12 Day No Single Supplement Icons of New Zealand Aircruise

Auckland

Today your journey begins in Auckland. Meet your Journey Director and fellow travellers at a welcome dinner this evening. Dine on local seafood overlooking the harbour.

Accommodation: Hilton Hotel or similar

Auckland - Bay of Islands

Fly to the tip of the North Island, Cape Reinga, before landing at the Bay of Islands. Tour the historic township of Russell followed by a cruise on the picturesque Bay of Islands.

Accommodation: Copthorne Hotel or similar

Bay of Islands - Rotorua

This morning enjoy a spectacular flight over the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Then visit the famous Rotorua thermal region renowned for its towering geysers and significance to the Maori culture.

Accommodation: Duxton Hotel or similar

Rotorua - Marlborough

Re-board the aircraft today and enjoy spectacular flightseeing over Marlborough Sounds landing in the heart of the Marlborough wine country. On arrival transfer to the acclaimed Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre which houses a display like no other and you don't have to be an aviation buff to enjoy it! Human stories from the Great War come to life in a theatrical treatment, which is innovative and visually stunning.

Accommodation: Marlborough Vintners Hotel or similar

Marlborough Sounds & Wine Regions

Today experience a corner of New Zealand not many tourists get to see. Cruise the Marlborough Sounds on a luxury vessel. Visit Putanui Point which borders three sounds - Pelorus Sound, Kenepuru Sound and Mahau Sound. Enjoy a cruise throughout the picturesque sounds before returning to the mainland for lunch at a famous Marlborough winery.

Accommodation: Marlbourough Vintners Hotel or similar

Marlborough - Mount Cook

Today we fly from Blenheim to Mount Cook with spectacular flightseeing en-route of the Westlands National Park. On arrival in Mount Cook enjoy a walk up to the moraine wall to a viewing point with a spectacular outlook over the surface of the glacier with sink holes, ice cliffs and the terminal ice of the Tasman Glacier melting before you.

Accommodation: Hermitage Hotel or similar

Mt Cook - Te-Anau

After a morning of leisure take a glacier cruise, exploring the huge dripping ice face of New Zealand's largest glacier. Watch the ice melt in this tranquil glacial lake nestled in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. This afternoon flightsee the Westlands National Park which stretches from the coast to the top of Mount Cook and the spectacular Southern Alps before arriving in Te Anau.

Accommodation: The Distinction Hotel Te Anau or similar

Milford Sound - Queenstown

Cruise Milford Sound which reveals dramatic scenery where the high vertical walls of the Sound protect the pristine wilderness, see dolphins, seals and bird life. Travel through Fiordland National Park. Late this afternoon fly to Queenstown.

Accommodation: Sofitel Queenstown or similar

Queenstown

Enjoy a scenic drive to Glenorchy, then experience the thrill of a jetboat on the Dart River through "Lord of the Rings" country. Then travel the "backroad" by four wheel drive via "Paradise" back to Glenorchy before returning to Queenstown.

Accommodation: Sofitel Queenstown or similar

Queenstown - Dunedin - Wellington

Once again board our private aircraft for a short flight, enjoying brilliant alpine scenery, to the elegant city of Dunedin. Situated on the Otago Peninsula, Dunedin, the old Gaelic name for Edinburgh, with its ornate Victorian architecture, does indeed bear a resemblance to its Scottish namesake. In fact this entire region is known as the ‘Scotland of the South’, with its Gaelic place names and landscape veiled by grey mists and rich evergreen pastures. A brief tour of Dunedin highlights some of the city’s fine buildings and heritage. We then transfer to a local restaurant for lunch. Following lunch we visit historic Olveston House, which was designed for David Theomin by London architect, Sir Ernest George (1839-1922), and was built between 1904 and 1906. Surrounded by beautiful gardens on an acre of land, Olveston’s Jacobean style and grandeur make it a landmark of the city. Late this afternoon, we rejoin our aircraft for our final flight to Wellington and transfer to our hotel on arrival.

Accommodation: The Intercontinental Wellington or similar

Wellington

Wellington is the geographical centre of New Zealand, and is the focus of the country’s financial and political power. It is located on a beautiful harbour at the southern tip of the North Island, which was formed by the flooding of a huge crater. Wellington became the capital in 1865 and by 1870, the population was growing rapidly and it began to assume the cosmopolitan air that has characterised it ever since. Today we visit the acclaimed Te Papa Museum depicting the arts, culture and heritage of New Zealand and explore the city.

Accommodation: The Intercontinental Wellington or similar

Homeward Bound

Your 12 day New Zealand odyssey concludes today with connecting flights from Wellington to your home port.