Northern Highlights – Superior Coach Tour

Package Overview

Discover Rotorua, a city unique for its geothermal activity, bubbling mud and towering geysers. Here you will enjoy a stroll through Te Puia’s fascinating thermal reserve and explore the Maori Cultural institute, an onsite school which showcases the ancient traditional arts of woodcarving and weaving.

Discover New Zealand’s largest lake, the vast Lake Taupo and relax in the beautiful Bay of Islands where you can discover the birthplace of modern New Zealand, the Waitangi Treaty House and grounds, located on a hilltop overlooking the bay.

Other Information

Optional Extras

Single Room Supplement
Duration
8 Days / 7 Nights

Departure
​Please click on the Price & Date Tab for departure dates.

All must see sightseeing activities
Personalised airport transfers
Hotel porterage
Dedicated Coach Captains sharing local knowledge and personal experiences
Travel in premium, well appointed and fully airconditioned 5 star coaches
Full buffet breakfast daily
Panoramic windows and dual entry
Restroom on board
Travel kit including bag, ticket wallet, umbrella, diary, local travel information & more
The finest centrally located hotels available in each destination
Seat rotation plan
When you travel on a Kirra Coach Tour your Coach Captain maintains a daily seat rotation plan to ensure you get to know
all your travelling companions and enjoy the scenery from a different vantage point each day.

Smoking policy
All our coach tours are smoke free and are restricted to smoking during the frequent sightseeing, photographic and comfort stops. We request non-smoking hotel rooms for the comfort of our entire tour group. Travellers who prefer accommodation without such limitations are asked to make their preference known when making reservations and again at the beginning of their tour.

Travelling Alone
As a single traveller we give you the option of a guaranteed single room when you purchase the single supplement. Alternatively, as a single traveller not paying the single supplement, we will match you with another traveller on a twin share basis of the same gender. There may be instances that there are no other single travellers on the tour and in these cases we will provide you with a single room at no extra cost.

Triple discount
When sharing a triple room a saving of 5% applies to your tour price. If you also require pre and post accommodation
we have prices available on request. Please note most room configurations are double or twin in which case the third bed is likely to be a rollaway. We are unable to cater for 4 adults wishing to share one room. A triple discount does not apply to tours including the Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise

Day wise Itinerary

• Day 1 : Arrive Wellington

  Welcome to New Zealand. A tour representative will greet you at the airport with transport waiting to take you to your hotel.
• Day 2 : Wellington / Taupo / Rotorua

  Leave Wellington behind this morning as you travel north past rolling picturesque hills on your way to Paekakariki, a stunning coastal region with views that extend over Kapiti Island. On a clear day from this vantage point you may even catch sight of the South Island far in the distance if you are lucky. Continue through agricultural towns and pass idyllic rolling farmlands as you draw nearer to the central North Island National Park, a region dominated by the volcanic Mt Ruapehu. Follow this Desert Road to Lake Taupo and pause at New Zealand’s largest lake, famous for trout fishing and a popular holiday spot. Next view the mighty Huka Falls where the full force of the Waikato River pours through a narrow chasm and crashes into the river below, before skirting massive pine forests to reach Rotorua, an important centre of Maori culture and a region famous for its fascinating geothermal activity.

  • Meals & Drinks Breakfast
• Day 3 : Rotorua

  Enjoy a visit to the Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley this morning, arriving at Te Puia to be greeted at the gates by twelve awe-inspiring Guardians, each carved from wood with a distinctly unique expression and representing the divine realms. After this extraordinary arrival, you will enter the inspiring Maori Arts and Crafts Centre which aims to preserve Maori culture and traditional arts for generations to come. Discover this fascinating reserve which also showcases some of Rotorua’s best thermal activity, with its boiling mud, silica terraces and Pohutu Geyser. After your visit you will enjoy a free afternoon, allowing you to try out some optional activities if you choose. Your Coach Captain will be happy to assist you in making any bookings or in providing suggestions. This evening you will discover the Tamaki Maori Village. You will be greeted by imposing warriors who will perform the Powhiri (traditional Maori welcome) before you walk through a forest of pine trees and learn about some of the traditional Maori arts. Later enjoy a Maori hangi (traditionally prepared meats and vegetables) which has been slow cooked beneath the earth using hot stones, as well as a selection of more conventional dishes. Be inspired by a concert and cultural performance featuring stirring Maori songs, haunting chants and the famous haka.

