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Kiwi Adventure
New Zealand

Kiwi Adventure

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  • Garry PlantGarry P.Oceania
  • Catherine LandowskiCatherine L.Africa, Oceania

Overview

New Zealand has a way of shifting beneath you. One day, you're gliding across Auckland's harbor toward the vineyard-covered hills of Waiheke. The next, you're deep beneath Waitomo, drifting through darkness illuminated by thousands of glowworms. Back above ground, Rotorua is alive with steam rising through fern and forest. South, the landscape changes again.

The Marlborough Sounds open into quiet coves and green hills that fall toward the water. A train traces the Pacific coast toward Canterbury, and gradually, the mountains begin to rise upward. By Aoraki Mount Cook, they have taken over the horizon.

Glacial lakes, alpine valleys, rivers and peaks carry you south toward Queenstown, where the whole town seems to be built around adventure. Seventeen days, two islands, one country that seems to continually change shape around you.
Kiwi Adventure
Day by day

Your journey, day by day

  1. Day 1

    Welcome to Auckland

    Settle into Auckland, New Zealand’s City of Sails, at your own pace. Stroll the harborfront watch boats cross Waitematā Harbour, and simply ease into the rhythm of the country’s largest city before the adventures ahead.

  2. Day 2

    Waiheke Island Wine, Dine & Zipline

    Cross the Hauraki Gulf by ferry to Waiheke Island, where vineyard-covered hills meet native forest and stretches of white sand. A local guide leads the way to boutique wineries and olive groves for tastings before settling in to a leisurely lunch among the vines. In the afternoon, trade the table for the treetops as you soar above a working vineyard and ancient forest canopy on a three-line zipline adventure.
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch

  3. Day 3

    Black Water Rafting the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, Onward to Rotorua

    The ground opens at Waitomo. Slip into a wetsuit and tube, then descend into an underground world where a river winds through limestone caves and thousands of glowworms illuminate the darkness above. Climb rocks, leap from waterfalls, and drift through the glowworm-lit tunnels before surfacing back into daylight.

    Continue on to Rotorua, where steam rises through fern and forest on the way to On The Point, a private lakeside lodge overlooking the still waters of Lake Rotorua.
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch

  4. Day 4

    Kayak to Manupirua Hot Springs on Lake Rotoiti

    Leave the shoreline behind as your kayak glides across Lake Rotoiti. Your destination is Manupirua Hot Springs, a secluded geothermal cluster of hot pools accessible only by boat. Step ashore and sink into the naturally heated water, surrounded by native bush and the quiet beauty of the lake before paddling back across the water at a relaxed pace.
    • Breakfast

  5. Day 5

    Rotorua Ziplining, Redwoods & Glowworms

    Spend the day seeing Rotorua’s forests from every angle. Zip through the canopy of native New Zealand forest, crossing swing bridges, a cliff walk, and a spiral staircase as the forest floor falls away below.

    After dark, step into the towering Rotorua Redwoods, where suspended lanterns illuminate a network of bridges and platforms high among the trees. The final light comes from nature itself, as you venture underground to find glowworms scattered across the cave walls like tiny blue-green stars.
    • Breakfast

  6. Day 6

    Into the Marlborough Sounds

    Leave the North Island behind and make your way south to the Marlborough Sounds, where forested hills fold into a maze of sheltered waterways. The final approach is by private water taxi, slipping into the seclusion of Bay of Many Coves. Bungalows peek through the native bush above the aqua-blue bay.
    • Breakfast
    • Dinner

  7. Day 7

    Hike the Queen Charlotte Track

    Step onto the Queen Charlotte Track at Ship Cove, where the trail climbs through native beech forest and podocarp before opening to views across the Marlborough Sounds. Follow the track toward Endeavour Inlet as your local guide shares the area's Māori and European history along the way. At the end of the hike, a boat carries you back through the Sounds to Bay of Many Coves.
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner

  8. Day 8

    Bay of Many Coves at Leisure

    A day at Bay of Many Coves to shape as you like it. Kayak to a nearby salmon farm, cruise the Marlborough Sounds in search of dolphins and orcas, or give tired legs the afternoon off with time at the spa or pool overlooking the bay.
    • Breakfast
    • Dinner

  9. Day 9

    Coastal Pacific Train to Christchurch

    Leave the Marlborough Sounds in your wake before boarding the Coastal Pacific train for one of New Zealand’s great rail journeys. Trace the South Island coastline toward Christchurch, the Pacific Ocean holding steady on one side and the snow-capped Kaikōura mountains rising on the other. Lunch and a glass of New Zealand wine is served at your seat as the coast slips past. By evening, settle into The George, just across from Christchurch’s Hagley Park.
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch

