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Spirit of New Zealand
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Length
21 Days
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Quality
This indicates the overall quality of the tour operator's products. A low rating does not mean it is not good - it just means that it does not include as much, or perhaps is of a more standard quality than the higher quality tours. For example, a 3 star quality rating means that it is a more standard/economical tour, while 5 stars is a very luxurious tour that often includes a lot of amenities. -
Starts in
Christchurch (New Zealand)
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Ends in
Auckland (New Zealand)
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Available Tour Start Dates
OCT 1, 2026 to MAR 16, 2028
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Activity Level
No Rating Provided
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Language
English
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Guaranteed Date(s)
Yes means that there is at least one tour date that the vendor guarantees will occur. No means that there is not at least one tour date that the vendor guarantees will occur, which usually means that the vendor wants a certain amount of reservations on each tour in order for each one to occur. Of course, the terms and conditions of the vendor do allow for the vendor to cancel guaranteed tour dates for certain reasons (for example, a natural disaster).Yes
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Special Interest(s)
Small Group
There is at least one season during which this tour is offered as a Small Group. Such seasons are noted as being Small Group within the related date range.
From
Pricing listed is per person, based on double occupancy, and is the least expensive price for at least one departure date of this tour. Price is for the tour only. Additional items, including but not limited to, airfare (unless noted otherwise), travel insurance, and more, are additional.
$8,603.01
Overview
Discover the spirit of New Zealand, thoughtfully paced with six two-night stays. Cruise Milford Sound or Piopiotahi, cross Cook Strait by ferry and travel through the Southern Alps on the TranzAlpine. Enjoy a private visit to Transport World, walk Napier’s Art Deco streets and connect with Māori culture in Rotorua, with coastal Punakaiki, vibrant Nelson and the Bay of Islands along the way. This trip is accompanied by a Travel Director and Driver.
Visited During Tour
Auckland (New Zealand) | Bay of Islands (New Zealand) | Christchurch / Otautahi (New Zealand) | Invercargill | Milford Sound / Piopiotahi (New Zealand) | Napier (New Zealand) | Nelson | Omarama | Punakaiki (New Zealand) | Queenstown (New Zealand) | Rotorua (New Zealand) | Te Anau (New Zealand) | Wellington (New Zealand)
Dates, Offers & Prices
Tour Itinerary
More Details
Dates, Offers & Prices
The following are Spirit of New Zealand tour dates available from Trafalgar. Select a bonus offer graphic to view its details, including its terms.
There is at least one departure that the vendor is advising is Not Available for the selected year. Click here if you would like such tours to be included below.
Tour Itinerary
Trafalgar Tour Code 785-2242
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Day
1Welcome to Christchurch
Welcome to New Zealand. Kick things off in Christchurch, buzzing with community spirit that runs deep. Spend time at leisure getting to know the city your way before meeting your Travel Director and fellow travellers this evening for a briefing and welcome drinks.