  • Meals & Drinks Breakfast, Dinner
• Day 4 : Rotorua / Matamata / Hamilton

  Cross the Mamaku Ranges this morning and leave Rotorua behind, travelling into the lush farmlands of the Waikato. Arrive into Matamata and meet your guide who will escort your group on a fun and interesting Hobbiton Movie Set and Farm Tour, providing a deeper look behind the scenes of the filming for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Take a drive through this stunning 1,250 acre sheep farm whilst hearing about how the Hobbiton Set was created. Lastly, relax in the Green Dragon, a fun authentic style Inn just like that in the films. Later travel north to reach Hamilton where you have the afternoon free to explore before tonight enjoying a tour and dinner at the Good George Brewery, a local treat that will give you a real sense of New Zealand’s famous hospitality.

  • Meals & Drinks Breakfast, Dinner
• Day 5 : Hamilton / Bay of Islands

  Departing Hamilton, travel alongside the Waikato River before crossing the Bombay Hills to reach Auckland. Cross the distinctive Harbour Bridge for the drive north along the scenic Hibiscus Coast, admiring the numerous stunning beaches as you travel onwards through Kawakawa to Paihia in the beautiful Bay of Islands. Here you will be met by a local Maori guide who will travel with you to the famous Waitangi Treaty House and Grounds. Once at the Treaty House and Grounds, you are free to explore at your own pace, discovering the beautifully carved Maori Meeting House and giant war canoe all set in spectacular grounds overlooking the bay.

  • Meals & Drinks Breakfast
• Day 6 : Bay of Islands

  Today enjoy a full free day in the beautiful Bay of Islands – take the time to relax and stroll through Paihia, checking out the many shops and cafes as you discover for yourself exactly why the Bay is such a popular holiday destination. Alternatively, if you want to take advantage of your time here and try out some optional sightseeing activities, your Coach Captain will happily assist in booking these in for you.

  • Meals & Drinks Breakfast
• Day 7 : Bay of Islands / Auckland

  Travel South today through Whangarei and Warkworth, passing a satellite tracking station and lush rolling scenery until you reach the charming village of Matakohe. This pretty town is home to the award winning Kauri Museum, a locally created treasure-trove of pioneering clothing, equipment and history. Particularly fascinating are the household objects and jewellery carved from precious Kauri Amber which once belonged to local families, as well as the extraordinary wealth of information about the Kauri trees themselves, so important to the early settlement of New Zealand. After this continue on to Auckland and enjoy a city tour before you arrive at your accommodation for an afternoon at your leisure. This evening why not take a stroll down to Auckland’s vibrant Viaduct district or check out the cafe culture evident in the city’s winding laneways. And no visit would be complete without a trip to the summit of Sky Tower, at 328m the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, for superb city and harbour views.

  • Meals & Drinks Breakfast
• Day 8 : Auckland / Home

  New Zealand Coach Tour arrangements end after breakfast today. It is time to farewell your travelling companions and if required you will be transferred to Auckland Airport to join your flight home.

  • Meals & Drinks Breakfast

Inclusions

• Hotel
• Sightseeing
• Dining inclusions – 7 breakfasts and 2 dinners
• Te Puia Thermal Reserve
• Good George Brewery Tour & Dinner
• Entry to Waitangi Treaty Grounds
• Entry to Kauri Museum
• Auckland Tour
• Visit Huka Falls & Lake Taupo
• Free time in Rotorua
• Tongariro National Park
• Explore Hamilton
• Day at leisure in Paihia
• Authentic Maori Village, Hangi & Concert
• Hobbiton Movie Set & Farm Tour

Price & Rates

Terms & Conditions

This Tour is Offered by

• 12 Princess Street, Christchurch, New Zealand - 567
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