New Zealand Cultural Tours
New Zealand Cultural Tours |
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New Zealand Tours | New Zealand Cultural Tours Find our complete listing of [ New Zealand tours ] here or search [ all our tours ] Arrive in Auckland: New Zealand Cultural Tour Day 1 Tour arrives in Auckland.
Transfer to our hotel. This afternoon is free in Auckland to allow
you to adapt to the new time and climate. Overnight in Auckland. Copthorne
Hotel or similar. Dinner. This morning we tour this harbour city. We enjoy a super view of Auckland from Mount Eden, a dormant volcano complete with crater from where you can clearly see Auckland's setting between two harbours. We also pay a tour to the Auckland Museum, which houses a superb collection of Maori artefacts and stop by the Parnell Rose Garden. We travel by motor coach northward along beautiful coastline to the Bay of Islands, New Zealand's premier resort. The bay's irregular 800 km (500 mile) coastline embraces 150 islands. Captain Cook first discovered the harbour for the Europeans in 1769. There are something like 150 islands in the bay, which sits between two headlands with a ragged coastline. In history, the Bay of Islands has seen both the pious and the profane. Early Christian missionaries arrived here in 1814, when the Reverend Samuel Marsden held the first church service in the country. Marsden, whose reputation in Australia was so bad he was called the Whipping Parson because of his treatment of convicts, was a bit kinder in New Zealand, and established missions in the area. About 1820, another settlement came along, this one at a place called Kororareka, which came to be called Russell, a hangout for whalers, whores, brigands, thieves and other riffraff. Russell, after a time, came to be called the "Hell-hole of the Pacific," and was a source of much mumbling from the Christian communities nearby. Before major settlements grew up further south on both islands, the Bay of Islands was the centre of European settlement in New Zealand, and it was at Waitangi, across the harbour from Russell, that the English and the Maoris signed the treaty that started modern New Zealand history. However, it is said that legendary Polynesian explorer Kupe is said
to have toured here in the 10th century followed by another canoe voyager,
Toi, 200 years later. Today we sail on
a catamaran to Cape Brett, the Hole-in-the-Rock, travelling through
game fishing waters. We have a chance to wander the streets of
Russell, the first capital of New Zealand. Colonists first arrived in
Russell in 1809. It is a place made famous by Maori chief Hone Heke who
reluctantly signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 and then grew discontented
over government land dealings and had several show downs with the British
before he eventually became pardoned. En route to Rotorua,
we tour the famous Waitomo Caves. These magnificent limestone caverns,
many of which are still unexplored, are famous for
their glow-worm grotto. We sail through the caverns under a ceiling of
twinkling lights-- the glow-worms! The Caves are a sort of greenish Milky
Way, dotted with thousands of lights from the insects clinging to the
cave roof. The worms-- actually the larval stage of a fly-- emit their
light to attract other insects to sticky filaments they dangle to snare
their food. Later we continue to Rotorua, entering an area of abundant
geothermal activity. Rotorua is about 350 km (220 miles) southeast of
Auckland, and sits in the middle of what is called the Taupo Volcanic
Zone, which goes from northeast to southwest across the North Island.
The area has long been a popular spa area, and the locals make use of
the hot steam that rises to the surface for heating their homes, cooking
and building their own private hot pools. Rotorua also has lush forests,
green pastures, and crystal clear lakes. This region is also a major
Maori cultural centre. Today we tour the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve and
Maori Arts and Crafts Centre where we witness boiling pools of mud
and geysers that
spout up to 30 m (100 feet.) In the case of Pohutu, which means splashing,
this is the greatest geyser in New Zealand. Later, we also tour the
Rainbow Springs where we can see the native kiwi bird in its habitat.
From here we tour the adjacent Rainbow Farm where we see sheep shearing
and a typical New Zealand farm setting. In the evening, we attend a Hangi,
a traditional Maori feast and dance celebration. This eveningís
meal has been cooked underground by natural geothermal steam. Leaving this incredible
area, we continue to New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, with its
magnificent harbour surrounded by rugged green hills
dotted with wooded houses. Wellington is quite often compared with San
Francisco in site and design. The capital of New Zealand, it is situated
on a beautiful harbour at the southern end of the North Island. The harbour
was formed by the flooding of a long extinct and very large volcanic
crater. We travel today from New Zealand's North Island across the Cook Strait
to the South Island. This is now very easily negotiated. It was formerly
bequeathed by the aboriginal gods, and was considered one of the most
treacherous dozen miles of open water in the world. There are more than
900 km (550 miles) of coastline consisting of drowned river valleys.
Nelson, with its busy fishing port, is a city apart from the rest of
New Zealand. The city has a unique atmosphere which it retains from its
former colonial period. We travel south today to the west coast. The Kiwis call
the narrow strip on the West Coast between the mountains and the sea
Westland, and its
history has mostly evolved around minerals, starting with Maori greenstone
and going through the gold rushes to modern-day coal mines. The area
is definitely laid back and rife with individualists. It is also one
of the most photogenic spots on both islands. Along the narrow strip
are grand vistas of ocean and mountain, glaciers and rain forest. The
towns, such as they are, are small, many the remnants of once-booming
gold rush settlements. Enjoy the beauty of the Buller Gorge. We tour
the magnificent marine reserve at Punakaiki, where rock formations look
like grey pancakes-- formed of eroded limestone. Greymouth, so named
because itís at the mouth of the Grey River, is a city of about
12,000 and is another spot that got its start as a gold rush settlement. Overnight in Greymouth. Breakfast and dinner. We travel along the coast of gold-rush country to tour the replica gold mining village of Shantytown for relics and an option to pan for gold. We arrive in the Westland National Park, which boasts some 86 800 ha (214,400 acres) of alpine peaks, snow fields, forests, lakes, and rivers. After touring the informative tourorsí centre in the Franz Josef township, we will travel to the glacier for a closer look. The glacierís broken surface ends abruptly in a terminal ridge.
