Tour Type: Coach & Fly Tour Tour
Duration: 13 Days
Tour Starts In: Auckland
Tour Finishes In: Auckland
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from NZ $3999 pp
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13 Day Outstanding New Zealand Touring Route:
Tour Inclusions:
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Day
1 |
Auckland - Waitomo- Rotorua
From Auckland travel south through lush Waikato farmland, past Hamilton, to Waitomo Caves for a boat ride under a galaxy of glow-worms. Continue east to Rotorua, steeped in Maori culture and history. Tonight we enjoy a Maori Hangi (feast) and Concert, a quintessential New Zealand experience. Stay two nights in Rotorua.
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Day
2 |
Rotorua
Rotorua sits calmly atop some remarkable cracks in the earth's crust - sometimes giving the impression that the town is on fire. This impression is reinforced by the hot mists of Te Puia, roaring geysers and boiling mudpools heated to unbearable temperatures. Other highlights on your tour of Rotorua are the native and exotic vegetation at Rainbow Springs, which are world renowned for their pools of tame trout. The Agrodome Farm display features a vital section of New Zealand's agriculture, sheep shearing and a sheep dog display. This afternoon is free and there are many activities to attract you. |
Day
3 |
Rotorua to Wellington
Drive south through exotic forests, past Wairakei's permanent mantle of steam, then to Lake Taupo. The ominous peaks of Tongariro, Ngaruahoe and Ruapehu watch over our drive to Waiouru, drop down to the fertile Manawatu plains, past coastal horticultural farms, and rocky seascapes to Wellington. Stay two nights in Wellington.
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Day
4 |
Wellington City Tour & At Leisure
A morning tour of the city will take in the Parliament Buildings, Old St Paul’s Cathedral, Mt Victoria and an optional ride on the cable car. The afternoon is yours to relax. |
Day
5 |
Wellington – Picton – Christchurch
Catch the Interislander Ferry across Cook Strait and through the tranquil Marlborough Sounds to Picton. Board the Coastal Pacific Train to edge down a narrow coastal strip where the surf pounds the rugged Kaikoura Ranges. Cross the dry North Canterbury sheep country to Christchurch arriving in the evening. Stay overnight in Christchuch.
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Day
6 |
Christchurch – Greymouth – Glaciers
Board the renowned TranzAlpine Train and cross the Canterbury Plains to the mountains when Arthur’s Pass and the lengthy Otira tunnel lead you to the West Coast. Join your coach in Greymouth and travel via the jade carvers of Hokitika to the glacier region. Stay two nights at the Fox or Franz Josef Glacier.
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Day
7 |
Glaciers
Today you have a whole day at leisure. Perhaps enjoy an optional guided walk on the glacier, a heli-hike or a scenic flight, or an unguided walk to the terminal face. Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers both extend 12 kms from the high snow fields of the Southern Alps. The terminal face of the Franz Josef glacier is just 5 kms from the Franz Josef township and at Fox an easy walk from the village to the terminal face. |
Day
8 |
Glaciers – Queenstown
Dense rainforest contrasts with rugged coastal vistas as you plunge deeper into South Westland. As the Haast River guides you inland through the Haast Pass. Cross the pass to reach the southern lakes district and the alpine playground of Queenstown. Stay in Queenstown for 2 nights.
