| Itinerary |
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DAY 1
LAX or SFO/TAHITI/MOOREA |
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You are met by our reps at Papeete Airport, who will answer your
questions, provide additional contact information, counsel with you about
your Tahiti stay and make sure that you make your connecting flight. Take
a 10-minute flight to Moorea, where your hotel has arranged your transfer
to their property. Moorea is “the tropical South Sea island you
expect to find when you fly to Tahiti” and you are free today to
enjoy Moorea at your leisure or simply relax at the hotel. Activities
available to you include snorkeling or scuba diving in the coral reef,
a helicopter tour of the area, whale watching expeditions (May through
October only), white sand beaches, coral gardens, fishing (coastal or
deep sea), golfing, tennis, boating (sail, motor, row, or paddle), hiking,
biking, or a variety of other activities.
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DAY 2
MOOREA EXCURSION (optional) |
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| If you choose to take the 6-hour outrigger canoe excursion,
you will be picked up at the hotel at around 8:45. You will explore the
lagoon, feed the sharks and dolphins, go snorkeling and shelling, and have
a barbecue picnic on the motu (small island in the lagoon.) Most importantly,
you will experience the beauty of Moorea first hand. Of course, you may
forgo the tours and choose any of the activities mentioned in Day 1. In
the late afternoon, ask the concierge to direct you to the best location
for listening to the Tahitians playing guitars and ukuleles while singing
traditional Polynesian songs as you watch the magnificent sunset. Tonight,
a dinner show with traditional Tahitian dance, music and song. |
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| DAY 3
MOOREA/TAHITI |
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You checkout at 9 AM and are transferred by the hotel to the Moorea
airport to catch your flight to Papeete. The island of Tahiti is yours
to explore for the day (our rep will help you plan your day), but get
to bed early because you must be at the Papeete airport by 4:30 AM for
your flight to New Zealand. |
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DAY 4 & 5
PAPATEE/ CHRISTCHURCH |
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Don’t forget that you have crossed the
International Date Line and have lost a day. Your roughly 6 hour flight
to Christchurch departs Papeete in the early morning, possibly as early
as 5:40 AM. You arrive in Christchurch mid to late afternoon “tomorrow”.
Greeted at the airport by our reps, who will answer your questions, counsel
about your trip and transfer you to your hotel. New Zealand was a British colony and Christchurch prides itself for
its British heritage and appearance. Your hotel is in the heart of Cathedral
Square, which is ideal for exploring the city. Optional sightseeing tour features some
of the parks and gardens for which Christchurch is so well known. Visit
Mona Vale Gardens, Hagley Park, the Avon River, the Cathedral, Town Hall,
Canterbury Arts Center and the International Antarctic Center. Free evening
to explore the restaurants and cafes of Christchurch.
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DAY 6
CHRISTCHURCH / KAIKOURA / BLENHEIM |
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| Your car is delivered to your hotel. Drive north to
Kaikoura along the coast for whale watching. A marine nature tour by purpose
built rubber chase boat. This area is rich in marine life with a 95% record
of seeing sperm whales year round. Migratory pods of Orca (killer whales)
humpback whales, schools of Dusky Dolphins and their young are seasonal
visitors. Fur seals and albatross and a wide variety of other seabirds
reside in the area. Afternoon continue on to Blenheim. (B)
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DAY 7
BLENHEIM / NELSON |
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| Free morning. Blenheim is the center of the
Marlborough, New Zealand's award winning wine producing area. Among the
best known are Hunters, Montana, and Cloudy Bay Chardonnays and Pinot
Noir. Suggest that you visit some of the wineries or explore the lovely Marlborough
Sounds. Continue on to Nelson, a base for the lovely Abel Tasman National
Park. Nelson's sunny climate makes it popular with holiday makers as well
as being a famous apple growing region. Enjoy the shops and markets of
Nelson, where you can see the work of many local artists and potters.(B)
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DAY 8
ABEL TASMAN NATIONAL PARK DAY TRIP |
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Depart for Kaiteriteri in the Abel Tasman National Park. Thousands of
hectares of native forest, beautiful golden-sand beaches, clear coastal
waters make up the subtropical region. Explore by kayak in the morning,
then join the noon launch cruise to Tonga Island seal colony and Onetahuti
Beach Walk to Bark Bay before rejoining the launch again and cruising
back to Kaiteriteri. Return to Nelson. (B)
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DAY 9
NELSON / FRANZ JOSEF |
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Full day tour. Travel through the Butler Gorge, on to the South Islands wild West Coast, a sparsely inhabited area west of the Southern Alps. The area is renowned for greenstone, and native forests, as well as its magnificent glaciers, which are the largest anywhere in temperate zones. Visit the extraordinary Punakaiki Rocks. These layers of limestone rocks with a pancake appearance and blowholes are spectacular. Continue on the South Islands scenic coastal roads and mountain highways to Franz Josef village. (B)
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DAY 10
FRANZ JOSEF / WANAKA
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Enjoy a half day guided tour onto the snow and ice of Franz Josef Glacier.
