Grand Pacific Tours - 19 Day Signature Rail, Cruise and Coach Itinerary

‘Haere Mai’ and welcome to the ultimate New Zealand holiday.

Upon arriving at Auckland Airport you will be picked up and transferred to your hotel. Check in and freshen up before spending the remainder of the day exploring the ‘City of Sails’. Stroll the walkways of the Viaduct, peruse the boutique shops of the central city or visit the Sky Tower, the Southern Hemisphere’s tallest building, for fantastic views of the harbour and beyond.

This evening enjoy a complimentary pre-dinner drink when you meet your Tour Leader and travelling companions for dinner.

Activities and sightseeing options if you have time:

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation: Auckland - 1 Night

Enjoy a city tour of Auckland, dubbed the ‘City of Sails’, before travelling to Matakohe to enjoy a visit and informative talk at the Kauri Museum. Travel via Whangarei to Paihia, situated in the heart of the beautiful Bay of Islands.

This afternoon enjoy a guided tour of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, the location of the signing of the treaty between the Maori tribes and the British.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Paihia - 2 Nights

Today is a day at leisure to choose from the many optional activities available, including a tall sailing ship experience or a spectacular scenic flight. This evening is also free and you may like to enjoy a relaxing dinner cruise (optional).

Excursions available in the Bay of Islands:

Meals: Breakfast

This morning cruise through the beautiful Bay of Islands aboard a luxury catamaran to Cape Brett, where a historic lighthouse keeps watch over Piercy Island, or as it is popularly known, the ‘Hole in the Rock’. Keep an eye out for dolphins and other marine life. Upon return to Paihia, travel south via Whangarei, before returning to Auckland. This evening is free to explore the many eateries surrounding your hotel. 

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Auckland - 1 Night

Leaving Auckland, our path takes us to Glenbrook Vintage Railway for a 15-kilometre (9 mile) journey back in time on a vintage steam train that’s been beautifully restored. We tour the restoration workshop and enjoy morning tea back at the Station. Afterwards, we continue through stunning countryside to Rotorua, our home for the next two nights.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Rotorua - 2 Nights

We start the day with panoramic views over Rotorua aboard a Gondola Ride, there is also time for a luge ride! The next stop is Agrodome for an action-packed hour of farming entertainment and education that’s unlike anything you’ve seen before. Enjoy some free time this afternoon before travelling to Te Puia to see the boiling mud pools and awesome geysers that Rotorua is famous for.

This evening experience an entertaining Maori Hangi and Concert.

Meals: Breakfast, Specialty Dinner

Travel along the Thermal Explorer Highway to the spectacular Huka Falls. Continue to Lake Taupo for some free time to enjoy this scenic lakeside town. Travel via the Tongariro National Park and continue south to New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Wellington - 2 Nights

This morning we gain an insight into the unique history, culture and lifestyle of the harbour side capital city of Wellington. We explore Gallipoi: A scale of War exhibition at Te Papa, New Zealand’s National Museum. Reboard your coach for an extensive city tour. This evening, explore Wellington’s eclectic and bustling restaurant scene, where you can dine on delicious food accompanied by New Zealand wine or craft beers. As tonight is a free evening to choose your own dining arrangements.

 Here are some suggested activities in and around Wellington:

Meals: Breakfast

This morning board the Interislander Ferry, cross Cook Strait, and travel through the Marlborough Sounds to Picton where you can relax in comfort in the Queen Charlotte Lounge.  Join the Coastal Pacific, a truly spectacular rail journey that showcases the Kaikoura mountain ranges on one side and the rugged scenic coastline on the other. Travel through numerous tunnels and across several bridges before departing the train in Kaikoura. Travel south by coach through some of the finest farmland area’s to the garden city of Christchurch.

Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Christchurch - 2 Nights

Today visit the International Antarctic Centre, designed to provide an informative account of life in Antarctica. This is followed by an introductory city tour of Christchurch. This afternoon includes a journey on board the Christchurch Tram at your leisure, one of Christchurch’s leading attractions. This evening is free to explore the local cuisine.