Accommodations: Ibis Hotel Christchurch -
Day
2Canterbury Plains and a Taste of Geraldine
See the highlights of Christchurch this morning, including the innovative Cardboard Cathedral and the Botanic Gardens, loved for their landscaped beauty and tranquil riverside setting. Then watch the scenery shift as you travel across the Canterbury Plains to Geraldine. Stop in at historic Barkers Store to sample local cheeses and regional produce before continuing along the East Coast into the Waitaki Valley with its winding rivers, rolling farmland and mountain backdrops near Lake Benmore. Arrive in Omarama this evening, a quintessential country town and your home for the night.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Accommodations: Distinction Heritage Gateway Hotel -
Day
3Discover Clyde and Invercargill
Clyde is sure to keep your camera busy with its big personality. Wander its historic precinct where gold mining era buildings have been transformed into cafes and shops. Later, you’ll roll into Invercargill, a city with a real passion for wheels and speed legends. Visit Bill Richardson Transport World for a guided tour, exploring more than 300 vehicles and the stories behind them, from rare finds to classic favourites.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Accommodations: Kelvin Hotel -
Day
4Journey to Fiordland
Travel through the rolling farmland and lush pastures of Southland to Templeton Flax Mill. On a guided visit with Nathan Templeton, mill curator and grandson of the founder, you’ll hear how flax helped shape the local economy on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, with proceeds supporting the mill’s future as a living museum. Continue to Riverton, a charming seaside town, before heading into Fiordland National Park and on to Te Anau, set on the shores of the South Island’s largest lake. Breathe it in, this is serenity at its best.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Accommodations: Distinction Luxmore Hotel -
Day
5Spectacular Milford Sound
From the moment you step outside, nature takes the lead. Journey through Fiordland National Park where beech forests, open flats and mirror-like lakes set the scene. Crystal-clear rivers will carve through the landscape as you make your way to Milford Sound/Piopiotahi. Then take to the water on a sightseeing cruise into the pristine fiord, soaking up towering cliffs, tumbling waterfalls and the chance to spot wildlife along the way.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
Accommodations: Distinction Luxmore Hotel -
Day
6Meet a local farmer
Get a taste of country life and classic southern hospitality at Real Country as you meet a local farmer and step into day-to-day farm living. Watch horse communication in action and see working sheep dogs muster with skill and speed on this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Later, you’ll have the chance to wander the heritage streets of Arrowtown, a gold rush village lined with trees and character-filled boutiques before arriving in Queenstown for a two-night stay in New Zealand’s adventure capital.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
Accommodations: Copthorne Hotel and Resort Queenstown -
Day
7Queenstown, Your Way
Today is yours to soak up Queenstown and its surroundings. Grab lunch at leisure at cult favourite Fergburger, known for its gourmet burgers and buzzing atmosphere. You might choose to dial up the thrill with an Optional Experience, like a high-octane jet boat ride tearing along the Shotover River. Prefer something smoother? Head out to nearby vineyards for a tasting or take it easy with an afternoon cruise on Lake Wakatipu aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a gourmet barbecue dinner.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
Accommodations: Copthorne Hotel and Resort Queenstown -
Day
8Queenstown onto Christchurch
This morning, pick up a sweet taste of the region at the Jones Family fruit stall, then settle in for one of the South Island’s most scenic drives. You’ll cross the alpine sweep of Lindis Pass between Otago and the Mackenzie Basin, with big sky views and rugged peaks, with the majestic Aoraki/Mount Cook among them. Stop in Tekapo on the shores of turquoise Lake Tekapo, where the stone Church of the Good Shepherd sits in a picture-perfect setting. Later, continue across the Canterbury Plains back to Christchurch.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
Accommodations: Ibis Hotel Christchurch -
Day
9A Great Rail Journey to Punakaiki
All aboard the TranzAlpine train for one of New Zealand’s greatest rail journeys. Travel towards Arthur’s Pass, through tunnels and over soaring viaducts as snow-capped peaks, icy rivers, beech forests and deep gorges roll past your window. Stop in Greymouth, known for its mining history, before continuing to Punakaiki to see the famous Pancake Rocks and blowholes.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Accommodations: Scenic Hotel Punakaiki -
Day
10Wild beauty, Kahurangi
Today is made for sitting back and taking it all in. Follow the Heritage Highway towards Nelson as your journey winds through the dramatic Buller Gorge, a deep canyon that’s home to New Zealand’s longest swing bridge. Continue alongside the wild beauty of Kahurangi National Park, where rivers, high plateaus, alpine herb fields and coastal forests set the scene for a relaxed arrival into Nelson.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