You will be provided with boots, sock and snow sticks. If weather permits, you may be able to take a scenic flight over the glaciers, and perhaps a landing for that photo opportunity of a lifetime (added cost). Depart Franz Josef
traveling south along the coast through isolated country, turning inland
and traveling through magnificent rainforests, across the Haast Pass. You will have breathtaking views of Mt. Aspiring National Park.
Descend past glacial Lake Hawea to the eastern shore of Lake Wanaka and the village of Wanaka, which is one of the most beautiful of the South Island's glacial lakes and is a popular year-round vacation spot. (B)
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DAY 11
WANAKA / QUEENSTOWN |
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Morning free to explore Wanaka. There are opportunities for a wide variety
of outdoor activities. We suggest a visit to the Warbird's Museum to see vintage
fighter aircraft, or a visit to Puzzle World. In the afternoon a short drive
to Queenstown through Central Otago sheep and fruit growing country.
Or, a slightly longer drive takes you over the Crown Range with several sites that were used in the filming of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. On
arrival enjoy a sightseeing tour of this lovely alpine resort including
a visit to quaint Arrowtown and stopping at Kawarau to watch the bungy jumping,
with opportunity to have a go at it, if you dare! Dine this evening at the
Skyline Restaurant, and enjoy the panoramic views across the lake to the
surrounding mountains. Access is by aerial gondola. (BD)
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DAY 12
QUEENSTOWN |
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Free day in Queenstown with many optional activities available.
It has been said that Queenstown is like Aspen, Colorado but not yet discovered by the world.
The route
from Queenstown to Glenorchy is one of the most beautiful drives on earth
and you should see it if at all possible. There is excellent golfing, trout
fishing, bushwalking, and adventure activities, such as river rafting, and
parapenting. In the evening cruise across Lake Wakatipu aboard the vintage
Lake Steamer TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak Station, for a farm tour and dinner
at the colonial homestead.
Our clients invariably wish they had more time in the Queenstown area.(BD)
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DAY 13
QUEENSTOWN / MILFORD SOUND / TE ANAU |
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If the skies are clear, neither words nor pictures can prepare you for what you will see traveling around Lake Wakatipu and through Te Anau and Fiordland
National Park. The scenery is stunning with high mountains and deep valleys
carved out by ice age glaciers. There are clear rushing streams and leaping
waterfalls set in magnificent native rainforest. Cruise down Milford Sound
past Mitre Peak to the open sea. Seals and dolphins are often seen
and Milford Sound reminds us of the fjords of Norway except the mountains here are taller.
A buffet
lunch is served aboard. Afternoon travel to Te Anau. (BL)
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DAY 14
DOUBTFUL SOUND DAY TOUR |
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Full day tour. Drive to Lake Manapouri, and then travel aboard a high speed
launch to West Arm to visit the underground power station. Travel by coach
across Wilmot Pass through dense virgin rainforest. At Doubtful Sound take
a launch cruise
and experience a more mystical, remote version of Milford Sound.
There are resident dolphins and seals in the fiord plus
a variety of other marine life and birds. A boxed lunch is provided. (BL)
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DAY 15
TE ANAU / Queenstown/Auckland
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| You can choose to fly to Queenstown over towering peaks
and gorgeous fiordland (extra cost) or retrace your path and drive back
to Queenstown, which of course is a beautiful route. Participate in the
activities that didn’t fit your schedule on Day 12 or take an earlier
flight to Auckland or Christchurch. |
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DAY 16
AUCKLAND or CHRISTCHURCH/LAX or SFO
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Awake refreshed and board your flight for
home.  |
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