12-day Panoramic Tour Along West Midline in North and South Island of New Zealand
Day 1: Auckland
Go sightseeing in the city of Auckland, after arriving in largest sailing capital of New Zealand' and picked up by the guide at the airport: climb the highest peak in the city, Mount Eden to see remains of the crater and overlook the port of Whitemount, with all of the city's beautiful scenery in one’s eyes; Harbor Bridge, the city commercial district of Queen Street, Princes Wharf and Angel Bay. Check in the hotel after dinner.
Day 2: Auckland Hobbit (2hr50min, 200km) Taupo (2hr10min, 163km) Rotorua (1hr10min, 80km)
Today, proceed from Auckland by bus and head for south to the shooting site of Hobbit Villages in the movie The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit in the central North Island to experience the stunning movie scene. Walk through the places where characters have gone like Hobbit House, Party Tree, Green Dragon Bar, Hobbit village to experience the unique village in depth. After lunch, go to Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake, and one can enjoy the famous Wyla Geothermal Power Station, Lake Falls and etc. One can also take a jet boat ride to visit Taupo at one’s own expense. Then arrive in Rotorua, Maori town and geothermal capital. Visit the Rotorua Government Gardens, where one can stroll along the lake to enjoy the beautiful scenery and the unique atmosphere of Rotorua. After dinner, have a bath in the world's top 10 Polynesian hot springs, so one can relieve one’s fatigue and relax oneself.
Day 3: Rotorua Auckland (3hr20min, 234km)
In the morning, one will enjoy the unique breakfast while visiting Lake Rotorua on LAKELAND QUEEN. It is a two-tier giant freshwater cruise with large plug-impeller power unit as well as representative of the Rotorua Lake. One can enjoy the pure lake tour breakfast which is the pride of people in New Zealand, while watching the confusing landscape of the volcanic lake and enjoy beautiful black swans by the Rotorua Lake. Afterwards, visit the Maori Culture Village with rich regional characteristics to explore the unique Maori culture; and enjoy the spectacular intermittent geothermal fountain and the mud pool and hot spring pool with temperature above 100C. After lunch, transfer to Love Gordon Farm to participate in fun pasture mini-tours, then take a private ranch in close proximity to lovely animals in the ranch and feed them by hand. Then return to Auckland.
Day 4: Christchurch – Greymouth
Christchurch is one of the richest British–style cities in the South Pacific. After breakfast, one can enjoy this beautiful garden city. Visit Canterbury Museum, Avon River, Memorial Bridge. After lunch, go through the Canyon National Park and head for the scenic West Coast. Go to the beautiful Westminster town of Greymouth, where once the Maori people gathered, which is also the largest town in the West Coast.
Day 5: Greymouth - Melaleucus - Franz Josef Glacier
After breakfast, proceed to the spectacular sea wonder of Melaleucus and then drive to glacier towns. The most special point of New Zealand glaciers is that it is only a few kilometers away from the coastal road, so visitors can go to the icy tongue area of the glacier directly. One will witness the wonders of glaciers of thousands of years, and feel their magnificence. The mystery of glaciers will appear before ones’ eyes. It is also possible to take the helicopter (reference price: NZD270 / person) at their own expense, to reach the top of the glacier to enjoy the glaciers experience the magnificence and strangeness of glaciers in depth. Hot springs in the glacier in the dense rainforest is especially arranged after dinner, which allows you to relieve the fatigue of the journey, forget the trouble, and thoroughly immersed in a relaxed, free environment.
Day 6：Fox - Wanaka - Queenstown
After breakfast, proceed to New Zealand's fourth largest lake, Lake Wanaka. Surrounded by the magnificent Southern Alps, one will be immersed in the hideaway idyllic paradise in Lake Wanaka Then go to the Maze World of Stuart Lansberg. This is the only theme park in the world that is full of quirky content, where one will be immersed in this wonderful labyrinthine world, allowing one to develop your intellect and spend a wonderful and happy time. After lunch, go through the fruit town of Clovelle and the birthplace of the bouncing bridge, where one can enjoy excitement of high-altitude bounce and challenge the self-limit experience at their own expense. Arrive in the evening to take the Peak Tram, climb Bob Peak to admire Queenstown views and enjoy a sumptuous dinner buffet at the top of the hill.