Accommodations: The Rutherford Hotel -
Day
11Top of the South
Sleep in or get moving, today is completely at leisure. If you feel like getting out on the water, you can choose an Optional Experience to Abel Tasman National Park for a cruise and walk. This corner of the island is pure calm, with golden beaches, sculpted granite cliffs and one of the country’s most loved coastal tracks, so make the most of it.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
Accommodations: The Rutherford Hotel -
Day
12Cruise Queen Charlotte Sound
All aboard for a voyage that’s a must on any Kiwi adventure. Today, you’ll cruise through Queen Charlotte Sound, glide up the Tory Channel and cross Cook Strait from the South Island to the North, weaving past a maze of arms and inlets before arriving in Wellington, the country’s cool little capital.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
Accommodations: James Cook Grand Chancellor -
Day
13Wellington onto Napier
First, you’ll get to know Wellington on a highlights tour, then you’ll travel on to Napier, a city with a story you can see in every facade. After a massive earthquake in 1931 destroyed the commercial centre of Napier, rebuilding began almost immediately in the architectural styles of the times - Striped Classical, Spanish Mission and Art Deco.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
Accommodations: Scenic Hotel Te Pania -
Day
14Discover Art Deco Icons
This morning, join a Local Specialist from the Art Deco Trust for an easy stroll through Napier’s compact Art Deco Quarter on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience that brings the city’s fascinating design history to life. The afternoon is yours. You might choose an Optional Experience sampling Hawke’s Bay wines, or head out on an overland safari to the gannet nesting colony at Cape Kidnappers.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
Accommodations: Scenic Hotel Te Pania -
Day
15Culture Capital Rotorua
The scenery opens wide as Lake Taupo comes into view, the country’s largest lake and one of its bluest. Not far away, you’ll hear Huka Falls before you see it, thundering and powerful. Then Rotorua sets the senses alight, where mud pops, steam rises and the land’s geothermal heartbeat is impossible to miss. In the afternoon, you’ll visit a traditional Pounamu workshop to learn about jade carving. Later, delve deep into Māori culture with the Te Pō Indigenous Experience at Te Puia. Enjoy a powerful cultural performance in the carved meeting house Te Aronui a Rua, see the Pohutu Geyser and finish with a buffet dinner of hāngī-inspired flavours, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Accommodations: Sudima Lake Rotorua -
Day
16Rotorua, It’s All Yours
Today is yours, with your Travel Director on hand if you want tips to match your mood. Ease into the steamy thermal springs at Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa, chase movie magic with an Optional Experience to the Hobbiton Movie Set, or even take to the skies on a scenic flight for a fresh, bird's-eye-view of the scenery.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
Accommodations: Sudima Lake Rotorua -
Day
17Auckland, the City of Sails
Today, follow the Waikato River as you make your way to Auckland, the ‘City of Sails’, where yachts glide across two harbours and the skyline meets the sea. Then it’s time for something truly Kiwi. Dive into the country’s national game at the interactive All Blacks Experience, exploring the team’s remarkable history through displays and presentations, before a traditional haka performance brings it all to a thrilling close.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
Accommodations: Adina Apartment Hotel Britomart -
Day
18Auckland onto Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands is made up of around 140 islands dotted across turquoise water and it’s as beautiful as it sounds. It’s also one of the most important places in New Zealand’s story. Visit the Waitangi Treaty Grounds where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 between Captain William Hobson and Māori chiefs. With a Local Specialist, you’ll explore the site’s significance and see the world’s largest ceremonial war canoe alongside a beautifully carved meeting house.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Accommodations: Copthorne Hotel and Resort -
Day
19Bay of Islands at Leisure
This is the kind of place that makes you want to stay outdoors from morning to sunset. Today is yours to shape. You could choose an Optional Experience travelling to Cape Reinga or Te Rerenga Wairua at the very top of New Zealand via the sweeping sands of Ninety Mile Beach. Prefer to be on the water? Cruise to the Hole in the Rock, sail on an historic tall ship, or join a tour of Russell to learn more about the early days of the Bay of Islands.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
Accommodations: Copthorne Hotel and Resort -
Day
20Travel to Auckland
Enjoy a final taste of the north as you travel south to Whangārei, the country’s most northerly city. Explore the Whangārei Basin, where riverside attractions bring together galleries, museums and an easy-going local vibe - a snapshot of New Zealand’s blend of nature and culture. Then settle back for the scenic return to Auckland. Tonight, raise a glass at dinner and drinks with your Travel Director and travel companions.
