Cheryl loves leading trips to her homeland! New Zealand is more beautiful than you can imagine, boasting a wide variety of extraordinary scenery. Throw in the friendliest, most welcoming people you could ever meet plus great activities and you have the trip of a lifetime. Highlights include walking on a glacier that tumbles into a rain forest, sea-kayaking turquoise waters to golden sand beaches, sailing in the Bay of Islands and a quiet prelude on Fiji’s Beachcomber Island. However nothing is more memorable than our stay on the Maori tribal homeland. We are greeted with ceremony and warmth, treated with generosity and kindness and we leave as family. New Zealanders will open their homes and their hearts to you. A trip to “Godzone” is the most special of experiences.
Tue
Depart Los Angeles, 10:30 pm, Air Pacific. Meet at the gate at 9:30 pm
Thur
Arrive Fiji, 5:30 am (10 hr flight - lose a day to the International Date Line). Relax at a hotel in Nadi. Ride a catamaran over to Beachcomber Island. Scrumptious feasts are prepared by our Fijian hosts and signaled by the beat of drums. Mostly you'll want to sleep this afternoon and recover from jet lag.
Fri
Enjoy an all-day stay on the island. A wonderful opportunity to relax and recharge before our New Zealand adventure. Coral viewing & snorkeling are free. You can also sea-kayak, sail, toboggan, jet-ski, parasail or scuba dive. The catamaran collects us at 4 pm and we return to the hotel in Nadi. Dinner at our hotel.
Sat
Transfers to airport after breakfast, depart 11 am on Air Pacific for 2 pm arrival in Auckland. Load our van and drive to Paihia. Dinner with the locals. Apartment accommodations for three nights.
Sun
Journey to the top of New Zealand! At Cape Reinga we’ll see the broiling waters where the two oceans meet. Traveling in an air-conditioned dune-rider we’ll travel 90-Mile Beach taking a break to toboggan down sand dunes and stroll on the beach. A cool forest walk will bring us to giant Kauri trees and our evening meal will be at an ocean-side fresh fish restaurant.
Mon
Enjoy a wonderfully relaxing day in the Bay of Islands sailing on a 50’ yacht. You can take the helm or just sit back and relax. We’ll lunch at an unspoiled anchorage and swim in crystal clear waters. Maybe we’ll see dolphins. The scenery is stunning. Later, wander about the tiny community of Russell, New Zealand’s first town. Gravestones and musket holes in historic buildings tell tales of less tranquil times in New Zealand history. Visit the park where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the Maori people and European settlers. Dinner in Paihia.
Tue
Pakiri Beach is our morning destination for horse riding. We’ll ride through the dunes and pohutukawa glades to this gorgeous, deserted coast. Riding along the white sands and into the shallows is an exhilarating experience. After lunch we’ll drive east to the Coromandel Peninsula. Our motel is in the beachside community of Tairua with dinner at a local restaurant.
Wed
Morning takes us on a short drive up the coast and a hike down to Cathedral Cove for swimming and relaxing on this beautiful beach. Drive south through coastal communities and past kiwifruit farms to Omarumutu Marae, a Maori homeland near Opotiki. Experience a very moving, traditional welcome as our group is called onto the marae. Our gracious hosts prepare our meals and we sleep comfortably and communally in the whare (meeting house). Children entertain us with Maori songs and dances. Tribal members are anxious to learn from us, teach us their ways and share our cultures. Our stay on the marae is a highlight of the tour and is a very moving experience.
Thur
A short drive this morning to the Rangitaki River for a wonderful two-hour white water rafting trip. These are mostly grade 3 rapids with a float section through idyllic native forest. After lunch, see boiling mud pools and at thermal reserve, walk to geysers and silica terraces. Then onto Lake Taupo with a stop at thundering Huka Falls on our way to thermal hot pools for a pre-dinner soak. A BBQ dinner will be prepared poolside then we have a 40-minute drive to our motel in Turangi.
Fri
A 7.15am departure for a short hop to the trailhead of the Tongariro Crossing. Known as "the finest one-day hike in NZ" this 8–10 hour hike takes us around the dormant conical volcano Ngauruhoe and across craters of the extinct Mt. Tongariro. Look down upon amazing views of emerald lakes, steaming hillsides and gaping vents from previous eruptions. The hike is challenging particularly the downhill section at the end. The views are so spectacular you’ll find the challenge well worth the effort – promise! Later we soak in the motel’s hot pool while dinner is prepared.
