Auckland

Board your 50-foot ‘Pride of Auckland’ yacht for a leisurely cruise to Westhaven, the main mooring of Auckland’s luxury yachts. Enjoy morning tea as you sail along Auckland's beautiful Waitemata Harbour taking in sights such as the Auckland Harbour Bridge, Viaduct Harbour, Westhaven Marina and Devonport (Auckland's oldest suburb) along with sweeping views of the city. You have the option of helping the crew sail the yacht or just relax while listening to an informative commentary on the sights of the city.

Back on land you will transfer to a coach to take a scenic drive past many of Auckland’s major places of interest including downtown Auckland, the restored Victorian buildings of its suburbs, the gardens of Auckland’s Domain, the historic building of the War Memorial Museum and the quaint colonial Parnell Village.

Arriving at one of the city’s vantage points, you’ll be able to take in views of the Waitemata Harbour before returning to the ship.

From Auckland you’ll travel south along the motorway, over the Bombay Hills and into the fertile dairy lands of the Waikato River Valley. Driving through beautiful rugged countryside and dense forest you will reach the famous geothermal area of Rotorua.

Enjoy a delicious buffet lunch at a local hotel, whilst being entertained by a Maori concert performance. The performance includes many traditional action songs, including the haka, a fierce, challenging dance, which is accompanied by a chant.

After lunch, a visit will be made to the Te Puia Thermal Reserve. You will be met by a Maori guide for a tour through the thermal area to see the bubbling mud pools, springs and geysers. Further along at the Maori Model Village you will be immersed in Maori culture as the various features are explained whilst you watch the Maori carvers and weavers at work.

Your next stop is the Agrodome where you’ll see a unique live show featuring 19 different breeds of sheep. An interesting and entertaining commentary is given, along with displays of sheep dogs working and sheep shearing.

On the return journey to Auckland, via Matamata and the Hauraki Plain, sit back and reflect on your day’s experiences.

During an interesting drive through the city of Auckland and across the Harbour Bridge you will pass many of its major points of interest. You will notice how downtown Auckland’s shopping and office complexes contrast with the restored Victorian buildings of the city’s suburbs and Parnell Village with its colonial-style shops. Arriving at one of the city’s view points, you will be able to enjoy panoramic views of the city and Waitemata Harbour.

Your next stop will be the Auckland War Memorial Museum, which overlooks Waitemata Harbour. It is one of the country’s most important museums and war memorials telling the story of New Zealand and its people. You will be given a guided tour around the museum and see its intriguing collection of exhibits about New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, including the largest collection of Maori and Polynesian artefacts in the country and an 82-foot war canoe, chiseled from an entire Totara tree.

The America’s Cup is the world’s oldest and most prestigious sporting trophy and ultimate yachting regatta. Usually the domain of billionaires and elite yacht owners, America's Cup Class yachts NZL 68 and NZL 41 offer the unique opportunity to race an authentic America’s Cup yacht, the equivalent to driving a Formula 1 race car.

Your 2 hour sailing experience starts in the Viaduct Harbour where you meet the professional crew and are taken through a safety briefing. The sails are then hoisted and you will become the crew, encouraged to take the helm, exert energy on the grinders or if you prefer you can simply sit back and enjoy the action as you sail down the beautiful Auckland Harbour.

Experience is not required and the yachts are suitable for everyone from experienced racers to the most apprehensive first time sailor.

Enjoy the sights as your guide points out the city highlights before reaching the wine growing areas and farming districts. You will pass the Kumeu and Huapai townships and before reaching the coastal community of Muriwai. On the wild cliff tops, overlooking the beach and surrounding rugged scenery, you will walk amongst native plants to a special lookout, where you will see one of the largest mainland gannet colonies in the world.

The lookout is close to the birds and, dependent upon the season and time of day, you may be able to observe their various activities such as nesting, feeding and displaying. Gannets are spectacular aeronauts and you should be able to see their wonderful displays as they dive for fish and bring their catches to the nest site.

From Muriwai, continue to the Kaipara Peninsula and Haumoana Farm. This working farm provides the ideal opportunity to enjoy time in the beautiful New Zealand countryside. Sheep and cattle are reared here on a commercial basis and there is also a herd of fallow deer in a field behind the house.

A barbecue lunch including local wines and beers will be served at the farm, followed by a demonstration of the working sheep dogs and sheep shearing.

Visit the Auckland Sky Tower, which standing at 1,076 feet, is the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere. With its 2 observation decks and revolving restaurant it offers unparalleled views coast to coast. Glass-fronted lifts will whisk you to the glass floored main observation deck where you will see Auckland beneath your feet.

