we’ll be immersed in the amazing songs of the Bellbirds, for there are many pairs of this endemic bird nesting here. We’ll also be on the lookout for the Kaka Parrot, Yellow-fronted Parakeets and the diminutive Rifleman. Those of us feeling especially energetic may decide to walk up to the tree line and out onto the sub alpine tussocks. Here, breathtaking panoramas of the national park will await us.
In the afternoon, we’ll return to Blenheim and then continue our drive along the East Coast and the Pacific Ocean to the old whaling village of Kaikoura. We’ll stay here for two nights. On the way, we’ll keep a lookout for endangered Hector’s Dolphins that live along this section of the island and stop at a rocky hauling-out spot for New Zealand Fur Seals. Our motel, for the next two nights, has a spectacular view of the snow-dusted, Kaikoura mountain peaks that rise above the shoreline.
o/n Panorama Motel, Kaikoura (B, L, D)
Day 8
Kaikoura Peninsula / Sperm Whales
After breakfast we will enjoy a three-hour boat trip. This part of South Island, in the lee of the towering Kaikoura Ranges, is an excellent area to view huge Sperm Whales, which feed in the deep waters just off the coast. This promises to be an action-packed cruise because we will also be looking for the three species of dolphins in these waters, including boisterous leaping Dusky Dolphins, plus the many species of southern ocean pelagic seabirds that are found here. Hutton’s Shearwaters, which breed in the mountain ranges overlooking the bay, may be active at this time of the year and often form huge rafts in the ocean.
In the afternoon, with feet firmly back on dry land, we will have a relaxing afternoon with an opportunity to take a walk into town or perhaps a leisurely walk along the Kaikoura Peninsula.
o/n Panorama Motel, Kaikoura (B, L, D)
Day 9
Kaikoura Peninsula / Christchurch
If the weather did not co-operate yesterday for our boat excursion, we will take the whale-watching trip this morning. However, if we were successful, we have scheduled a special nature walk to some of the varied forest and alpine habitats in the Kaikoura region.
In the afternoon, we will drive down the dramatically moody Kaikoura coast to the city of Christchurch. Christchurch is a serenely beautiful garden city that radiates the understated charm of a small English town, with its nineteenth century neo-Gothic architecture. The Avon River, fringed by Weeping Willows, flowering Rhododendrons and tall English Trees, weaves through the downtown area and Christchurch’s first-class botanical gardens. We’ll have the afternoon and evening to explore this fascinating city on foot.
o/n Copthorne Durham St. Hotel, Christchurch
(B, L, D)
Day 10
Peel Forest Park / Twizel
Today we will travel across the fertile Canterbury Plains to the foothills of New Zealand’s Central Alps. Our first stop is Peel Forest, a tranquil reserve that has a strangely tropical feel for, although dominated by giant fuchsias, it has an abundance of huge tree ferns and branches covered in epiphytes. There are some excellent walking trails in this forest where some of the magnificent trees are estimated to be up to 1000 years old.
After lunch, in sharp contrast to the quiet forests we have just explored, we will enter the sienna tussock grassland vistas of Mackenzie Country. As we wind across the foothills, with snow-capped mountains of the Southern Alps in the background, we’ll overlook the vivid turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo and other large glacial lakes.
There will be time for those of us who wish to take an optional flight over Mount Cook National Park, to fly over the highest peaks and glaciers of the Southern Alps. (Participants who have taken the flight consider it to be the best scenic flight they had ever had). We will then make our way to the town of Twizel, our base for the next two nights.
o/n Mackenzie Country Inn, Twizel (B, L, D)
Day 11
Mount Cook National Park
Today will be a leisurely day and a first-rate opportunity to savour the grandeur and unparalleled beauty of one of the most beautiful regions in the world. After breakfast, we’ll drive along the road beside the deep turquoise waters of Lake Pukaki to Mount Cook National Park where we will spend the day. There are some excellent walking trails in the area, one of which will take us through Hooker Valley to the glacial lake at the foot of Mount Cook and a panoramic view of the mountain. The spring wildflowers are in full bloom and add magnificent colour to the alpine backdrop.
