Ultimate Showcase

Day 1–2 - Fly to Auckland

Day 3 – Arrive Auckland

Arrive at Auckland Airport, meet your Grand Pacific Tours representative and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy a pre-dinner drink and meet your fellow travellers.

Day 4 – Auckland/Bay of Islands

Depart Auckland and travel to Matakohe to visit the Kauri Museum. Continue via Whangarei to Paihia and enjoy a tour of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

Day 5 – Bay of Islands

A free day to relax or join optional excursions, such as Cape Reinga, a scenic flight, or a dinner cruise (at extra expense).

Day 6 – Bay of Islands/Auckland

Cruise to Cape Brett and the famous ‘Hole in the Rock’, with the chance to spot dolphins. Return to Auckland for an evening at leisure.

Day 7 – Auckland/Rotorua

This morning, embark on a city sights tour of Auckland, dubbed the ‘City of Sails’. Travel through the picturesque countryside to Hobbiton for a buffet lunch and a guided tour of the 12-acre set where you can venture into an authentic Hobbit Hole interior for a fully immersive experience.

Day 8 – Rotorua

Today begins with a gondola ride and breakfast at Skyline, including time for a thrilling luge ride! Next stop is Agrodome for an action-packed hour of farming entertainment and education. Enjoy some free time before travelling to Te Puia to see boiling mud pools and dramatic geysers. This evening experience an entertaining Māori Hāngi and Concert

Day 9 – Rotorua/Napier

Depart Rotorua and travel along the Thermal Explorer Highway to Huka Falls and Lake Taupo. Continue to Napier, known as ‘The Art Deco Capital’, where you’ll see a comprehensive collection of Art Deco buildings. Board the Hawke’s Bay Express and hear about the city’s fascinating history. Enjoy some free time to explore the city.

Day 10 – Napier/Wellington

Travel south this morning into Wellington for a city tour of the nation’s capital, which will highlight the history and culture on show here. At Te Papa, New Zealand’s National Museum, explore Gallipoli: A Scale of War exhibition.

Day 11 – Wellington/Picton/Kaikōura

Step aboard the Interislander Ferry and travel through the Marlborough Sounds to Picton and continue the southbound journey along the rugged coastline, offering breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean, to Kaikōura.

Day 12 – Kaikōura/Christchurch

Start the day in the seaside village of Kaikōura, where mountains meet the sea. Consider taking an optional scenic f light to view the year-round population of sperm whales (weather permitting, at extra expense). Continue onto the Garden City of Christchurch for an orientation tour.

Day 13 – Christchurch/Arthur’s Pass/Fox Glacier

This morning board the TranzAlpine and travel over viaducts, river valleys and gorges as you ascend to Arthur’s Pass in the centre of the Southern Alps. Continue to Hokitika, famous for its Greenstone, then via Franz Josef to the township of Fox Glacier.

Day 14 – Fox Glacier/Queenstown

See the snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps as you travel south along the West Coast. Continue via the Haast Pass, an area of stunning beauty, before arriving at picturesque Queenstown, a year-round resort situated on the shores of magical Lake Wakatipu. This evening is at leisure.

Day 15 – Queenstown (Free Day)

Today is a free day for you to explore Queenstown. Consider the thrill of a jet boat ride or a heritage tour of Skippers Canyon. This evening board the vintage steamship TSS Earnslaw and cruise across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Station. Enjoy a delicious gourmet barbecue dinner followed by a short farm tour before cruising back to Queenstown.

Day 16 – Queenstown/Te Anau

Enjoy a leisurely start this morning before travelling to Arrowtown, an old gold mining village where you visit the Lakes District Museum. Continue to Te Anau, the gateway to Fiordland. Today you may like to visit the Te Anau Glowworm Caves (optional, at extra expense).

Day 17 – Te Anau/Milford Sound/Te Anau

Depart Te Anau for a fascinating drive to Milford Sound, where you board your launch for a cruise on this magnificent fiord. See the spectacular Bowen Falls and towering Mitre Peak as you enjoy lunch onboard. This afternoon, return to Te Anau where some free time is available.

Day 18 – Te Anau/Dunedin

Travel through Gore and Balclutha to Dunedin, known as the ‘Edinburgh of the South’ and enjoy a city tour. Hear the tragic history of Larnach Castle on a guided tour. Indulge in an Ultimate High Tea, followed by time to stroll through this Garden of International Significance.

Day 19 – Dunedin/Mt Cook

Bid farewell to Dunedin and travel to Oamaru famous for its limestone. Follow the Waitaki River and see Lake Benmore as you travel to Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest peak.

Day 20 – Mt Cook/Christchurch

This morning, there is an option to enjoy a scenic flight (weather permitting, at extra expense) over the Southern Alps. Continue to Lake Tekapo and view the Church of the Good Shepherd and the Sheep Dog Statue before arriving in Christchurch. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with your newfound friends.

Day 21 – Depart Christchurch

Transfer to Christchurch Airport for your flight home