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Day
9 |
Queenstown
Today is completely at your leisure to enjoy the many sights of this alpine resort situated on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. Queenstown offers something for everyone - you can enjoy the quiet beauty and tranquility of this mountain retreat and enjoy several walking trails in the town area. For sheer excitement there is white-water rafting, helicopter rides, the famous jet boats, bungy jumping to pump your adrenalin, and offroad 4WD tours with plenty of river crossings. There are cruises on the lake and a visit to a high country sheep station, and wine tasting tours. You can visit nearby Arrowtown where the main street has been preserved since the 1860's gold rush days and you can try your luck and pan for gold in the adjacent Shotover River. We have
included the Skyline Gondola in your
tour. |
Day
10 |
Queenstown – Milford Sound – Te Anau
An early start around the southern
shores of Lake Wakatipu to Lake Te
Anau, then into Fiordland National
Park. Pass through pristine beech
forests and the Homer Tunnel to view
the majesty of Mitre Peak and Bowen
Falls while enjoying lunch aboard a cruise on the Sound. Depart Milford
Sound to return to Te Anau. Stay 1
night in Te Anau. (L)
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Day
11 |
Te Anau – Dunedin
This morning cross the Waimea Plains towards the farming community of Gore, then continue across the rolling hill country of Southland and South Otago to Dunedin. Second largest city in the South Island, the cityscape glitters with gems of Victorian and Edwardian architecture - the legacy of the city's gold-rush affluence - First Church, Otago Boys High School and Larnach Castle. Other prominent buildings include Olveston and Dunedin Railway Station. Dunedin is also notable now as centre for ecotourism. Uniquely, the world's only mainland Royal Albatross colony and several penguin and seal colonies lie within the city boundaries on Otago Peninsula. Overnight in Dunedin.
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Day
12 |
Dunedin – Christchurch
Head north through
historic Oamaru, through seaside
Timaru and across the Canterbury
Plains, arriving in Christchurch early
evening. Please note there is no commentary on this leg of the journey. |
Day
13 |
Christchurch – Auckland
Today you are are transferred by courtesy coach to Christchurch airport to catch your flight to Auckland where your tour ends on
arrival at Auckland Airport. Your flight is included in the tour cost. |
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13 Day Outstanding New Zealand Reviews
Tour reviews from past clients of Relaxing Journeys.
9 Reviews,
Average Rating 4.4
of 5.
|
This is a wonderful journey for my husband and I. The most impressive thing was the flawless transportation arrangements - all pickup & drop offs of the shuttles were on time, and so was the coach. We did not have to call any of them to re-check, they just came when they were due. We selected 'Gold' accommodation - while most of them are well worth the money in terms of conveninent location and top class service, a couple of them are below our expectations as the premises are aging and certainly need a touch up. Prior to the trip we compared the tours with a few other companies but none of them can provide a package as tailored as we want, except Relaxing Journey. Our travel consultant, Toni, had patiently answered all my queries and gave great suggestions. Just right before I'm about to confirm the itinerary and make the payment, I was recommended by a friend to insert a couple activities into the already-packed schedule. We had to keep at the originally planned number of days as I had to report back to work right after the trip. Toni had no hesitation & immediately found out the possibilities and amended the itinerary in the next day or so. I have highly recommended Relaxing Journey to a few colleagues, on the day I returned to work from our holiday.
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Accommodaton
Tour Pace
Our Service
Liz (Hong Kong)
Tour Date 26/03/2012 |
We have completed a wonderful journey in your country. The people were wonderful and the scenery absolutely fabulous, as promised when we spoke over the phone, I am writing to you to give you our feedback of the overall journey. The logistics worked superbly, all transfers and tour were on time or ahead of time (two exceptions I will cover later). The coach drivers commentary about the country were very instructive and helpful. Our favorite attraction was Milford Sound and the Fox Glacier helicopter tour - both were stunning and we will remember them all our lives. Best accommodation - Wellington and Napier (at both we had ocean views from our room). Accommodation to improve - Christchurch, good to take a plane the next day but otherwise nothing to do around but being stuck in the hotel and the facilities are average. Areas for improvement. A small point, to cross on the ferry in Wellington and connect with the train you receive one combined voucher that is kept by the ferry operator, when you get to the train station they require a voucher that you no longer have. The solution would be to issue a separate voucher for each. If I had to redesign the tour I would stop in Dunedin spend an extra day and fly from there to Auckland rather than spend a day by bus to go to Christchurch to take a plane for Auckland. The handling of suitcases by the bus driver, train and ferry is tough on the luggages. I had a fairly new luggage that had both handled cut and broken to a point where it became unusable and I had to buy a new one in Dunedin. We had two small incidents that had no lasting consequences. The first was on our way to Waitomo, the bus luggage compartment openned while running and the suitcases went out flying. Our luggage were not impacted but were delayed 45 minutes. The second was an accident with the bus ( minor ) and we needed to have the bus replace ( in a small town before Queenstown ), lost 2 hours . Overall we had a great time and I want to thank you again for the great work you did for us in working together to set it up.
