New Zealand – Chin, Nature and Film Scenery
Short for ZK by abbreviationfinder, New Zealand is one of the largest countries in Oceania ranked by countryaah. Whether you want to challenge yourself with new sports or crazy activities or enjoy nature with stunningly beautiful views, everything is here in New Zealand. On the north island, sailing is the big sport where there is a climate that is more similar to the Mediterranean, while on the south island there is good skiing and alpine sports to practice as the climate is more like in Sweden. The country has been the backdrop for some real thunderous successes on film, among others. The Tale of the Ring and The Last Samurai. Maori + Tongue + Rugby = Haka! See it and feel how you shake from head to toe in fear !!!
New Zealand – 15 days
Day 1 Departure from Sweden
Day 2 Arrival in Christchurch
On arrival you pick up your rental car and continue to your hotel.
Day 3 Tranz Alpine Train
After breakfast transfer to the train station for boarding the Tranz Alpine Train across the Southern Alps one of the world’s most spectacular train journeys. Comfortably reclining by large panoramic windows, you enjoy the magnificent landscape of the high Alps. You pass through a total of sixteen tunnels, the longest of which at Arthur’s Pass is just over five kilometers. In the early afternoon you reach Greymouth where you pick up your rental car and continue to Franz Josef. Your hotel for the next two nights is carefully nestled in the ancient rainforest that covers a large part of the west coast.
Day 4 Glacier Country Lake Tours, Franz Josef
Today you will discover the region together with a guide. During a boat trip on Lake Mapourika surrounded by rainforest-edged bays, you are invited to views of the glaciers. On foot you then explore the rainforest more closely and from a hiding place you have the chance to see endemic birds from the Kiwi family.
Day 5 Franz Josef – Queenstown
You continue your journey along the border to the rainforest on your journey to Queenstown. Here it rains two hundred days a year and the annual rainfall is between five and ten meters. What from a distance may look like a forest of palm trees are huge ferns. The moisture evaporates from the ground and in the trees hang veils of moss that cover trunks and branches. The waterfalls take turns and the water flows along the mountain sides. In the afternoon you reach your hotel in Queenstown.
Day 6 Martin’s Bay / Milford Mariner Overnight Cruise
After breakfast, explore Martin’s Bay Spit, a famous landmark that separates the powerful Tasman Sea from the Hollyford Valley and offers a coastal landscape that is very different from what you experienced earlier during your hike. There are many historical sites of importance here and your guide also tells you about the largely endemic flora and fauna in this very remote place. After lunch at Martins Bay Lodge, say goodbye to your guides and continue for boarding the Milford Mariner for a cruise through the fjord and out to the Tasman Sea. It will be a safari at sea with plenty of time to look for seals, penguins and dolphins. For those who wish, there is the opportunity to discover the wildlife in one of the kayaks on board the Milford Mariner. When the sun starts to set, you anchor for an overnight stay on board your private cabin. After the evening’s dinner, you are invited to a lecture with the nature guides on board.
Day 7 Queenstown
After a quiet morning on the fjord, you return to Queenstown and your hotel. The afternoon is free for your own activities.
Day 8 Queenstown – Rotorua
In the morning you leave your rental car at the airport in Queenstown for further travel with flights to the North Island and Aukland. Upon arrival, pick up your rental car and continue your journey to Rotorua. Later in the afternoon you will be picked up for a trip to a traditional Marae, a sacred meeting place just outside Rotorua. Upon arrival at a Hongi, the ancient wood-carved meeting houses, you meet as Maori where you greet each other’s noses and are welcomed as one in the family. The evening is a journey in Maori customs and culture of course with a powerful chin the traditional war dance as one of the highlights. Together you will discover Maori cuisine during a traditional dinner before returning to your hotel.
Day 9 Rotorua
Rotorua is for many visitors to New Zealand perhaps the most interesting experience. European colonizers came here in the 19th century, but the Maori discovered the site with the beneficial thermal pools 500 years earlier. The day offers a mix of activities that are guaranteed to raise your heart rate a bit. Together with your guide, you start the day by exploring Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest by mountain bike. Here are routes through the beautiful forest for both beginners as well as more experienced cyclists. You then change bikes to a rubber raft for a breathtaking rafting downstream on the Kaituna River from Okere Falls. Lunch will be a welcome break at the local eco-café. The slightly calmer afternoon offers a very beautiful kayaking across Lake Rotoiti to the hot springs that can only be reached by boat. In the afternoon you will return to your hotel.
Day 10 Trekking Hollyford Track
Early start for one of the highlights of the trip is the three-day hike through the Hollyford Valley. You are picked up by your guide and in a small group you hike today 19km along the Hollyford River below the mighty southern Alps with views of the two highest peaks in Fiordland National Parks, Mt Tutoko (2746m) and Mt Madeline (2537m) You hike in the Maori and the footprints of early explorers along impressive waterfalls and through thick beech forests. At the end of the first day’s hike you reach Pyke Lodge where a three course dinner and comfortable beds await.
Day 11 Trekking Hollyford Track
While you are served a rich breakfast, you see how the morning light slowly reaches the mountain sides and the valley warms up for another day of hiking. In the morning, take New Zealand’s longest suspension bridge on your way across Lake Alabaster. The next adventure is guaranteed to go faster when you board jet Boats travel through the ravines of the Hollyford River. At Lake McKerrow you slow down to look for bottlenose dolphins who are frequent visitors to the area. The fates of the early discoveries are many and your guides are happy to tell you about past times as you walk on through the millennial forests. Soon the landscape turns into a huge coastal garden as you get closer to the coast. Strong waves that meet parts of the rugged coast are interspersed with calm coves inhabited by fur seals and penguins.
Day 12 Rotorua Volcanic Air Safari
White Island is New Zealand’s only active volcano and is located in the ocean in the middle of what is usually called the Bay of Plenty. Today you are offered a combination of fantastic views from your helicopter with even close contact with the volcano when you land on the moon-like surface. Together with your guide you do a short hike on the island and learn more about the volcano and the geology. You also explore the ruins of what was once a factory built in a fateful attempt to mine sulfur on the island. The afternoon is free for your own activities.
Day 13 Takatu Peninsula
Today you return in the direction of Auckland but instead of staying here you continue another hour north towards the Takatu Peninsula where the region’s best wines are produced. In the afternoon, explore the new world’s wines and enjoy the beautiful views.
Day 14 and 15 Return journey
You leave your rental car at the airport in Auckland and check in for a return trip to Europe.