On the way back to Twizel, we’ll leave the main road and visit some small ponds where we’ll look for the world’s rarest wading bird, the endangered Black Stilt.
o/n Mackenzie Country Inn, Twizel (B, L, D)
Day 12
Lindis Pass / Shotover Canyon
After leaving Mackenzie Country, we will travel over the striking Lindis Pass, through the stark tussock highlands, to Queenstown, New Zealand’s ultimate picture postcard resort town. It is mirrored in Lake Wakatipu’s calm waters and fringed with massive sierra-like snow-capped mountain ranges stretching as far as the eye can see.
After lunch, we’ll visit a remote area with breathtaking dramatic landscapes. This is Shotover Canyon, an historic gold-mining area that, at one time, was the second-richest gold-bearing river in the world. It petered out by 1900 and now, as we drive through the canyon, we’ll see ghost town ruins from the old mining settlements.
o/n Novotel, Queenstown (B, L, D)
Days 13–14
Sheep Station / Fiordland World Heritage Area
After travelling alongside Lake Wakatipu, the road winds into the upper Mataura Valley. Here are located several, backcountry sheep stations, the backbone of the New Zealand wool industry. We plan to visit one of these stations to watch the mustering and shearing of the sheep and also enjoy seeing the renowned sheepdogs at work.
To the west of Queenstown lies the Fiordland World Heritage Area. At times stunning, at others awesome and, in places, even tranquil this area encompasses New Zealand’s largest national park. Valleys gouged by glaciers and lakes nestled between range-upon-range of snow-capped mountains characterize the landscape. This will be our location for the next two days as we discover some of the magic of this incredible region.
During our time here, we will explore Eglinton Valley, which is most beautiful when its buttercups and lupines create a vivid blaze of colour. We’ll walk through this valley, famed for its Red Beech forests, and hope to see some of the forest birds found in this unique habitat. We might find the quaintly named Rifleman, Australasian Harrier, Shining Cuckoo, Brown Creeper, New Zealand Robin, Black-billed Gull or Yellow-crowned Parakeet.
Even more spectacular than Eglinton Valley is Hollyford Valley. It contains little-visited cirque basins that are botanical treasure troves set in impressive alpine surroundings. We will walk in the Gertrude Cirque to study the diversity and character of New Zealand alpine flora and, in the alpine meadows, amongst the Mount Cook Lilies, New Zealand Foxgloves and Wild Spaniards, we’ll try for glimpses of the endemic Rock Wren. We will also be on our guard against the noisy Kea, a large, bold alpine parrot that has been known to steal food and even lens caps from the unwary.
A visit to Milford Sound will not be complete without a cruise on the deep, icy blue waterways that flow into the Tasman Sea. We hope to sail on the Milford Adventurer that will allow us to search for Bottle-nosed Dolphins, New Zealand Fur Seals and the rarest penguin of all, the Fiordland Penguin. We’ll also stop at the Milford Sound Underwater Observatory and observe live coral, anemones, sponges, and fish in their natural habitat 10 metres below the surface. On one recent trip there, we even saw barracudas and sharks gliding past the observation windows.
o/n Quality Hotel, Te Anau (B, L, D)
Days 15–16
Otago Harbour / Dunedin / Taiaroa Head
Today we will reluctantly make our way back to civilization to the city of Dunedin, a very beautiful city rich in Victorian architecture. We will visit Otago Peninsula and Taiaroa Head and, although we will not be able to see the majestic Northern Royal Albatross on their nests, we do expect to see them as they are returning to their colony. These huge birds are majestic as they ride the wind effortlessly on stiffly held wings. Stewart Island Shags and Spotted Shags will be here in full breeding plumage, New Zealand Fur Seals bask on the rocks below the colony, and perhaps we’ll see an endangered Yellow-eyed Penguin in the water. We will have our farewell dinner in Dunedin.
o/n Southern Cross Hotel, Dunedin (B, L, D)
Day 17
Departure Day
Our morning will be at leisure in this exceptionally interesting university town, with its rich Victorian architectural heritage. We’ll enjoy lunch in the expansive botanic gardens before transferring to Dunedin Airport and our flight to Auckland. This will connect with our international group flight to North America. Since we will be crossing the International Date Line on our return to North America, we’ll regain the day we lost at the beginning of the trip.
(B, L)
