Cruise and Travel Partners
Australia and New Zealand
February 7 - 17, 2026
Pre-Tour to Australia
Itinerary
North and South Island of New Zealand
Dates February 7 - 17th
Sat. Feb 7th Arrive in Auckland
Private transfer to hotel
Afternoon at your leisure to explore the Viaduct or Britomart. Viaduct Harbour boasts some of Auckland's finest restaurants and bars on the waterfront. Britomart is a vibrant shopping, entertainment and business precinct in the heart of downtown Auckland. Surrounded by beautiful heritage buildings, it’s a neighbourhood of buzzing restaurants and cool bars, designer boutiques and quirky art spaces.
Dinner at Ahi Restaurant, Auckland
Meals - D
Overnight - Intercontinental, Auckland City
Sun. Feb 8th Auckland
Breakfast at the hotel
CE Lecture (3 hrs.)
You will have two options for your excursion. You may choose to walk with a local guide of Auckland to discover the cities hidden lanes, street art, legends, and best places to eat or you could instead have a hands on All Black Experience. You will have a guided tour where you learn what it takes to make, shape, and be an All-Black. You get to test your rugby skills against All Blacks and Black Ferns in our hands-on interactive zone.
Meals - B
Overnight - Intercontinental, Auckland
Mon. Feb 9th Waiheke Island
Breakfast at the hotel
CE lecture (1.5 hrs)
We will take the 30 minute ferry to Waiheke Island where we will take a guided tour from the Indigenous Maori perspective.
The Heke Kitchen Brewery & Distillery for lunch
Free time until the ferry returns at 4:15pm
Meals B, L
Overnight - Intercontinental, Auckland
Tues. Feb 10th Auckland - Waitomo - Rotorua
Breakfast at the hotel
We will be visiting the Waitomo Caves. Limestone caverns, underground rivers, and caves that seem magical due to native glowworms.
Then to Hamilton Gardens where we will have lunch and time to explore the gardens that recreates historically significant garden styles from India, Italy and China.
The day will conclude with a buffet dinner at Pataka Kai Restaurant with local sourced cuisine with a Maori touch in each dish. Dinner includes an exhilarating cultural performance that includes a traditional welcome, song and chant. You will be taken into the geothermal valley to discover a magnificent wonderland that includes dramatic geysers, bubbling, mud amongst native bush. Finishing off the evening drinking hot chocolate sitting on a heated rock beneath the Pohutu Geyser.
Meals B, L, D
Overnight - Pullman Hotel, Rotorua
Wed. Feb 11th Rotorua
Breakfast at the hotel
Day at your leisure to visit the Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa which is within walking distance from the hotel or visit Hells Gate geothermal attraction that features boiling pools and erupting waters with temperatures over 100 degrees Celsius..
Conclude the evening Experience the Hobbiton™ Movie Set as you have never seen it before with a guided tour through The Shire™ at dusk. The tour concludes at The Green Dragon™ Inn with a complimentary beverage and banquet feast for a Hobbit.
Meals - B, D
Overnight - Pullman Hotel, Rotorua
Thurs. Feb 12th Rotorua to Christchurch
Breakfast at the hotel
CE Lecture (2 hrs)
Flight from Rotorua to Christchurch
Afternoon at your leisure to explore the Riverside Market. The indoor market is linked to a vibrant network of boutique retail, restaurants cafes & bars. You could also jump on the Christchurch Tram. A unique experience combining history and sightseeing. Our all-day hop-on, hop-off tickets allow you to visit the central city sights at your leisure, and our friendly and knowledgeable drivers will keep you updated about the latest city changes in their informative live commentaries.
Meals - B
Overnight - The Mayfair, Christchurch
Fri. Feb 13th Christchurch - Arthur Pass
Breakfast at the hotel
Broad, shingle-filled riverbeds and vast beech forests characterise the eastern side of Arthur's Pass National Park. Today you will witness traditional sheep herding and an educational and Scenic Farm tour.
After a light lunch, feel the full force and sound of fresh mountain water falling 131 m down one of New Zealand's most stunning waterfalls. Kea (a New Zealand native parrot) loves this area.
Dinner will be at Rascal, Christchurch.
Meals - B, L, D
Overnight - Mayfair, Christchurch
Sat. Feb 14th Christchurch - Tekapo - Queenstown
Breakfast at the hotel
Lake Tekapo is part of a UNESCO Dark Sky Reserve and gets its intense milky-turquoise colour from the fine rock flour (ground by glaciers) suspended in the water.
Lunch will be at the Barker's Foodstore & Eatery.
The Grand Traverse is not just a flight; it's an adventure of a lifetime! Explore the incredible world heritage of Aoraki Mount Cook and Westland National Parks from a thrilling perspective.
Finish with a visit to Lake Pukaki, Tekapo and Ohau. All three lakes were created when the terminal moraines of receding glaciers blocked their respective valleys, forming moraine-dammed lakes.
Dinner will be at the Rata Restaurant in Queenstown. New Zealand dining, inspired by the remarkable Southern landscape and only the freshest local produce.
Meals - B, L, D
Overnight - Sofitel Hotel & Spa, Queenstown
Sun. Feb 15th Queenstown
Breakfast at the hotel
CE lecture (2.5 hrs)
We travel to Glenorchy. Set against a background of native beech forest and towering mountain ranges, Glenorchy's surroundings are nothing short of awe-inspiring. Glenorchy's spectacular landscapes have become a prime location for film scouts, depicting many scenes from The Lord of the Rings trilogy and featuring in the Narnia movies.
We then travel on a Wilderness Jetboat down the Dart River. An exhilarating and spectacular journey deep into the heart of the world-renowned Mt Aspiring National Park.
Optional for active people to be dropped off at Moke Lake to take the 6 km easy walk around this serene body of water surrounded by three golden, tussock-covered peaks: Ben Lomond, Ben More, and Mt Hanley.
Meals - B, L
Overnight - Sofitel Hotel & Spa, Queenstown
Mon. Feb. 16th Queenstown
Breakfast at the hotel.
Glide past coastal fjords, skim over glaciers, chase waterfalls and count the endless peaks as you embark on our signature Fiordland flight.
Stopover at Arrowtown, a historic gold rush village for lunch.
Off to a wine tasting experience that delivers an authentic insight into wine in Central Otago.
Dinner will be at Nest Kitchen *& Bar
Meals - B, L, D
Overnight - Sofitel Hotel & Spa, Queenstown
Tues. Feb 17th Return to the U.S.
Private airport transfer
Pricing
$10450.00 per person
Based on double occupancy
Contact Jodi Murphy
610 420-9364
cruiseandtravelpartners@comcast.net
