Day 1 Wellington
Kia Ora and welcome to New Zealand! Today we meet at 8am at the reception of Wellington YHA where your guide will have set up continental breakfast. Over breakfast your guide will introduce everyone to the group and run through everything you need to know to maximise your time in New Zealand. Breakfast and the welcome meeting should take around an hour though can take a bit longer with larger groups. Tucked away at the bottom of the North Island, New Zealand’s capital is anything but boring. A fun young city with tons of green spaces and beaches, it feels more like a small town than an urban capital. Packed with quirky bars, quaint cafes, beautiful street art and heaps of things to do, it’s impossible not to love Wellington.
There is something for everyone here: be amazed at Weta Studios, where the Lord of the Rings movies were produced; ride the old fashioned cable car to the Botanic Gardens; visit Te Papa, Wellington’s famous (and free) museum filled with peculiar things, interactive exhibits as well as the stories and legends behind the history of New Zealand; or explore the various beautiful beaches around town. Go on, let your inner kid come out to play. Join the group on a trip up Mt. Victoria, one of Wellington’s most iconic spots. With the best views in town and plenty of walks and tracks to tackle, Mt. Vic is a Wellington icon and a highlight of the trip.
Start point Main Reception, YHA, 292 Wakefield Street, Wellington, Wellington Region 6011, New Zealand08:00
Day 2 Taupō
Lake Taupō is actually a giant volcanic crater created 70,000 years ago in one of the biggest eruptions in history. Nowadays, it’s one of NZ’s best spots for a holiday escape. And being New Zealand, there are plenty of adventure sports to be found there too! If you’re looking for a thrill, we suggest skydiving over the lake or bungy jumping over New Zealand’s longest river (and, for the really brave, getting dunked in). There are heaps of other activities on offer such as quad biking, cruising the lake to see Māori rock carvings, hiking along the shores, mountain biking and even the chance to soak in some of the local geothermal pools. New Zealand’s most famous day hike is also in the area. The 19.4 km Tongariro Crossing is an alpine crossing around Tongariro, one of the country’s most famous and most beautiful volcanoes. It’s a serious leg workout, but but it’s worth every minute for the incredible views and landscape. Turquoise and green lakes greet you at the top, along with vistas that stretch all the way to the coast.
Day 3 Taupō to Murupara
After our morning in Taupō we head to Kohutapu Lodge in Murupara - a living Māori village - where you will be taken on a tribal tour by a village elder. Here you’ll also have a chance to learn the world-famous haka dance, and weave your own dinner plate using flax (a type of plant). Tonight’s dinner is a traditional hāngi meal. Cooked in an underground earth oven you can expect tender meat and delicious vegetables infused with a smoky, earthy fragrance – it will fill your puku (belly) right up! The best part about spending the evening at Kohutapu Lodge? The majority of proceeds from this activity go back to the local community.
Day 4 Murupara to Rotorua
While the majority of the North Island is volcanic in some way, Rotorua is exceptional for its geothermal activity. With neon blue and red lakes, steaming rivers, active volcanoes and geysers galore, there are more unique natural wonders to be found in Rotorua than many other places in the world. On the way to Rotorua, we stop at what really makes the town famous, along with giving it its unique smell: one of several extraordinary geyserlands and thermal parks. There’s heaps of time to get amongst Rotorua’s diverse attractions while you're here. We’ll get you started with an orientation tour, including a stroll through the flowerfilled Government Gardens by the lakefront. Lord of the Rings fans, channel your inner hobbit with an optional visit to picturesque Hobbiton – have a ginger beer at the Green Dragon pub for us! If adrenalin’s your thing, the highest commercial waterfall drop in the world, on the Kaituna River, is begging to be conquered on an exhilarating rafting trip. Or let your guide coax you into thundering down grassy hills in a giant air-cushioned inflatable ball (or OGO) – you won't regret it!
Day 5 Rotorua to Waitomo
We’ll start our day with a visit to Te Puia - a well-known Maori culture centre. At Te Puia you can explore Whakarewarewa geothermal valley, visit New Zealand’s native kiwi birds, and learn about Maori history & culture. Waitomo is a distinctive limestone region where surface water and underground streams have dissolved the rock over tens of thousands of years, creating an amazing system of underground caves. As the small town is only two hours from Rotorua, we reach our accommodation by late afternoon.
Day 6 Waitomo to Coromandel
Have you been caving in a place with twinkling glowworms on the ceiling? Now’s your chance! Daredevils can abseil 100 metres into the caverns on an epic 4-hour caving adventure. Or float along on an underground river on an optional Cave Tubing trip as the glowworms light your way. There are also excellent guided walking tours of the caves available if heights or wet feet aren’t your thing. It’s no secret that many blockbuster hits have been filmed in New Zealand due to our incredible landscapes. Around lunchtime, we head of to the Coromandel to discover them first-hand. We’ll walk together out along the cliffs down to Cathedral Cove (which you might recognise from the Chronicles of Narnia films). Beautiful in its own right, with perfect beaches and massive rock arches and columns it’s one of the most popular spots in the Coromandel and for good reason!
Day 7 Coromandel to Auckland
End pointMain Reception, Haka Hotel Newmarket, 9 Manukau Road, Auckland, Auckland Region 1023, New Zealand
