12 Day Beaches & Vineyards

12 Day Beaches & Vineyards Touring Route:

Tour Inclusions:

• 2 night stopovers in Coromandel, Whakatane, Gisborne & Napier
• Visit the wine regions of Gisborne, Hawkes Bay & Martinborough
• Full day guided Coromandel tour with Kiwi Dundee
• While Island Volcano Cruise & Tour
• Gisborne Winery & Vineyard Tour
• Guided Hawke’s Bay Wine Tour
• Entry to Mt Bruce Wildlife & Nature Reserve
• 11 nights accommodation of your choice
• Full cooked breakfasts daily & 2 lunches
• Rental vehicle of your choice
• Satellite Navigation Included
• Admissions outlined in the Itinerary
• Personal 'Meet & Greet' at the airport, with private transfer to your accommodation
• Comprehensive travel compendium, maps, CD guide, vouchers and travel guides

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Arrive Auckland
"Haere Mai" Welcome to Auckland - the 'City of Sails'. On completion of formalities, you will be personally met by our representative & transferred in an executive sedan to your accommodation. The remainder of the day is at leisure to explore what Auckland has to offer. Auckland is built on an isthmus of 48 volcanoes, fertile valleys and islands that are home to award-winning wineries. Family attractions abound and the city has plenty of adrenaline for adventure lovers. Indulge in auckland's shopping, nightlife and unrivalled cuisine. Discover why Auckland is one of the best places in the world to live - and visit.

• B&B: The Great Ponsonby Art Hotel
• Hotel: The Heritage Auckland
• Boutique: Hotel DeBrett

Auckland to Coromandel Peninsula
Your car will be delivered to your hotel this morning. Today, travel south to the Coromandel Peninsula, a beautiful rugged area fringed with dozens of excellent beaches that separate the Pacific Ocean from the Hauraki Gulf. It is place where many Kiwis choose to escape the hustle & hype of city life and is home to many arts & crafts people who seek an alternative lifestyle. A visit to the quaint township of Coromandel is highly recommended & if time permits, we suggest riding the Driving Creek narrow gauge railway to a fascinating artist colony. Cross the divide to the eastern side of the peninsula for your overnight stay. (B)

• B&B: Harbour View Lodge (2 nights)
• Hotel: Grand Mercure Puka Park (2 nights)
• Boutique: Colleith Lodge (2 nights)

Explore local surrounds with ‘Kiwi Dundee’
Enjoy a full-day guided tour this morning with local expert & personality, ‘Kiwi Dundee’. Enjoy the scenic beauty of the area & learn about the flora, fauna and history of the Coromandel region. Kiwi Dundee Adventures is internationally recognised as one of New Zealand's top guiding companies, offering visitors a variety of deluxe, small group, or private customised tours & walks in the Coromandel Peninsula. (B/L)

Bay of Plenty, Whakatane
Depart the Coromandel area this morning and head south along the coastal highway. Visit the gold mining town of Waihi and drive through the mural town of Katikati, before arriving at the popular beachside resorts of Tauranga & Mt Maunganui. Continue the drive along the East Coast to Whakatane, the base for boat trips to White Island, an active volcanic island off the coast. (B)

• B&B: Alfresco B&B (2 nights)
• Hotel: White Island Rendezvous (2 nights)
• Boutique: Motuhora Rise (2 nights)

Volcanic White Island Cruise & Tour
Cruise out to White Island this morning on board a luxury launch, taking in the scenery and marine life. On arrival at White Island explore New Zealand’s only live marine volcano. Trained tour guides will take you through the old sulphur mining factory and up to the main crater’s edge. It’s all here .. the hissing, roaring, & eerie steam rising from the crater lake. Back on board the launch, enjoy lunch before cruising back to Whakatane. (B/L)

Opotiki, Gisborne
Drive past Ohope Beach to Opotiki before heading inland and across to Gisborne. There is a longer, alternative route around the East Cape if you are not in a hurry. The scenery here is nothing short of spectacular. A string of remote rural communities dot the unspoilt Eastland coastline & pounded by the wild surf of the Pacific Ocean, this region embraces one of New Zealand’s most beautiful & historic areas. Maori culture is strong in this part of the country, so be on the lookout for carved gateways and meeting houses (Maraes). (B)

• B&B: Knapdale Eco Lodge (2 nights)
• Hotel: Portside Hotel (2 nights)
• Boutique: Knapdale Eco Lodge (2 nights)

Gisborne Wine Tour
With high, hot sunshine hours, fertile clay loam soils and some of the most acclaimed winemakers in the country, Gisborne is famous for producing exceptional Chardonnay, Gerwurztraminer, Viognier, Pinot Gris, Merlot and Malbec. Your wine tour today will showcase the incredible wines, winemakers, vineyards and cellar doors that make this wine region so unique. Visit tree winery cellar doors for wine tastings and enjoy a freshly prepared antipasto lunch at a winery. (B)

Gisborne to Napier
Continue south along the Pacific Coastal Highway. Follow the sweeping coastline into Napier, widely regarded as one of the best Art Deco cities of the world, the result of a thorough rebuilding after a massive earthquake destroyed the town in 1931. (B)

• B&B: Cobden Garden Homestay (2 nights)
• Hotel: Scenic Hotel Te Pania (2 nights)
• Boutique: Hawthorne House (2 nights)

Hawkes Bay Wine Tour
Widely regarded as the “Tuscany of the South Pacific’, this region boasts some of New Zealand’s best and oldest wineries. This afternoon you’ll join a locally guided tour to learn about the area’s unique growing conditions, visiting several wineries where you’ll taste some great wines & also get to sample some of New Zealand’s finest cheeses. (B)

Napier to Martinborough
Today’s route has you driving through some of New Zealand’s rural heartland with a mixture of sheep, dairy and crop farming. Stop at Pukaha Mount Bruce Nature and Wildlife Reserve where you’ll experience some of New Zealand’s endangered wildlife up close and in the wild. Learn about what is being done to save kiwi, tuatara, kokako, kaka and return them to our forests. Later, make your way through the farming towns of Masterton, Carterton and Greytown before arriving in the boutique wine-village of Martinborough. (B)

• B&B: Aylstone Retreat
• Hotel: Peppers Martinborough Hotel
• Boutique: Parehua Country Estate

Martinborough to Wellington
Take time to stroll around the village before making your way over the Rimutaka Range to arrive into New Zealand’s Capital – the harbour city of Wellington. Take a drive up Mount Victoria or a ride up the Cable Car to get some magnificent views of this picturesque city. You may also like to have a walk around Oriental Bay, visit ‘Te Papa’, the Museum of New Zealand, or spend some time shopping or dining in one of the many fine restaurants down town. (B)

• B&B: Lambton Heights
• Hotel: Novotel Wellington
• Boutique: The Bolton Hotel

Depart Wellington
At leisure today for some last minute sightseeing before returning your rental car to the airport in time to connect with your onward flight. (B)

Note: This self drive tour can be completed in reverse order, the tour cost remains the same. To view tour prices or to make an enquiry, please click on the Tabs at the top of this itinerary. Top