Best of Auckland and Rotorua 4 Days
North Island (Reversible)
This four-day journey promises the best of Auckland, New Zealand ‘s largest city with its world class harbour, and Rotorua’s captivating geothermal wonders and rich Maori culture.
Travel Style: Private driver I Self-drive
Day 1: Auckland
Suggested activities for Auckland
Explore: Auckland
New Zealand's self-proclaimed "City of Sails" is the country's largest metro area. Resting between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea, this urban paradise has something for everyone. Surrounded by native bush, rainforests, and an abundance of beaches, Auckland is a playground for both the city savvy and those with an eye for adventure. Central museums and galleries can be explored on foot.
Food and Wine: Harbour Dinner Cruise with Explore
This unique on-water dining experience is not to be missed while you're in Auckland. Enjoy smooth sailing on the Waitemata Harbour – then watch this photogenic city come alive with twinkling lights. Enjoy your meal as you sail around the beautiful Auckland Harbour taking in the view as the sun slowly sets. You'll be treated to canapes and a drink as you set off towards Westhaven Marina.
Day 2: Waiheke Island
Food and Wine: The Essence of Waiheke Wine Tour
Known as ‘New Zealand’s Island of Wine’, Waiheke has become home to a dedicated group of award-winning wine producers. With a unique micro-climate and the winemakers’ philosophy of 'small is beautiful', Waiheke has produced some of New Zealand’s most prestigious wines.
On this tour, you will visit three of Waiheke’s top vineyards and sample a range of their wines. Along the way, enjoy a commentated scenic drive, learning about the island’s history, geography, people, and culture from your knowledgeable local guide.
After your wine tasting experience, sit back, relax and finish the day with a lunch and a glass of Waiheke wine or beer at a local favourite.
Day 4: Rotorua
Suggested Activities for Rotorua
Culture and Nature : Te Puia Te Rā Guided Experience
Te Puia is one of the country's premier indigenous experiences, with its spine-tingling ceremonial welcome, and stunning Kapa Haka cultural show which features traditional ancestral storytelling, song and dance. Enjoy food that has been cooked using the geothermal energy used for centuries, quite literally giving you a taste of Māori culture. You choose what you want to be cooked for your lunch before heading off on a special guided tour of Te Puia.
Culture and Food: Te Pā Tū Cultural Tour and Hangi Dinner
Journey back in time to a Pre-European lifestyle experience of customs and traditions. Enjoy the night's festivities with the people of Tamaki Maori Village as you are treated to a banquet of succulent foods cooked the traditional Māori way. Discover the Māori village as it comes alive to the sound and activities of tribal songs, dances, myths, and legends and browse throughout the largest after-hours tribal marketplace in Rotorua. Includes a hangi buffet feast that has cooked slowly underground.
Day 3: Auckland to Rotorua
Travel to Waitomo Caves and then onto Hobbiton before arriving in Rotorua
Suggested activities
World Famous: Hobbiton Movie Set Tour
In the heart of New Zealand, you can step into the lush pastures of the Shire with a guided tour of Hobbiton, as featured in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies. Hobbiton is located just outside of Matamata - in the heart of the lush Waikato farming region. Here you can visit such iconic Hobbit locations as Hobbit Holes, the Green Dragon Inn, the Mill, and the Party Tree, with a guide sharing behind-the-scenes tales and insight into the making of the films.
World Famous: Waitomo Glowworm Caves
Waitomo Glowworm Caves, take a 45-minute guided tour through impressive underground caverns and learn how stalactites, stalagmites and other limestone structures were formed over millions of years. Your tour includes a boat ride through the Glowworm Grotto - glide silently along an underground river as you gaze at the twinkling glowworms overhead. After visiting Waitomo and Hobbiton, continue to Rotorua, arriving in the early evening.