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Robert & Yolande Robitaille (Canada)
Tour Date 24/02/2012 |
The entire trip was fantastic. This was my first time in New Zealand, and I didn't have time to plan my own trip, so this tour was perfect for me. The independent tour gave me everything I wanted - all of the transportation and accomodation was all set up, even some local tours in different cities, and I also had free time to explore each city on my own, do things that I wanted to do. All of the transportation was on time, we never had any problems, all the hotels except one was right in the middle of the city, perfect location to get to all the main town events. It was totally stress-free.
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Ashley Hodes (United States)
Tour Date 08/02/2012 |
I was going to write to you anyway to thank you for an excellent tour. Everything worked very smoothly and I was always met at every place for transfers. Hotels were very comfortable and well run. Breakfasts really good. (I had a fantastic room in Queenstown). Buses were on time and the drivers gave just about the right information as we travelled along. Very interesting usually. I did enjoy the tours and Maori evening and feasts very much in Rotorua. A small criticism would be that we felt we were rather rushed from one tour to another - it would have been nice to have had a bit longer at the Agridome and Rainbow Springs. The whole trip absolutely suited me and I'd love to do it all over again! I liked the flexibility of putting in extra days when required. I had a great time with a friend in Dunedin and seeing the Otago Peninsula.
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Hilary Jex (aka Lawrence) (United Kingdom)
Tour Date 17/01/2012 |
Apart from Relaxing Journeys having been recommended to us by a friend, we felt we were in for a good time because of all the careful and friendly 'handling' prior to the trip. We weren't disappointed, in fact, we were overwhelmed by how well everything went and how good a time we had. NZ is such a beautiful and friendly country, your choice of hotels and excursions showed the country off at its best. We have already passed on your details to two groups of friends who are planning a visit and if we are ever lucky enough to go back to NZ, we shall definitely be contacting you.
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Angela & Mick Kett (United Kingdom)
Tour Date 19/10/2011 |
The trip was awesome - everything we hoped it would be. Magnificent scenery and friendly people. All transfers, coach and train rides, and activities went smoothly and were just as had been described. Working with Toni Harris at Relaxing Journeys was a pleasure. She was patient, accommodating, and quick to respond to my questions and concerns. While many of the New Zealand tour companies offered similar trips, I chose Relaxing Journeys because of the experience I had planning our adventure with Toni. I'd be happy to share my experience with others interested in similar trips. It was hard to leave this beautiful country. Thank you for making this trip so 'relaxing'.
Ilene Kurzman (United States)
Tour Date 30/12/2010 |
We would first like to commend the efficiency of the voucher system, and how smoothly all connections were made. The coach drivers, excursion guides, and hotel staff we met everywhere were courteous and very helpful in offering suggestions on sights we should see during our free days. The only potential mishap was on our last day on our way from Dunedin to Christchurch when a vehicle accident (not involving us) delayed our arrival to the airport for the flight to Auckland; however, we did arrive with about five minutes to spare so everything worked out. As for the Independent Coach Tour itself, we would have to rate it in the top two overseas vacations we have yet taken. The itineray was perfect in giving us a good overview of your spectacular country. We only wish we had at least one more day to spend at each destination. The excursions were all fun and educational, including the ones we added to those that were included in the Tour package. One thing that especially caught our attention was the extreme cleanliness just about everywhere we visited, from clean public bathrooms which seemed to be everywhere to the total lack of litter on the roadsides. The only litter we can recall seeing was a minor amount on the plaza in front of the famed Cathedral in Christchurch following the take down of the Farmers Market the day we were there. Yours is a very tidy, clean and well managed country. As for food, we had the best chicken and veggie penne we ever tasted in a small restaurant just two blocks from the New Zealand Capitol Building in Wellington, and some of the best fish and chips at Fox Glacier. It is curious though that New Zealand (and Aussie) wines are cheaper in the States than in the area closer to their origin. Finally, we do want to commend the weather man who delivered us fair weather 80 to 85 percent of the time on the tour. Overall it was a glorious visit and we would advise anyone to make the same independent coach tour of New Zealand, only that they double the time. We will likely be back to visit within a few years.
