8 Day North Island Explorer

Kia Ora,

Welcome to Auckland and New Zealand.

On arrival at the airport your driver will be waiting for you in the arrivals hall and drive you to your first night’s accommodation. A detailed information pack with information about your coach tour in the North Island will be waiting for you at your accommodation.

Enjoy the rest of the day off in the "Big Little City". The centre of Auckland is not too big, so you can easily walk around. Visit the Skytower to take in great views of the city, and stroll around the waterfront with its many nice bars and restaurants where you can enjoy a great meal. 

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You North Island coach tour starts with a day tour to the Bay of Islands and returning to Auckland the same day.

As you leavie Auckland, you'll pass through lush green farmland and native bush and your driver guide points out scenic highlights and shares stories about local history. Arrive in the seaside town of Paihia for your chance to swim with wild dolphins on a half day cruise in the Bay of Islands, as it seeks out the many playful common and bottlenose dolphins within the sheltered waters of the Bay. Keep an eye out for other marine life as well, including whales, penguins and seals as you cruise around the islands. 

At the conclusion of your dolphin cruise you will re-board your coach for the return journey to Auckland.

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Experience Auckland's history, culture and scenic highlights with a half-day morning tour, followed by a trip to Kelly Tarlton's SEA LIFE Aquarium.

Travel through the city centre, along notorious Karangahape Road and fashionable Ponsonby, and over the Auckland Harbour Bridge, enjoying views of the Hauraki Gulf and city skyline. See the Viaduct Harbour and Auckland's famous Queen Street before continuing to the Auckland Domain. The city's oldest park, the Domain is situated on a 62,000 year-old volcano and is home to tropical gardens, duck ponds and the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Take a short morning tea break (own expense) in Parnell Village, where historic buildings have been transformed into trendy boutiques and specialty shops. Continue your tour of Auckland along the scenic waterfront route of Tamaki Drive to Michael Joseph Savage Memorial Park, high above Mission Bay. Enjoy panoramic views of the city and harbour from this tranquil spot, a monument to one of New Zealand's most beloved Prime Ministers.

Following the city tour you will visit Kelly Tarlton's SEA LIFE Aquarium. At this underground visitor attraction you'll experience something truly unique. Come face to face with New Zealand's rich marine environment, including sharks, stingrays, seahorses and other incredible sea creatures. Enjoy an informative encounter with your favourite animals, and journey through the underwater viewing tunnel, the first of its kind in the world.

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Today you will take  a journey into the heart of the Central North Island, taking in the Waitomo Caves and Hobbiton Movie Set on a full-day sightseeing tour. Setting off from Auckland, travel through the lush farmland of the Waikato and King Country regions, enjoying your driver guide' entertaining and informative commentary. Take a guided tour of the famous Hobbiton Movie Set, located inside a picturesque 1,250 acre sheep and beef farm near Matamata. Here, the village of Hobbiton was carefully created in amazing detail as a film location for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie trilogies.

During your guided tour of this amazing location you’ll see sights like Hobbit holes, the Mill and the Green Dragon Inn, and learn how farmland was transformed into a living, breathing piece of Middleearth. After exploring Hobbiton, tuck into a delicious lunch at the Green Dragon Inn. At the world famous Waitomo Glowworm Caves, take a 45-minute guided tour through impressive underground caverns and learn how stalactites, stalagmites and other limestone structures were formed over millions of years. Your tour includes a boat ride through the Glowworm Grotto - glide silently along an underground river as you gaze at the twinkling glowworms overhead. After visiting Waitomo and Hobbiton, continue to Rotorua, arriving in the early evening.

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The journey to Rotorua to Taupo is only about an hour this morning, so you'll have plenty of time to explore the area around Lake Taupo.

About 2 kms north of Lake Taupo, a must see are the impressive Huka Falls. This is where the Waikato River, New Zealand's longest river, enters a shallow ravine of hard volcanic rock. The resulting sight is nothing but spectacular. More than 220,000 liters of water per second rushes by.

On a clear day you'll have amazing views of the volcanoes of Tongariro National Park from Lake Taupo.

Hotel : Millennium Hotel Taupo

Your destination today is Napier. This historic art deco city is located in the heart of New Zealand’s oldest wine-making region, Hawke’s Bay. Napier's city centre has the feeling of a time capsule - the seamless line of 1930s architecture is quite extraordinary. One of the ways to enjoy the streetscape is on a self-guided walk - ask for a map at the information centre or at the Art Deco Trust.  

In the afternoon you'll join a Napier wine tasting tour with Ross Lepper, a working vineyard manager, with wine tastings at  Mission Estate, Church Road Winery, Urban Winery and Linden Estate.

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You'll have the morning in Napier at your leisure, before you return to Auckland for your last night

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Your tour concludes today, and a shuttle will transfer you back to the airport.