New Zealand Tour

Package Overview

Delve into the art and architecture of New Zealand’s North Island, from its Maori heritage to its privately-owned art collections and sculpture parks, on this 10-day tour. The tour begins in the harbourside capital of Wellington, before heading up the Pacific coast to Napier and across the centre of the island to Lake Taupo and Rotorua, culminating in four days in and around Auckland. Experience how the dramatic mountain ranges, centres of volcanic activity, stunning coastlines and rolling green hills, are both setting and context for the art and culture of New Zealand.

Experience
The diverse wealth of Maori culture, an integral part of Kiwi life today
World-famous sculpture parks and gardens, still in private hands
New Zealand’s art in an iconic building: colonial to contemporary at the Toi o Tāmaki Art Gallery, Auckland
Remarkable architecture, ranging from Art Deco Napier to Auckland’s cutting-edge design
Striking landscapes – rugged mountain ranges, wild coastlines, beautiful harbours, lakes and islands
Dramatic volcanic and geothermal activity in the centre of the island
HIGHLIGHTS

Internationally-renowned and privately-owned sculpture parks – Gibbs Farm, north of Auckland, and Connells Bay on beautiful Waiheke Island
Remarkable landscape at Waimangu, with steaming geysers, hot springs, waterfalls and abundant wildlife
Napier’s impressive Art Deco in harmonious public buildings, beach promenades and commercial and residential buildings
Behind-the-scenes tour of Auckland’s Toi o Tāmaki Art Gallery, New Zealand’s largest and most inspiring visual arts experience
Scenic drives through mountains, volcanic landscapes and verdant countryside
The wonderful food and world-class wines of the North IslandReturn international/domestic air travel unless those flights take place during the tour
Special taxes and airport levies that can only be paid in cash at the destination. We will advise you of these charges (if any) before you depart
Costs involved in obtaining visas for countries visited, where required
Travel insurance. We require all participants to have comprehensive travel insurance. A typical policy for one of our tours will cost from $160 upwards, depending on your age, pre-existing medical conditions, the countries you are visiting and the overall length of your trip
Lunches and dinners not specifically mentioned as included in the itinerary
Personal expenses such as laundry and phone calls
Costs associated with any activity mentioned as “optional” in the itinerary, or any suggested free time activity

Contact Agent Plan A Trip Text Me

Day wise Itinerary

• Day 1 : Arrive Wellington

  We suggest you book a flight that arrives in Wellington in the mid-afternoon. It is a short taxi ride from the airport to our downtown hotel. Meet your fellow tour participants and the tour leader in the hotel bar in the early evening before walking to a restaurant in nearby Courtenay Place for our welcome dinner. Overnight Wellington

  • Meals & Drinks : Dinner

• Day 2 : Wellington Heritage

  A walking tour from the botanic gardens above the city down to the waterfront introduces us to the history of Wellington from its Maori origins to its establishment as a profit-making colony by Edward Gibbon Wakefield and later the national capital. In the afternoon we visit the impressive Te Papa Museum, across the road from the hotel. A museum specialist takes us through the galleries of Maori heritage and the early colonial exhibitions, to give us a sense of the country’s earliest years. There is also an excellent ANZAC gallery to visit. The later afternoon is free to call in at the small National Portrait Gallery or visit other exhibitions. There may be the opportunity to catch a show at the excellent Circa Theatre, adjacent to our hotel. Overnight Wellington

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

• Day 3 : Wairarapa

  We farewell Wellington by visiting the summit of Mount Victoria, overlooking Cook’s Strait and Wellington Harbour. We then make the spectacular crossing of the Rimutaka Mountains north to Martinborough, in the heart of the Wairarapa district. The pinot noir produced in Wairarapa has an international reputation and we will get a chance to sample it at a local outlet. Our lunch stop is at the Puhaka Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre, where we can see Tuatara, Kiwi and other native New Zealand fauna. In the afternoon we travel north through classic New Zealand sheep country, arriving in Napier in the early evening. Dinner is at Mint Restaurant, a local favourite. Overnight Napier

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Day 4 : Art Deco and Hawke’s Bay

  Napier, on New Zealand’s Pacific coast, boasts a remarkable architectural heritage. An earthquake in 1931 destroyed most of the city centre, but it was rebuilt immediately in a consistent Art Deco style. Today Napier is recognised as one of the densest concentrations of small scale Art Deco architecture anywhere in the world. This morning a local guide takes us on a walking tour of the city centre. After some free time to visit the regional art gallery and stroll the seaside promenade (also Art Deco), we head by coach to the Art Deco residential suburb of Marewa and the nearby National Tobacco Factory, and onto Hastings, built mainly in the Spanish Mission style. Hastings is at the heart of the Hawke’s Bay wine district. With a climate similar to that of Bordeaux, the area is known for its sauvignon blanc and syrah varieties, which we have the opportunity to evaluate for ourselves at a wine tasting. Overnight Napier

  • Hotspots : Climate, Climate
  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

• Day 5 : Lake Taupo

  A morning’s coach travel takes us across the Kaweka Range to Lake Taupo. Here, we visit the small but interesting local history museum, and take a short boat cruise to see some impressive contemporary Maori rock carvings on the lake shores. We continue to Rotorua, stopping briefly at the dramatic Huka Falls on the way. This evening we visit the Te Puia hot springs and geyser park, observing this natural spectacle and learning about local Maori history and culture. Overnight Rotorua