  10. Day 10

    Swim with Hector’s Dolphins in Akaroa

    Cross the volcanic landscape of Banks Peninsula toward Akaroa, with farmland and harbor views appearing along the high summit road. At Akaroa Harbour, take to the water for the chance to swim alongside Hector’s dolphins, the world’s smallest and rarest dolphin species. Back on shore, wander through Akaroa’s French-influenced streets, stopping at art studios and local producers for lunch and artisanal tastings along the way.
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch

  11. Day 11

    Stargazing at Aoraki Mount Cook

    Today you head inland, following braided rivers as Aoraki Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest peak at the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage wilderness, rises ahead. By late afternoon, settle into the Hermitage Hotel, close enough to watch the light change on the mountain's face. Then the sky takes over: an orientation in the Digital Dome Planetarium leads to a stargazing site fitted with telescopes, where the Milky Way and southern constellations spread across some of New Zealand’s darkest skies.
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch

  12. Day 12

    Explore the Tasman Glacier

    The trail to Tasman Lake climbs over glacier-carved landscape, alpine scrub opening up to the lake's pale jade surface scattered with icebergs. Take to the water for a closer look at the Tasman Glacier, weaving close enough to touch ancient ice, and witness the ever-changing face of New Zealand's largest glacier. Back at The Hermitage, the afternoon is yours to relax or spend more time exploring Aoraki Mount Cook.
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch

  13. Day 13

    Aoraki Mount Cook to Queenstown

    Travel south from Aoraki Mount Cook, with Lake Pukaki’s milky blue water giving way eventually to the Remarkables rising above Queenstown. Azur Lodge awaits on a hilltop above it all, private villas looking out across Lake Wakatipu to Cecil Peak and the town below. Evening settles in with a fire lit and a drink poured, the light fading over the lake.
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch

  14. Day 14

    Dart River Jet Boat Adventure

    Trace the braided, glacier-fed Dart River by jet boat, deep into Mount Aspiring National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site that shifts with the seasons: the color of the water, the wildlife along the banks, the snow line on the peaks above. Along the way, your guide threads local Māori legend and the history of the old Greenstone trail, the boat covering miles of river inaccessible any other way.
    • Breakfast

  15. Day 15

    Hike the Routeburn Track

    The Routeburn Track winds through ancient beech forest alongside its namesake river, Route Burn, a private guide leading the way toward Bridal Veil Waterfall and across a swing bridge suspended over the canyon below. The trail opens into the Routeburn Flats, alpine wilderness stretching out on every side, a fitting backdrop for a picnic lunch, along with lessons in Māori history and the birdlife native to the area. For those wanting more, the path continues higher through beech forest toward Routeburn Falls Hut, with views back across the Flats to the Humboldt Mountains.
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch

  16. Day 16

    Queenstown at Leisure

    After days spent on rivers and trails, Queenstown is yours to enjoy at your own pace. Wander the Lake Wakatipu waterfront, browse the shops and cafes tucked into the alpine lanes, or simply settle in with the Remarkables rising across the water. Still have energy to burn? Queenstown has earned its reputation as the Adventure Capital of the World, with bungee jumping, whitewater rafting, and plenty more ways to keep moving.
    • Breakfast

  17. Day 17

    Farewell to New Zealand

    One last look across Lake Wakatipu, the Remarkables reflected where the water meets the sky. After days spent paddling lakes, hiking forest and alpine trails, exploring beneath the earth’s surface, and soaring above New Zealand’s forest canopy, it’s time to head home. The landscape never stayed in one shape for long, and neither did the way you experienced it.
    • Breakfast

Pricing

Package level

Deluxe

Pricing for this package is on request. Please call a Swain Destinations Specialist to customize this journey.


Good to know

Terms and conditions

Prices are per person, twin/double share in USD. All highlighted savings are reflected in the price. Price does not include airfare unless otherwise stated. Travel may be limited to certain days of the week. Hotels and tours remain subject to availability. Cancellation penalties and other booking or alteration restrictions may exist. Please note blackout dates may apply to Christmas, New Year and local special event periods. Pricing may increase over Holiday and special event periods and may not be reflected in price grid. Prices indicated remain subject to change without notice. Prices are not guaranteed until full payment is received and processed. CST #2012413-20 See our full Terms and Conditions: www.swaindestinations.com/terms
From our Travel Journal

Stories from this part of the world.

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  • Colin RoweColin R.Oceania