Michael & Jill Zan (United States)
Tour Date 05/12/2010 |
Your travel arrangements were perfect. Each step of the travel process - i.e. each voucher that we came to - was executed flawlessly. We are extremely grateful for the precision with which your planning and scheduling worked for us. It relieved us of all concerns as we made our way through your beautiful country. We were particularly impressed with the people involved in your hospitality industry -bus and taxi drivers, hotel staff, all others were kind and friendly to us. The drivers for both Great Sights NZ and Intercity/Newman were well-informed and very willing to share with us relevant information about the areas through which we were traveling. We recognize the 'touristy' nature of Rotorua, but particularly enjoyed the Agrodome Show and the Tamaki Village hangi and concert. Our driver for Tamaki Tours - Natta, we believe - is absolutely brilliant! He learnt and remembered the names and nationalities of all 45 or so passengers on the trips to and from the village and used this memory to amuse and entertain us along the way. He made it a fun 'international' experience. Thanks to you, Toni and Relaxing Journeys, for your good work. We would hope to come again (and use your service again) some time in the future.
Stan & Carolyn Wilkes (United States)
Tour Date 27/11/2010 |
I meant to write you after our trip to New Zealand last fall that you arranged for us. You were so helpful every step of the way, with all our individual changes and requests, AND the trip itself was perfect. There was not a single snafu. Everything was perfect, every transfer on time, ever hotel expecting us, and so forth. Anyway many, many thanks!! We had a wonderful time and hope to return some day.
Melanie & Russell Chapman (United States)
Tour Date 08/11/2008 |
Tour Prices
All tour prices below are per person. |
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| Stay |
Twin Share |
Single |
Triple |
Breakfasts |
| Motel |
NZ $3,999 |
NZ $5,479 |
NZ $3,759 |
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| Bronze |
NZ $4,089 |
NZ $5,609 |
NZ $3,909 |
NZ $300 |
| Silver |
NZ $4,579 |
NZ $6,589 |
NZ $4,269 |
NZ $350 |
| Gold |
NZ $4,959 |
NZ $7,429 |
NZ $4,529 |
NZ $390 |
| Apartment |
NZ $4,549 |
NZ $6,529 |
NZ $4,129 |
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EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL OFFER
2012 Autumn & Winter Sale! Take $300 per person off the prices shown, if you place your tour deposit this month!
Valid for bookings made with Relaxing Journeys between 1 May 2012 and 31 May 2012
with your tour starting between 1 May 2012 and 30 September 2012 . Subject to availability at time of booking. |
*Prices above are valid 01 November 2011 to 30 September 2012. Prices before or after this period are on request.
*Child discounts apply to children under 11 at the time of travelling. Save 25% if child travelling with two adults and 10% if only 1 Adult and 1 Child are travelling.
*Terms & Conditions apply to any discounts and/or specials above. Your designated tour consultant will apply the appropriate discounts automatically to your quote and detail any currently applicable 'Exclusive Specials'. |
Tour Information
This is an independent coach & fly tour and operates daily. |
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Independent New Zealand Coach & Fly Tours
Independent coach & fly tours are
the ideal way to explore New Zealand. We pre-book all your travel arrangements including coach, rail, flights and ferry transport, accommodation, transfers between your transport and accommodation and key sightseeing activities. We can add and take off days in the middle, start or end of your tour and you can choose to add meals and/or pre and post tour accommodation. While the coaches do not have dedicated tour guides, the multi-talented coach drivers provide excellent onboard commentary. You will receive an informative touring wallet which will include brochures, detailed maps, tour vouchers and comprehensive itinerary.
Accommodation Levels
Your coach tour accommodation is in specially chosen properties, centrally located and of a high standard. Choose from 5 levels of accommodation - Motel, Bronze, Silver, Gold & Apartments. All accommodation is subject to availability at the time of booking so get in early!
Daily Departures
Our independent coach tours operate daily, using regular airline, coach, train and ferry services. This provides you with excellent flexibility when planning your coach tour start date to coincide with your flights or other holiday arrangements.
General Information
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