Join other women travellers on our 13 day Highlights and Hot Spots Trip. Experience the highlights and iconic locations of New Zealand and meet some of our amazing locals who are eager to share their slice of paradise with you. You’ll enjoy gorgeous Waiheke Island with a local guide who offers an in-depth perspective into life on Waiheke, marvel at our unique and fascinating glowworms with a passionate cave enthusiast, and choose to either learn about our farming heritage on a private farm overlooking Lake Wanaka, or plant a tree to help improve the ecology of an island. Our trips are about spending time with locals who offer unique and authentic New Zealand experiences, all in our majestic landscapes. The North Island’s beaches, farmland, and geothermal regions combined with the South Island’s coastline, mountains, lakes, and wilderness, make this trip a feast for the eyes and soul. A perfect blend of relaxation, gourmet food and wine, soft and thrilling adventure, inspiring locals, and all in the company of other fun-loving women. No minimum level of fitness is required for this trip.

Day 1: Auckland – Waiheke Island

Welcome to New Zealand Awaits’ Highlights and Hot Spots Trip!

• Relax on Waiheke Island, with its gorgeous vineyards, ocean vistas, boutique shops and cafes, and white sand beaches.
• Gather with your travel mates for a welcome dinner at one of the Waiheke’s best restaurants with ocean views.
• Settle into your locally owned beachfront lodgings for the next two nights.

Day 2: Waiheke Island

• Spend the day with your local Maori guide, hearing how the island has changed from country roads to high speed ferries.
• Visit the community marae, learning the history of the carvings, the people, and the role of the marae in the community today.
• Sample award winning olive oils, sip on Waiheke wines and bees, and soak in the beauty of this relaxed island.

Day 3: Waiheke Island – Pukeatua

• Journey through the rural farmland of the central Waikato with its rolling hills and picturesque countryside.
• Explore Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari with a passionate conservationist. As you step into the dense native bush, hear stories of the ambitious volunteers who make this eco-sancturay possible. Stand amidst mature native trees, enjoy the chorus of birdsong while you try to spot North Island robins, tomtits, kaka, tui, bellbirds, hihi, tieke, fantails, kereru and weta.
• Relax into your family owned rural lodgings for the night, listening for kiwi calls from the sanctuary.

Day 4: Pukeatua – Waitomo – Rotorua

• Join a nature based glow worm experience with a family owned and operated company that is one of the pioneering glowworm companies in Waitomo. Get up close and personal with tiny glowworms before floating gently (in an inflatable raft) under a canopy of thousands of glowworm lights. This relaxed experience is one of the best glowworm encounters ever.

Day 5: Rotorua

• Marvel at a geothermal wonderland with its bubbling geysers, steaming fumaroles, and plopping mudpools.
• Enjoy a Maori Cultural performance as part of this visit.
• Optional Afternoon Activities:
  • zipline through the forest canopy with an eco-company making a positive impact
  • visit the Hobbiton Movie Set
  • soak in a private mineral spa pool

Day 6: Rotorua – Blenheim – Kaikoura

• Fly to Blenheim (1hr 50mins), at the top of the South Island.
• Relax in a family owned vineyard restaurant for lunch, sampling local and fresh cuisine.
• Travel along the glorious coastal road south to Kaikoura.
• Spot seals with their pups playing in the rock pools along the coast.

Day 7: Kaikoura

• Experience the wildlife of Kaikoura by adding an ocean experience this morning. Swim with (or watch) playful Dusky Dolphins in the wild, or meet natures most extraordinary seabirds up close on an Albatross Encounter.
• Explore the coastlines and ocean views during an easy coastal walk this afternoon, or just relax in this funky little town.

Day 8: Kaikoura – Christchurch

• Travel south to the garden city of Christchurch.
• Learn about the transformation of this city since the earthquakes with an inspiring local woman passionate about her city and our planet.
• Ponder our connections as humans: the challenges we face, the obstacles we overcome, and the impact we all make on the people and places we love.
• Socialise in the vibrant riverside precinct of the city, with its funcky restaurants, cafes, and markets.

Day 9: Christchurch – Mt. Cook

• Journey towards the majestic Southern Alps and Mt. Cook, enjoying turquoise lake views along the way.
• Walk on the spectacular Hooker Valley Track, surrounded by mountain and glacier views.
• Marvel at the stars this evening, appreciating your lodging in the middle of an international dark sky reserve.

Day 10: Mt. Cook – Wanaka

• Explore the region with an easy valley hike amidst the mountains, or choose to add a once in a lifetime glacier heli-hike, or glacier kayak.
• Relax in your lake-side lodging, wondering how the scenery just keeps getting better!
• Optional Activities:
  • heli-hike on the Tasman Glacier
  • kayak amidst glacier icebergs on the Tasman Lake

Day 11: Wanaka

• Enjoy a free day in this funky lakeside town. Wander the shops, discovering quality New Zealand made products, or choose some adventure.
• Optional Activities:
  • fly over glaciers into the iconic Milford Sound
  • explore the region’s vineyards on a wine tour
  • paraglide your afternoon away

Day 12: Wanaka

• Learn from a local about our farming heritage on visit to a private station (large farm/ranch) while appreciating breathtaking high country vistas.
• OR cruise across the lake to explore a sanctuary island on a conservation focused experience set on gorgeous Lake Wanaka
• Enjoy our final dinner with new friends and share stories and favourite memories of the trip.
• Optional Activities:
  • jet boat into a wilderness environment
  • helicopter over and onto a glacier

Day 13: Wanaka – Home

• Cross the highest main road in New Zealand on your way to Queenstown Airport.
• Bid farewell to new friends.
• Start planning your next trip to the land of the long white cloud, Aotearoa.

 

There’s still so much to see and do! Talk with us about extending your trip.

What’s Included:

• Private New Zealand Tour Guide
• Private Transportation
• Ferry to and from Waiheke Island
• 12 Nights Lodging in 3 and 4 Star Accommodation
• Domestic Flight – Rotorua to Blenheim
• Meals: 10 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 5 Dinners
• Exclusive History and Culture Tour – Waiheke Island
• Guided Flora and Fauna Tour – Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari
• Glowworm Cave Experience – Waitomo
• Admission to Geothermal Area – Rotorua
• Maori Cultural Performance – Rotorua
• Exclusive Private Welcome to a Community Maori Marae (Meeting House) – Rotorua
• Exclusive City Tour with Local – Christchurch
• Hikes in Mt. Cook area
• High-Country Sheep Station Visit OR Lake Cruise and Island Sanctuary Experience
• Free time to explore on your own or simply relax in the beautiful surroundings
• And of course the opportunity to share this once-in-a-lifetime adventure with like-minded travellers

Enhance your trip by choosing to add:

• Ziplining (Rotorua)
• Hobbiton Movie Set Tour (Rotorua)
• Private Mineral Spa (Rotorua)
• Dolphin Swim/Watch (Kaikoura)
• Albatross Encounter (Kaikoura)
• Glacier Heli-Hike (Aoraki Mt Cook)
• Glacier Lake Kayak (Aoraki Mt Cook)
• Milford Sound Flight and Cruise (Wanaka)
• Wine Tour (Wanaka)
• Paragliding (Wanaka)
• Wilderness Vally Jet-Boat Experience (Wanaka)
• Heli-glacier Flight and Landing (Wanaka)

If you have an activity you’d like to add but don’t see on this list, let us know!

What’s Not Included:

• Airfares or transport to and from the start and end of the trip
• Travel Insurance
• Drinks, meals and optional activities not specified in the itinerary, and souvenirs and personal purchases.