Detailed Daily Itinerary

Day 0
Fly from your hometown, on the airline of your choice, to Auckland, New Zealand. This will take you across the International Date Line, so you’ll arrive TWO days later, but you'll make it up when you return home.  Or, you may choose to arrive a day or two early to rest and enjoy all that Auckland has to offer.

Day 1 (of tour) Monday
You’ll arrive in Auckland, City of Sails, and join us at our Auckland hotel (where we’ll be staying the following night) and meet for an orientation get-together.  We’ll join our coach for a drive to visit Waitangi, the birthplace of modern New Zealand, and then on to Paihia, and our oceanside hotel in the lovely Bay of Islands. You may wish to visit the quaint shops, take a stroll through the historic town, or take a brief ferry ride over to Russell to experience the fascinating little local museum, visit the French Pompallier House, the first Catholic building in NZ, or sip a drink on the verandah of the Duke of Marlborough hotel overlooking Kororareka Bay. We'll all enjoy a dinner tonite together.
O/N (Overnight) Paihia (Dinner)

Day 2
After breakfast, We’ll leave historical Paihia and coach to the twin tiny towns of Opononi and Omapere on sparkling Hokianga Harbour. We’ll continue our journey and visit Tane Mahuta, the Maori "God of the Forest", (the biggest Kauri tree in existence) before heading south through the largest remaining stand of trees in the Waipoua Kauri Forest. After lunch we’ll visit the intriguing Matakohe Kauri Museum, where we’ll see their strange and wonderful collection of Kauri forest artifacts, a demonstration of kauri forest practices, and view their extensive historic photo collection. We'll view an unusual and rare Gannet colony and then head to our Auckland hotel close to the harbor where the America’s Cup boats are moored. We'll have dinner together at the top of the hotel with panoramic nighttime views of the city.
O/N Auckland (B, D)

Day 3
Today, after breakfast, we’ll take our coach south through Kiwifruit country.  We'll visit the world-famous Waitomo Glowworm Caves.  and on to the region most famous for geysers, hotsprings, and mud pools: Rotorua. This area is of great significance to the Maori, who discovered, explored, and first settled here in the 14th C.  After lunch we’ll visit a highly unique geothermal area together.  Tonight, you’ll enjoy an unforgettable experience (one of many!), an authentic Maori “hangi” or feast, complete with dancing and the War Dance (the Haka). We’ll then retire to our centrally-located, quaint Victorian hotel next to Government Gardens, the Blue Baths, Polynesian Spa, and the Klamath Rose Garden.
O/N Rotorua (B, D)

Day 4
After a nice breakfast, we’ll take a scenic drive to Napier, famously known around the world as the Art Deco capital of New Zealand.  You'll enjoy a guided walk through the town.  Enroute to Napier, we'll stop for a lunch opportunity at one of the myriad of wineries in this well-known Hawke's Bay Wine Region. We'll enjoy dinner together tonite at our lovely hotel.
O/N Napier (B,D)

Day 5
We’ll leave after breakfast for a scenic drive to the capital of New Zealand, Wellington, where we'll marvel at the wonders of the new National Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa ("Our House" in Maori).  Here we’ll have a guided tour of the extensive museum, including an elaborately decorated marae (Maori meeting house). We’ll enjoy lunch together at a great restaurant, and have the rest of the day free to see more of the museum, visit the fine old Victorian houses dotting the city, see the National Archives with the original Treaty of Waitangi, the Maritime Museum, or… default to shopping. You’re free tonite to enjoy the constellation of marvelous restaurants that Wellington offers. We’ll enjoy our stay for two nights at our centrally- located , harborview hotel. 
O/N Wellington (B, L)

Day 6
After breakfast we’ll gather for a visit to NZ’s most famous author’s home, Katherine Mansfield. We’ll take a short stroll to historic Old St. Paul’s Cathedral, built in early English Gothic design with its magical timbered roof. Our coach will pick us up for a short hop to one of our favorite restaurants for lunch, Red Dog.

After lunch we'll take a cable car ride up to the top and walk down through the lovely Botanical Gardens (or.. ride the cable car down) where we'll join our coach back to our hotel.
O/N Wellington (B, L)

Day 7
Post breaky we’ll leave Wellington for a fast ferry across Cook Strait to the South Island. As we approach, we’ll wind our way through beautiful Marlborough Sound before arriving in Picton, gateway to the most famous wine country in NZ. While here, we’ll visit several well-known wineries for tastings, and have a wonderful lunch at a Tuscan-inspired hilltop winery. Now, it’s on to Nelson, a small city of brightness and pleasantry. This sunniest region of NZ is home to some of the finest National Parks in the country—Abel Tasman, Nelson Lakes,and Kahurangi.
O/N Nelson (B, L)

Day 8
After a nice breakfast we’re off to Christchurch, the most English of NZ cities. Enroute we’ll stop in Kaikoura for lunch, the town famous for Sperm Whales, Hector’s Dolphins, and other sea mammals. On the way we’ll stop for wine-tasting (or tea) at Canterbury Vineyards.  Soon we’ll arrive at our central Christchurch hotel and we'll have dinner together.     O/N Christchurch (B, D)