Here the ice beneath the covering shingle is gray, but only a short distance
above it is clear white. From an ice cave at the foot of the glacier
the turbulent Waiho River ("smoky water") gushes out and flows
for 20 km (12 miles) to the coast. The water appears milky from the particles
of rock ground to dust by the glacier, and a layer of mist sits above
the surface, formed by the sudden chilling of the warm air as it meets
the ice-cold river. Unlike other New Zealand glaciers, the Franz Josefís
surface is almost clear of debris. The surface is marked by deep crevasses
and jagged pinnacles, owing to tension caused by the more rapid motion
of the middle of the glacier or by its movement over steep slopes in
the rock floor of the valley. The crevasses are usually confined to the
upper layers of the ice where the pressure is not great enough to force
the ice to flow. We also tour nearby Fox Glacier before checking in to our hotel.Overnight at Fox Glacier. Breakfast and dinner. Today we travel through breathtaking scenery as we pass through Haast
Pass to Queenstown. This sophisticated resort is situated on Lake Wakatipu,
and there is much to do in the town centre. The location of Queenstown
is stunning, the lake is beautiful and the surrounding mountain scenery
adds to the glorious picture of splendour.Overnight in Queenstown. Breakfast and dinner. Today you are free to enjoy the sights of this most picturesque town.
A popular activity is to travel by gondola to the hills. Here we can
witness panoramic views of the valley below. Queenstown offers much for
everyone. Overnight in Queenstown. Breakfast and dinner. This morning we travel from Queenstown to the famous Milford Sound. The Sound is the most northern of the beautiful fiords of New Zealand, and by far the most dramatic. The sound is an actual fjord - an arm of the sea that has filled up a deep glaciated valley - and is one of several long fjords along the coast that are the center of Fiordland National Park, the countryís largest and probably most beautiful preserve. It ranges for 200 km (125 miles) or so along the southwestern coast from Milford Sound to the southern tip of the South Island, containing something like 12 100 km¾ (4,700 square miles) with more than a dozen fjords. The park has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status-- meaning, that exploitation of the areaís resources will never be allowed. Milford Sound has long been regarded by tourors from all over the world as a "must see" destination of any New Zealand holiday. Leaving Queenstown we will travel through the breathtaking Eglinton Valley, clad in forests of red, silver, and mountain beech. After passing through the Homer Tunnel, we will descend into the picturesque
Milford Sound. Milford Sound is part of the phenomenal area known as
the Fiordland National Park. On the sound, we will board our luxury vessel
for a voyage of discovery into the open Tasman Sea. On board, we can
relax and take in the scenery on our well-appointed vessel-- complete
with dining and bar facilities. We return to Queenstown by coach from
Milford Sound late this afternoon. Overnight in Queenstown. Breakfast and dinner. Today we enjoy a superb trip passing through the immense beauty of the Kawarau Gorge, Lindis Pass and Mackenzie Plains. We are now travelling through the Southern Alps and into Mount Cook National Park-- the monarch of New Zealand's national parks. It is here where the highest peaks in the land soar above the crest of the Southern Alps. Mount Cook Village is at the base of Mount Cook, probably
the most spectacular national park in the country, and one that rivals
most scenery youíll
see in the European Alps. The park, 680 km¾ (270 square miles,)
contains more than 20 peaks over 3000 m (10, 000 feet,) including Mount
Cook, the tallest mountain in Australasia. The Maoris called it Aoraki--
the Cloud Piercer. It also contains the worldís longest temperate-zone
glacier, the Tasman. The view from the village is such that Mt. Cook
is just one of a bunch of tall, snow-clad peaks, meaning the whole vista
is spectacular. Overnight in Mount Cook National Park. Hermitage Hotel. Breakfast and
dinner. We pass lakes Pukaki and Tekapo and proceed through Burke Pass and rugged Mackenzie country, passing the fertile Canterbury Plains. We arrive in Christchurch, New Zealand's "Garden City." Christchurch has often been described as being "more English than England!" Christchurch is the focal point of what is called the Canterbury Region, which is that portion of the South Island that generally lies east of the Southern Alps, and from just south of Kaikoura to just north of Oamaru along the coast. The cityís population is a manageable 300,000 or so-- the third largest in the country-- and dates from around 1850. The city sits just to the north of the Banks Peninsula, with Pegasus Bay and the cityís harbour, Lyttelton, to the east. It began life as a Church of England settlement (hence the name) and was supposed to be a haven for landed gentry and good Christian souls of lesser caste! Utopia in the Antipodes, perhaps? As a church community, it was probably doomed from the start - there were so many clerics in town in the early years, there were church wars with bishops of all sorts stumbling around cheek by jowl trying to take control of minds and souls. Critics also suggested that the calibre of clergy being sent to the community was not the highest - mostly parsons who couldnít make it in the real world and had to settle for an island in the middle of the South Pacific. The city was laid out in grids with the Avon meandering
through the heart of town. The river was named after a Scottish brook,
by the way,
not William Shakespeareís famous creek. There are many bridges
in the city, one of the most poignant being the Bridge of Remembrance,
built in 1923 to commemorate the casualties of World War I-- plaques
to honour other war dead were added later. Itís on Cashel Street. Overnight in Christchurch. Breakfast and dinner. Departure from Christchurch. |
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