Just how much mind-boggling can be packed into a 12-day holiday? Quite a lot when you're prancing around New Zealand. We'll sashay our way from Auckland to Christchurch, chowing down on fish'n'chips and Maori hangi meals, watching geothermic mud pools boil & signing up for adrenalin rushes that will buzz on in our minds 'til we're old and grey.
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10 Breakfast (B)
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3 Dinner (D)
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Wellington:
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Mount Ruapehu: See more of the sights made famous in the "The Lord of the Rings"
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Mount Ruapehu: See an active stratovolcano with Mt Ruapeh
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Rotorua: Visit the New Zealand Kiwi Hatchery at Rainbow Springs near Rotorua and hear about their efforts to save New Zealand's adorable national bird
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Rotorua: See (and smell) Rotorua's bubbling geothermic mud pools
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Huka Falls: Visit the awesome Huka Falls
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Paihia: Get a dose of history with a guided tour of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds
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Auckland: See the 'City of Sails' harbour made famous by the America's Cup
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Paihia: Fill up on a dinner of fish 'n' chips (Kiwi style) overlooking the Bay of Islands in Paihia. This is probably what heaven feels like.
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Whangarei: See the work of the visionary Austrian painter, architect and ecological activist who made New Zealand his spiritual home.
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Rotorua: Experience a traditional Maori cultural performance and feast on a ground-smoked hangi dinner
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11 Breakfast (B)
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Mount Ruapehu: See even more of the sights made famous by "The Lord of the Rings."
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Wellington: Wellington has a café and restaurant scene like no other, and today we'll sample it for ourselves. You'd better make sure you're hungry.
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Mount Ruapehu: Today we'll check out Mt Ruapehu, an active stratovolcano elevated almost 2,800 metres into the air!
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Rotorua: On this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, we'll head to Rainbow Springs near Rotorua to learn all about the locals' efforts to protect New Zealand's adorable national bird.
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Rotorua: Wait til you see 'em. Wait til you smell 'em. These geothermic mudpools are a thing to behold.
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Rotorua: A traditional Maori cultural performance, topped off with a traditional Maori feast... this ought to satisfy even the keenest of culture vultures.
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Huka Falls: Huka falls is a jaw-jutting display of natural hydro power. Here you'll see 220,000 litres of water tumble over the waterfall... per second that is(!)
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Auckland: With sailboats at every angle, this is a beaut view indeed.
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Paihia: A dinner of fish 'n' chips, enjoyed while overlooking the Bay of Islands in Paihia. Is this heaven? No sir, it's just salt and vinegar.
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Paihia: The Waitangi Treaty Grounds might just be NZ's most important historical site, marking the place where the British Crown and the Maori people signed their first accords back in 1840.