Sat
Drive to the capital city of Wellington with lunch served in a private home overlooking the water. Wellington reminds one of San Francisco with houses clinging to steep hills and a scenic harbor. Ride the Inter-Island catamaran to the South Island, across Cook Strait and through the Marlborough Sounds. Eat dinner in the charming town of Picton before diving to our motel in Nelson as the sun sets.
Sun
It's a secinc drive to breakfast in Motueka. This is our day for sea-kayaking the emerald seas and golden beaches of Abel Tasman National Park. Kayak on crystal clear water around the shoreline and across to islands. Relax on the beach and swim while lunch is prepared. If there’s an afternoon sea breeze, we’ll hoist our sails and take the easy way back! Drive to Murchison for dinner. Drive though sheep country to our motel at Maruia Springs. Enjoy a wonderful soak under the stars in natural hot pools encircled by rocks, before climbing into bed.
Mon
Our road south is squeezed between the Southern Alps and a stunning coastline, often compared with Californi's Big Sur. At Punakiki we'll walk out to the limestone pancake formations and if we're in luck, the sea will send blowholes into the air. In Greymouth we'll journey by 4x4 truck into the Beech forest to see glowworms and a gold mine. A local prospector "claims" to have gold in your pan within one hour! Enjoy a short bush walk and negotiate the 1860's Chinese gold-diggers maze. Lunch will include bush tucker washed down with billy tea. Further down the coast at Hokitika we&Mac226;ll visit the best greenstone shop in NZ. Our evening is spent at Franz Josef. Dinner is "Blue Ice" pizza - a trip favorite.
Tue
No-where in the world at this latitude have glaciers advanced so close to the sea. Climb the fast-moving and ever-changing Franz Josef Glacier. See incredible ice formations and walk beside walls of blue ice, maybe even into an ice cave. After lunch we&Mac226;ll travel over the Alps through Haast Pass. Dinner is in Wanaka and then it's a short hop over the spectacular Crown Range at sunset to Queenstown, New Zealand's most beautiful city. Our three-night stay is at a Motor Lodge.
Wed
Breakfast at your leisure in our lodge. Catch a 10am ride on the historic steam ship Earnslaw. Cruise Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Farm where we'll see a sheep-dog round-up a flock of sheep and also a shearing demonstration. After a lunch of fresh salads and marinated meats join in a piano sing-a-long on our way back to Queenstown. There's time for shopping before visiting a wildlife park to see the nocturnal kiwis being fed. Ride the gondola up to the top of Queenstown. We'll ride the luge at the top - guaranteed to make you feel like a kid again! Dinner in Queenstown.
Thur
Day off!! Queenstown has a host of activities for the adventure traveler to indulge in. Take a thrilling jet boat ride on the Shotover River or jet boat and kayak the Dart River (remember the turquoise water in Lord of the Rings?) Queenstown is also the launching point for trips to world re-known Milford Sound by bus, air or helicopter. Shopping, relaxing, paragliding and bungy jumping are other suggestions.
Fri
An early start for our drive through Mackenzie Country to Christchurch. The highlight will hopefully be views of Mt Cook (Aoraki) across the glacial waters of Lake Pukaki. We'll lunch on the shores of Lake Tekapo, visit the Church of the Good Shepherd and see the beloved memorial to the high county sheep dog. Our treat tonight is our stay in a large home with a New Zealand family. A roast lamb dinner and pavlova dessert (NZ specialty) around their table is a wonderful way to bring the trip to a close.
Sat
After a hearty breakfast we drive into Christchurch - the most English city outside of England! Relax on a punt boat ride on the Avon River, see the Cathedral and suffragette memorial (NZ women's right to vote was the first in the world!) Shop and lunch at the Arts Center. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Auckland. Bus to the International Terminal for your flight to Nadi. Layover until 11pm flight to LAX.
Sat
STILL! Arrive LAX 1:15pm. This is the day we lost on the flight over! Allow two hours to clear through immigration, baggage claim and customs when booking connecting flights to your hometown.