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
- Dinner
Accommodations: Adina Apartment Hotel Britomart -
Day
21Farewell Auckland
Over the past three weeks, we hope you’ve filled your camera with big moments and your days with even better company. As you head home, it’s the memories that will stay with you longest, the landscapes, the stories and the new friends made along the way. Farewell for now!
- Meals Included:
- Breakfast
More Details
Trafalgar is informing us of the following additional details regarding their Spirit of New Zealand tour:
Travelers Notes
* NEW ZEALAND: USA passport holders require a visa for New Zealand. Visa must be obtained prior to departure. We recommend applying 60 days prior to departure. * IMPORTANT: Please see important visa details sent with your invoice. * ARRIVAL: Arrive into Christchurch International Airport (CHC). Flights to arrive by 16:00.* DEPARTURE: Depart from Auckland International Airport (AKL). Flights to depart anytime.* TRANSFERS: Chargeable transfers available for guests who have booked their extra hotel nights with Trafalgar. Guests booking independent hotel nights will need to make their own transfer arrangements.* FITNESS REQUIREMENT: Low-medium level of fitness required. This tour is not recommended for people who have difficulty walking. As well as walking, there will be considerable time standing.* TE PUIA - TE PO EXPERIENCE: Involves walking around 1.5 kilometers / 1 mile at a slow and steady pace. The terrain is gravel paths, boardwalks and uneven natural ground in some places.* GROUND HANDLER: This trip is operated by Ground Handler, AAT Kings. * NOTE: This Trip falls under LEVEL 1. Please refer to the Deposit, Payment, and Cancellations Policies on our Website.
Pricing listed above for tours is per person, in US Dollars, and is based on double occupancy. Pricing may change for other occupancy types. Pricing is based on the last time the vendor electronically sent us pricing data, which varies by vendor (usually occurs overnight or multiple times throughout each day).
Pricing and availability are subject to change and must be confirmed by one of our travel advisors, who can contact the vendor to do so. Intra-vacation air (also referred to as internal air) is usually based on economy class seating (do not assume otherwise, unless explicity noted otherwise) and may be 100% non-refundable at time of final payment. Air quotes (including intra-vacation airfare) may be subject to change until final payment has been received by the vendor. Flight confirmation may be based on availability. Air reservations may not be able to be confirmed until a passport copy is received by the vendor. The following charges are not included in the vacation price unless otherwise noted: airfare to and from the start of your vacation; airline baggage fees including checked and/or excess baggage fees; Federal inspection fees for the Federal U.S. Customs and Immigrations; International Air Transportation tax; agricultural tax; other per person taxes imposed by government entities; airport taxes and fees, including the September 11th Security fee, passenger facility charges, Federal domestic flight segment fees, and U.S. and international arrival and departure and other government-imposed fees added by the airline and applicable at time of booking; port taxes; passports; visas and vaccinations; tips to your Cruise Director, Local Host, driver, Local Guides, and/or ship's crew; gratuities on ferries, trains, and cruise ships; laundry; telephone; minibar; alcohol, beverages, and food outside of the contracted menu as presented at a hotel or restaurant or onboard your vessel (these extra items will be billed to you before leaving the hotel, ship, or restaurant); airport transfers on non-qualifying flights; optional excursions; additional activities and excursions purchased online; porterage at airports and train stations; Travel Protection; and all other items of a personal nature. Itinerary details are provided by the vendor. Vendors may reserve the right to change itineraries, even on existing reservations. There may be instances where the name of a tour contains a tour length in it, but where there is a version of the tour that is a different number of days in length. You can check the true length of a tour by referring to the length value listed in association with that tour. Destination images displayed on this web page, some which are supplied by the related vendor and some which are not, are intended to simply give a general representation of the region of the world being visited during the tour. Such images are not necessarily of the exact areas being visited during the tour. Hotel details (including, but not limited to: rating/class, descriptions, images, amenities and addresses) are provided by Trafalgar. Hotel amenities may be communicated in shorthand by Trafalgar (for example, if "Laundry" is listed that may only mean that the hotel has an optional fee-based service that would allow for your laundry to be done by their staff). We reserve the right to correct errors.