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 6 : Rotorua

  We spend the morning exploring the Waimangu ‘volcanic valley’ with a local guide. The valley was formed through dramatic volcanic activity in 1886. We first take a path past craters, lakes and hot springs before joining a short cruise on Lake Rotomahana, with fumaroles and other evidence of the 1886 eruption. The afternoon is free and you can choose to visit the excellent Rotorua Museum, be pampered in a hot spring or take the helicopter ride to White Island, an active stratovolcano in the Bay of Plenty. Overview Rotorua

  • Hotspots : Overview, Overview
  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

• Day 7 : The Bay of Plenty & Ayrlies garden

  This morning we head north to the shores of the Bay of Plenty and the attractive town of Tauranga. After calling in at the local art gallery, we continue north to the southern end of the Coromandel Peninsula and on to Ayrlies Garden at Whitford, on the outskirts of Auckland. The garden and its founder, the octogenarian Beverley McConnell, featured in the TV series Around the World in 80 Gardens with popular British broadcaster Monty Don. The 15-hectare garden began life in 1964 and today it is rated a Garden of International Significance by the New Zealand Gardens Trust. We continue to Auckland in the early evening. Overview Auckland

  • Hotspots : Overview, Overview
  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

• Day 8 : Gibbs Farm

  In 1991 Alan and Jenny Gibbs purchased a stunning estate overlooking Kaipara Harbour, about 50km north of Auckland. Over a period of 20 years they commissioned large site-specific sculptures from some of the world’s leading artists, including Andy Goldsworthy, Sol LeWitt, Anish Kapoor and Richard Serra. A visit to Gibbs Farm, open to the public just four days per year, is a wonderful experience and the combination of coastline, rolling green hills and truly world-class art is an intoxicating one. We return to Auckland in the afternoon, with the intention of catching an orchestral concert or play this evening. Overnight Auckland

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast,picnic Lunch

• Day 9 : Auckland Gallery and Waiheke

  Auckland has a vibrant visual arts scene, and we spend the day exploring it. Our first stop is the Auckland Art Gallery, home to a celebrated collection of 19th-century Maori portraits as well as more contemporary works. We go behind the scenes, visiting the gallery’s well-regarded conservation department. In the early afternoon we take the 45-minute ferry ride across Auckland Harbour to Waiheke Island. This idyllic island has wineries, secluded beaches and a number of art centres. We visit the Connell’s Bay Sculpture Park on the eastern tip of the island, where the owner takes us on a walking tour of their excellent collection. We end the day with a sunset dinner at the Mudbrick Vineyard, enjoying the spectacular views back to Auckland. We return to Auckland in the evening. Overnight Auckland

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 10 : Auckland Museum and Departure

  After a late check out, we head through some of the city’s best suburbs to visit the Auckland Museum and its excellent collection of Maori history and art. We then head to Auckland airport. We suggest you book a return flight to Australia after 4.30pm. Overnight Auckland

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

Contact Agent Plan A Trip Text Me

Inclusions

• Hotel
• Sightseeing
• Any flights mentioned in the itinerary that take place during a tour
• Land travel by private air-conditioned coach. Where appropriate public transport is also used for short distance travel on some tours
• All accommodation in hotels or apartments as stated in the itinerary
• Breakfasts, lunches and dinners specifically stated as included in the itinerary
• Drinks at welcome and farewell meals. Other meals may not have drinks included
• Background talks on tour, site notes and online resources
• Services of tour leader throughout tour
• All entrance fees to sites mentioned in the itinerary
• Local guides at some sites
• Tips for drivers, local guides and restaurants for included meals
• Airport Transfers
• Tours begin either at the arrival airport or the first hotel, depending on the itinerary. If you have booked your international flights with Academy Travel and arrive before the tour commences, we will provide airport to hotel transfers to the closest main city on your arrival, and to the closest airport at the end of the tour. These may be either individual or group transfers.

Contact Agent Plan A Trip Text Me

Exclusions

• Return international/domestic air travel unless those flights take place during the tour
• Special taxes and airport levies that can only be paid in cash at the destination. We will advise you of these charges (if any) before you depart
• Costs involved in obtaining visas for countries visited, where required
• Travel insurance. We require all participants to have comprehensive travel insurance. A typical policy for one of our tours will cost from $160 upwards, depending on your age, pre-existing medical conditions, the countries you are visiting and the overall length of your trip
• Lunches and dinners not specifically mentioned as included in the itinerary
• Personal expenses such as laundry and phone calls
• Costs associated with any activity mentioned as “optional” in the itinerary, or any suggested free time activity

Contact Agent Plan A Trip Text Me

Terms & Conditions

Payment Terms & Methods :
* Some Advance Percentage of total booking amount
* Airfare/Transport fare to be paid full at one time in advance.

Cancellation & Refund Policy :
* Upon cancellation, refund will be made after deducting the Retention Amount.
* Retention Amount varies as per the number of days left before your package start date.

Contact Agent Plan A Trip Text Me

This Tour is Offered by

Academy Travel View Profile

0 / 5

• Level 1, 341 George St Bank of New South Wales Building, NSW, Sydney, Australia
• XXXXXX0023 View Contact
• XXXXXXXXXX@academytravel.com.au View Mail ID

About Academy Travel

Contact Agent Plan A Trip Text Me

Interested in This Tour?

• Requests are send directly to the tour operator
• We recommend to request quotes from 3 operators