After a short waterfront drive you will arrive at Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World and Antarctic Encounter. This is one of Auckland’s most popular attractions, a wonderland of snow, ice and underwater sights.

The Underwater World contains a moving walkway which will transport you through clear acrylic tunnels for a first hand experience of the treasures of the deep. See the rich variety of species from New Zealand’s coastal waters and come face to face with sharks, turtles, giant rays and other incredible deep sea creatures.

The Antarctic Encounter is home to New Zealand’s only sub-Antarctic penguins, offering a rare opportunity to see the magnificent King and Gentoo penguins up close in their icy domain. You will also be able to walk through a replica of Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s Antarctic hut from 1911, complete with authentic memorabilia offers a glimpse at what it was like to live 100 years ago in the coldest place on earth.

Enjoy an entertaining guided tour though the spectacular Glow Worm Cave with its majestic, ornate cave decorations, striking limestone formations and the equally magnificent Cathedral cavern where opera diva Kiri Te Kanawa once performed.

The highlight of your day is a leisurely boat trip through the Glow Worm Grotto. Experience the serene ambience as you glide through the underground Waitomo River, surrounded by a galaxy of tiny living lights. You will be fascinated by the luminescent blue-green flickering lights of the glow worms as they light your way.

After leaving the Caves, you will travel to the lovely English-style garden setting of Crosshills Gardens for a delicious home-cooked buffet lunch.

During your journey you will pass North Island’s spectacular scenery, as you travel to the Waikato River Valley through fertile farmland and rural countryside dotted with sheep. The sights include Ngaruawahia, a significant place for Maori culture and history, and Taupiri, known for its sacred mountain.

Enjoy a scenic drive to the beautiful suburbs of Devonport, which will afford unsurpassed views of the city icons, via Mount Victoria and North Head. From Mount Victoria you will have spectacular views of North Shore city, the gulf and Auckland City as well as remnants of the Kawerau tribe fortifications. North Head has panoramic views of the Hauraki Gulf, the Takapuna Region and Rangitoto Island and contains an extensive collection of military tunnels.

Devonport, a historical maritime village nestled on Auckland's North Shore, is one of the earliest settled areas and most noted for its timber colonial architecture. In the 1880’s much farm land was subdivided and large wooden villas were built in a style which has now become part of Devonport's charm. The wooden villas have been lovingly restored and repainted, and beautiful gardens developed around them to enhance their glory. Most of the houses are built of solid timber from the Kauri tree, Agathis Australis, a native tree known for its straight growth habit and lack of knots. Enjoy a guided tour of the Devonport Peninsula enjoying the colonial architecture and peaceful tranquillity of this historical village, followed by free time to explore the speciality shops.

Return to Auckland via the ferry at your own leisure.

Take a drive through Auckland’s city centre to the Kumeu River Valley and the surrounding viticultural region for a visit to 3 of the country's premium wine estates. Enjoy guided tours and tasting of New Zealand Rieslings, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs.

Soljans Winery, situated at the gateway of Kumeu Classic Wine Country, offers a complete winery experience. The vineyard surrounding the winery is planted with Pinotage, Merlot and Pinot Gris but like most Auckland wineries, Soljans draws the majority of its grapes from New Zealand’s major wine growing regions.

Matua Valley Wines have taken advantage of the unique regional qualities to create innovative and distinguished wines. The winemakers are perfectionists at every point of the wine making process and are constantly searching for new ideas to challenge the norms and improve the wines.

Nobilo Winery was founded in 1943 by Croat immigrant Nikola Nobilo whose family history and winemaking background stretches back over 300 years in Europe. Nobilo wines are internationally acclaimed, especially the classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs, which have received numerous awards and accolades over many years.

Embark on a scenic drive through the vibrant city of Auckland. As you cross the Harbour Bridge you’ll be provided with views of Westhaven Marina and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (Auckland’s most prestigious yacht club) before passing by the attractive waterfront area with its 2 lovely bays to the picturesque suburbs of St Heliers.

Your knowledgeable guide will provide an interesting commentary on Auckland’s history and local life as you contine on to one of the city’s vantage points. From here, you can enjoy stunning city and harbour views as well as a vista of some of the islands of the Hauraki Gulf.

Your leisurely drive will continue through the charming Parnell Village with its colonial-style shops, boutiques and craft shops, past the historic Auckland War Memorial Museum and on through the busling central business district back to the port.