Day 7: Queenstown – Arrow Town - Queenstown
After breakfast, head for the Arrow Town, a gold rush flushing town bustling with noise in the past. Walking along the Arrow River, one will feel the lives of thousands of Chinese miners with ancient buildings standing on both sides of the street. After lunch, one is free to visit Queenstown, then take the TSS classical steam boat of nearly a hundred years to visit Wakatipu Lake. Afterwards, arriving in Lake Island Walter Farm, one will enjoy the royal buffet dinner specially arranged in the farm.
Day 8: Queenstown - Greenwich - Queenstown
In the Oscar-winning film Lord of the Rings, there are over 150 spectacular scenes across New Zealand, one of which is Greenwich. Drive from Queenstown to Green Norwich, a distance of only 45-minute drive, in the middle of which one will pass the magnificent Isengard fortress. One can join the Dart River wild adventure tour. Dart River Jet Boat will combine the beautiful World Heritage Scenic Area with exciting and thrilling river jet boat, exploring in Maori sites, meeting characters in the Lord of the Rings and exciting adventure activities, so as to bring a unique combination experience.
Day 9: Queenstown - Mifu Gorge - Te Anau
After breakfast, drive to the world’s wonder Milford Sound. 1 The road to Milford Sound is known as one of highland roads with the best wonderful scene in the world. The road each side is covered with the original rainforest of cold temperate zone in New Zealand, passing through the largest natural grassland Eglinton Valley, Mirror Lake, Knobs Flat, Homer Tunnel of 1.27 km in length, and etc. Milford Sound is a miracle of nature, a deep canyon due to the ice movement and cutting two million years ago. Sail in the cruise silently, having buffet while enjoying spectacular views along the way. You can see waterfall venting down on both sides of the snow mountain. In a very close place of the waterfall, one can feel cold feeling brought by the snow fog. Here, in addition to the natural wonders, one also may see seals, penguins in a lose distance. If lucky, one can also see the dolphins saying hello to you while swimming on both sides of the ship! After disembarking, one will drive to Te Anau, and stay at Te Anau.
Day 10: Te Anau - Dunedin - Oamaru
After breakfast, head for Dunedin known as Edinburgh South. Because the entire city buildings is in the typical Scottish style, the city still retains a rich Scottish atmosphere so far. Upon arrival, visit the beautiful University of Otago, the gingerbread-like train station, the church and the world's steepest street, Baldwin Street, in the world record. One may pass Maori stone beach, where, according to Maori legend, these odd-shaped rock rolled out as the fruit when the great naval vessel of Arred Oulu sank by the shore a thousand years ago. In the habitat of blue-eyed penguins of Oamaru, one may appreciate the fun of the smallest penguins of the world homing. After dark, they will swim to the shore below the stands, and back to the habitat over the viewing area.
Day 11: Oamaru - Cook Mountain National Park - Lake Tekapo
After breakfast, start from Oamaru along the beautiful east coast all the way north, enjoying the picturesque scenery along the way. At noon, arrive in New Zealand's highest mountain, Mount Cook, to feel its magnificent beauty. Then drive to Lake Tekapo, visit the Star Observation Platform and the Shepherd Church, and visit salmon farms of five-star export quality in the southern hemisphere before finishing Lake Dike to enjoy the world's highest-altitude salmon sashimi meal.
Spend the night in the hotel alongside the lake, where one can see the pure vast star seas in the world-famous protection site for seeing star.
Day 12: Lake Tekapo - Christchurch
After breakfast, drive back to Christchurch to continue sightseeing in the city, and then return by plane, ending ten days of a pleasant trip to the South Island of New Zealand.
