North Island
In Auckland, sail on a luncheon cruise along Waitemata Harbour
then check out the Maori artifacts at the Auckland Museum…in
the historic Northland, check out the beaches, islets,
and ancient kauri forests between Cape Reinga and
the Bay of Islands…at the Coromandel
Peninsula, stay at a charming B&B and visit the boiling mud and hot
springs at Rotorua and enjoy a traditional Maori
hangi feast…at Lake Taupo, the trout
capital of New Zealand, go fishing and then move south to Napier
for its artsy atmosphere and beautifully well-preserved architecture…in
Wellington, take the cable car from the city center
to Kelburn for panoramas extending to the Cook
Strait and spend a day at the state-of-the-art Museum
of New Zealand.
South Island
Arrive by inter-island ferry…from Nelson,
visit breathtaking Abel Tasman National Park to go
sea kayaking or walking through dense beech forest and rocky headlands while
skirting a stunning coastline…at the fern-fringed Lake
Brunner, spend time at a secluded lakeside fishing lodge…walk on
or fly over the icy glaciers of Franz Josef and Fox
in Westland National Park…on the shores of Lake
Wakatipu in Queenstown, go jet-boating, whitewater rafting, or bungee
jumping…take a scenic alpine drive to Milford Sound
and cruise on the calm waters where fur seals and bottlenose dolphins can be
spotted…take a dinner cruise on Lake
Wakatipu, onboard a beautifully restored vintage steamer…hike through
rainforests, glacial lakes, waterfalls, and deep fiords at Fiordland
National Park…in Christchurch, stroll
the tree-lined avenues, parks, and nature reserves and spend an afternoon at
the Art Centre in the Gothic stone cloisters of the
former university…soar over the patchwork quilt of the Canterbury
Plains in a hot air balloon…go on a whale-watching
expedition from Kaikoura…ride in a fixed-wing
airplane over the awesome peaks of Mount Cook…in
Dunedin, admire the beautifully preserved Victorian
and Edwardian buildings and look for rare yellow-eyed
penguins and royal albatross at the Otago
Peninsula…travel to Stewart Island, a
remote unspoiled isle, and go sea-kayaking or observe
kiwis and overnight at a turn-of-the-century lodge overlooking Half
Moon Bay.
