Visit the trilogy of New Zealand’s most popular cities on this 10-night escape and discover the changing landscapes and sights that make each destination unique.

Visit the trilogy of New Zealand’s most popular cities on this 10-night escape and discover the changing landscapes and sights that make each destination unique.

Includes:

  • Round-trip airfare from Los Angeles to Auckland, returning from Queenstown
  • Four nights Mercure Auckland
  • Two nights Notovel Rotorua Lakeside
  • Four nights Rydges Lakeland Queenstown
  • Half-day Auckland City Revealed tour
  • Full-day Wine on Waiheke tour, Auckland
  • Full-day Auckland to Rotorua via Waitomo Caves & Hobbiton
  • Evening Maori Cultural Experience including Hangi Dinner, Rotorua
  • Full-day Geothermal Wonderland Tour, Rotorua
  • Half-day Safari of the Scenes, Queenstown
  • Walter Peak Station Evening Dining Experience, Queenstown
  • Full-day Milford Sound Nature Cruise
  • Round-trip airport/hotel transfers throughout            
  • US/foreign taxes & fees including Sep 11 Security Fee
  • Applicable airline fuel surcharges

Discover Auckland, a city between two harbors and set on 52 dormant volcanic cones.  Enjoy a journey of discovery to explore the history and sights as well as see how Aucklanders live and play.  See the picturesque suburb of Ponsonby scattered with historic buildings, cross the Harbour Bridge to North Shore and stroll on Narrow Neck Beach in the historic suburb of Devonport, visit the Auckland Fish Market and see the stunning panoramic views of Auckland City from the summit of Mt Victoria.

Air New Zealand Flight Crew

Take a cruise from Auckland to Waiheke for a deluxe vineyard tour and visit the picturesque Mudbrick vineyard overlooking the sparkling waters of the Hauraki Gulf where you will enjoy premium wine tastings. Continue to Ridgeview Estate, Waiheke's newest and highest winery with breath-taking views across the water to Auckland City and the Coromandel and enjoy a tour of the vineyard, tastings and a mouth-watering plate of nibbles.  The last stop for tastings before returning to Auckland is Te Whau Vineyard, acclaimed for its restaurant as well as stunning views and outstanding architecture.

Leave Auckland on a full day tour to the small town of Waitomo for a guided tour through the world famous Waitomo Glowworm Caves with their amazing stalactites, stalagmites and other limestone formations. Enjoy a silent yet magical boat ride through the Glowworm Grotto - a subterranean cavern lit up by the lights of thousands of tiny glow worms.

Depart Waitomo and enjoy a delicious picnic style lunch en-route to Rotorua where you will transfer to the Hobbiton Movie Set coach.  Enjoy a scenic drive across the Kaimai Ranges to the picturesque 1,250 acre farm near Matamata where scenes from Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies were filmed. Learn how the farmland was transformed into The Shire from Middle-earth and let your guide will show you Hobbit holes, the Green Dragon Inn, the Mill and many other structures from the movies. Return to Rotorua for your two night stay.

Experience the very best of Rotorua's geothermal wonders at Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland and the Waimangu Volcanic Valley on a half-day Geothermal Wonderland Tour.  With close up views of the spectacular geothermal activity, see the amazing diversity of geothermal features and the stunning volcanic landscapes.  See New Zealand's largest boiling mud lake, Lady Knox Geyser erupting daily at 10.15am, colorful volcanic craters of every tint and hue, hot streams, boiling hot springs, hissing fumaroles, vividly colored silica terraces, steaming cliffs, hot crater lakes, unique thermally adapted plants, native rainforest and birdlife.  

Your afternoon is free before joining a Maori Cultural Experience to learn about the history and traditions of the Maori people and dine on a traditional hangi dinner.

Fly to Queenstown, the alpine resort town located on the shores of crystal clear Lake Wakatipu near the stunning Fiordlands and surrounded by majestic mountains. Join a half-day tour that takes in recognizable film locations and stunning natural scenery taking you from Queenstown to Glenorchy with stops at breath-taking viewpoints. From Glenorchy follow the Dart River to the spectacular filming location for Isengard which offers stunning views of Mt Earnslaw before heading to Paradise; the location for the Forest of Lothlorien.  On your return to Queenstown, stop at 12 Mile Delta to explore the location of the Ithilien Camp.

A stay in Queenstown is not complete without a stop at the stunning Milford Sound. Enjoy an informative commentary en-route to the Sound and take a relaxing nature cruise with spectacular views of waterfalls, rainforests, mountains and wildlife.  There is free time to explore points of interest before returning to Queenstown by road late evening.

Enjoy an evening cruise on the TSS Earnslaw Vintage Steamship followed by dinner at the Colonel’s Homestead at Walter Peak. Sample an expansive array of New Zealand’s traditional cuisine from the Carvery Buffet including soup, fresh seafood, succulent roast meats, roasted and steamed vegetables and salads. Finish your meal with an irresistible selection of homemade desserts, a New Zealand cheeseboard and freshly brewed tea and coffee. After dinner, an entertaining farm demonstration provides a glimpse into high country farming life.   On your return join a sing-along with the ship’s pianist, or take a stroll on the moonlit decks.  The views on the return cruise as the lights of Queenstown draw nearer are simply magical.

Transfer to Queenstown Airport for your return flight with Air New Zealand to Los Angeles.