Day 9
Right after breakfast we make a journey across the Southern Alps on our coach to Arthur's Pass, look for the crazy Keas (mountain parrots), and then drive south, down the west coast, via Hokitika (where we'll visit a Maori Jade workshop), Shantytown, Ross and arrive in Franz Joseph Glacier for a visit. Then on to Fox Glacier and our hotel and dinner together tonight.
O/N Fox (or Franz Joseph) Glacier (B, D)

Day 10
After a hearty breakfast and a walk through a subtropical rainforest and on to a magnificent glacier, we’ll drive to Lake Wanaka, deep in the Southern Alps while looking for views of magnificent Mt. Cook, the highest peak in Australasia. We'll stop for lunch and a visit at a salmon farm and then on to our lovely resort hotel, right on the lake. 
O/N Lake Wanaka (B,D)

Day 11
We’ll make an early start after breakfast so that we can visit the Kawarau Gorge via scenic Cardrona Pass to see the birthplace of bunjy jumping. Chances are very good that we'll see some jumpers. We’ll continue on to visit the old, restored gold-mining village of Arrowtown where we'll have a lunch opportunity, and then it’s on to Queenstown, adrenaline capital of NZ.  We’ll take a gondola ride for a bird’s eye view of the city, Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkable Mountains.
O/N Queenstown (B)

Day 12
Enjoying our breakfast, we’ll journey early through Fjordland National Park in order to catch our cruise boat through the crown jewel of the South Island, magnificent Milford Sound. We’ll eat our lunch and return to Queenstown, through the bejeweled mountains of the Southern Alps. And then back to the hotel for some shuteye.
O/N Queenstown (B, L,D)

Day 13
After breakfast it’s off East through Gore, Brown Trout Capital of the World, and on to Dunedin, the most Scottish of New Zealand cities. We visit the Otago Peninsula, where we’ll tour and lunch at NZ’s only castle, Larnach.  We'll visit Dunedin's incredibly unique train station, and view Otago University, oldest in NZ!  Dunedin is where our 2-week tour ends.  For our guests on the 3-week tour it's off to the lovely little coastal limestone town of Oamaru, visiting the geologic phenomena (Septarian Concretions) known as The Moeraki Boulders. 
O/N Oamaru (B,D)

Day 14
Our guests in Oamaru will have the A.M. free after breakfast to stroll through this fascinating, white-stoned town.  We'll then coach to the intriguing Duntroon Fossil Beds where we'll investigate the remains of ancient marine mammals enclosed in the limestone as well as visit the Parkside Quarries where the legendary whitestone is obtained.  Later, you'll have the opportunity, if you wish, to view the Little Blue Penguins returning from the day at sea after our dinner together.

O/N Oamaru (B, D)

Day 15
After breakfast it’s on the coach to head south to Invercargill along the scenic coastal highway and through the incredible Catlin Mountains where we’ll visit the Fossil Forest, Jack’s Blowhole and more. We'll have a picnic along the way at some picturesque beachside spot. Weather permitting, we’ll take a view of Stewart Island from high atop a viewpoint at Bluff.
O/N Invercargill (B, L)

Day 16
After breakfast, we’ll fly to Stewart Island, the New Zealand of yesteryear. This is the stuff of a naturalist’s dream. After lunch, we’ll take a naturalist-guided tour of unspoiled Ulva Island with our Maori guide. Ulva Island is one of only three predator-free islands in NZ where we can see the bird-life up close and personal.  We have seen rare Saddlebacks, melodius Bellbirds and Tuis, the tiny Rifleman, wacky Wekas, the colorful Kakariki, and many more.  We’ll enjoy dinner together at a wonderful hilltop local dinner spot that we know.
O/N Stewart Island (B, D)

Day 17
You'll have today completely free of planned activities, and the opportunity for personal activities such as; a Kiwi bird excursion, ocean fishing, hiking, bird-watching, walkabouts, a bus tour of the island, browsing at the local museum and aquarium, and/or shopping in Oban, diving, snorkeling, kayaking... or just relaxing on your porch at the hotel.  Enjoy the incredible beauty!  Many good opportunities for lunch and dinner on your own.     O/N Stewart Island   (B)

Day 18
Sometime after breakfast we’ll take our plane back to Invercargill.   We’ll have lunch together at a local lunch spot and visit the Southland Museum with an expert (of 32 years!) on the Tuataras, New Zealand's small version of living, prehistoric dinosaurs.  We'll see the rest of the museum with it's unique sub-Antarctic Island exibit, Moa exibit, and more.  The beautiful Queen's Garden is nearby for a visit.
O/N Invercargill (B, L)

Day 19
After a sumptuous breakfast we'll take the coach North, towards NZ's second city, Christchurch.  Tonite we'll have a most unique  Kiwi experience, a dinner and overnite at a working farm.  You'll all enjoy seeing the Red Deer, Wapiti, sheep, and many other farm animals, and see how they're cared for.

O/N Farm Stay  (B,D)

Day 20
After breakfast we'll take a most scenic coach ride to Christchurch via the Kawarau Goldfields, the Clyde and Twizel River valleys, Oamarama (the sailplane capital of NZ), view glacial Lake Pukaki and Tekapo, and the charming little town of Geraldine.  Tonight we'll dine together for our farewell dinner at a most unique, prize-winning restaurant on the River Avon, in Christchurch.
O/N Christchurch (B, D)

Day 21
After a nice breakfast, the tour is complete and we'll bid our guests a fond farewell, until our next Quantum Tour together.

What a tour this has been!!!!

Itineraries may be subject to change

Rev. 11/13/05

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