Suggested Activities Options for Christchurch:

Meals: Breakfast

Embark this morning on one of the top six train journeys in the world, on board the TranzAlpine Railway. Spanning the width of the South Island, this journey showcases spectacular gorges, ribbon-like rivers, massive viaducts, and soaring peaks – don’t forget your camera! We disembark at Arthur’s Pass and continue on to Hokitika, a small town steeped in gold mining and pioneering history that is famous for its pounamu (greenstone).

Later in the afternoon, we reach our destination for the night – Franz Josef Village, home to the ancient flow of ice that is the Franz Josef Glacier. Weather permitting, enjoy unforgettable views high above the glaciers with an optional scenic flight.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Franz Josef - 1 Night

See the snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps as you journey inland, crossing the Haast Pass and driving on to picturesque Queenstown. Admire the soaring Remarkables Mountain Range and soak up the panoramic views of Lake Wakatipu, the shores on which the town is built. Tonight, enjoy a magical evening of free time; here, the options for drinks beside the lake or delicious dining are endless.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Queenstown - 2 Nights

Explore everything Queenstown has to offer and do it your way on a day of leisure. Your crew can assist you in crafting the perfect day. You can get your adrenaline pumping with a thrilling wilderness jet boat ride or a white water rafting adventure, or if you prefer something more relaxing like a wine tour in the stunning vineyards of the Gibbston Valley, you won’t be disappointed.

In the evening, prepare for a very special night across the other side of Lake Wakatipu. We board the vintage steamship TSS Earnslaw and cruise to Walter Peak Station where we enjoy a delightful meal of delicious country cuisine. A short farm tour follows our dining experience before we re-board the ship for a return journey complemented by live piano music.

Recommended Queenstown Excursions:

Meals: Breakfast, Speciality Dinner

This morning travel to Arrowtown and Visit the Lakes District Museum. Continue via Te Anau to Milford Sound and board the Milford Mariner, for your amazing overnight cruise. Milford Sound is home to three species of dolphin, along with fur seals and penguins. 

Return under sail and anchor overnight in Harrison Cove. There are opportunities to explore the shoreline by tender boat or kayak (swimwear required) - or to simply relax on board. Stay in a private cabin with en suite, enjoy a sumptuous buffet dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Onboard Milford Mariner - 1 Night

Begin the day with a delicious breakfast aboard the boat before cruising out to the Tasman Sea (weather permitting) to soak up more stunning fiord scenery. Returning back to the wharf, we meet the coach and enjoy the sights of the Milford Road once more on the way back to Te Anau.

Return back to the wharf to meet your coach and enjoy the scenic drive to Te Anau where you will enjoy an afternoon at leisure. You may like to visit the Te Anau Glow Worm Caves (optional).

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Te Anau - 1 Night

Travel via Gore and Balclutha to Dunedin, famous for its stunning Edwardian and Victorian architecture dating back to the gold rush of the 1800s. This afternoon enjoy a tour of Olveston Historic Home, beautifully preserved merchant’s home from the turn of the century containing a wealth of precious treasures of a bygone era. 

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Dunedin - 2 Nights

This morning travel along the Otago Peninsula to Larnach Castle where you hear of the tragic and scandalous history on a guided tour. Enjoy time to wander around this Garden of International Significance followed by a delicious Devonshire Tea. Return to Dunedin for a city tour followed by some free time for optional activities. This evening is also free to dine at leisure. 

Meals: Breakfast 

Today travel to the small town of Oamaru, famous for its limestone architecture before continuing to Christchurch. This evening enjoy a pre-dinner drink and reminisce on memories shared with your new friends at the farewell dinner. 

Meals: Breakfast, Specialty Dinner

Accommodation: Christchurch - 1 Night

Haere rā and Bon Voyage!

We are sure you will enjoy this tour and our promise is to make your travels through New Zealand as hassle-free and hospitable as possible - ensuring that today you leave with huge smiles on your faces when recalling your time in New Zealand! Have a great homeward journey, farewell and hope to see you again soon in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Meals: Breakfast

Itinerary Variations:
The provider strives to improve trip itineraries. If improvements can be made, or if circumstances beyond their control make changes necessary, the provider reserves the right to vary itineraries and to make substitutions.