5-Day North Island to South Island Tour by Canterbury Leisure Tours

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Duration: 6d
Location: Auckland, New Zealand | Auckland, New Zealand


Category: Multi-Day & Extended Tours

Highlights:
5 full days to fill in the natural splendor of both islands
Insight into Maori culture & New Zealand's farming heritage
Wonders like a glowworm cave & geyser-filled thermal reserve
Breathtaking scenery of Lake Taupo & Malborough Sounds
Fascinating look at giant sperm whales off of Kaikoura

Inclusions:
5-day guided tour of the North and South Islands
4 nights accommodations
Guided tour of the Waitomo Glowworm Caves
Maori Cultural Tour and admission to the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve
Farm show and tour at the Agrodome
Inter-Islander ferry ride and Coastal Pacific train ride
Whale watching tour by boat or plane
Winetasting
Transportation to and from your Auckland and Christchurch hotels

Description:

From ocean-dwelling marine life to soaring mountain peaks, New Zealand is filled from sea to sky with fascinating natural wonders. Explore the best of both islands on this comprehensive tour as you journey from Auckland to Christchurch over the course of 5 days.

Day 1
From Auckland, ride to the Waitomo Caves for a fascinating underground tour, including a boat ride into the mystical Glowworm Grotto. From there, continue over the Waikato Plains and through lush Fitzgerald Glade to your hotel in Rotorua.

Day 2
Visit Te Puia for a Moari Cultural Tour, exploreing traditional crafts, music, and dance in a sacred marea (meeting house). Then watch the power of nature at work at the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve, where fumaroles steam, geysers spout water 100 feet (30 m) high, and mud pots gurgle and boil. For an introduction to New Zealand farming, visit the Agrodome, where you tour a working farm in an all-terrain vehicle to see sheep being shorn and sheep dogs at work. The afternoon is yours to stroll the town and gardens, soak in the Polynesian Spa, or ride the Skyline Gondola.

Day 3
From Rotorua, traverse farmland and forested hillsides until you reach Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. Admire its crystalline expanse as you follow the curve of the shore to the arid central plateau, framed by distant snow-capped volcanic peaks. Your route winds down along the Kapiti Coast to Wellington.

Day 4
Hop aboard the Inter-Islander to ferry across Cooks Straight and the blue waters of the Marlborough Sounds. Disembark in Picton, where you board the Coastal Pacific train to wind through rolling hills and seaside vineyards to your Kaikoura hotel.

Day 5
Set out to encounter the giant sperm whales that call Kaikoura home by boat or by plane, and follow your adventure with a visit to a fur seal colony. On the final leg of your journey to Christchurch, stop at a Waipara winery to raise a toast to a successful adventure across the islands.