New Zealand Adventure Travel on the North Island

Price (Land Only)

$2299 USD

Trip Dates

Feb 7, 2012	-	Feb 11, 2012
Feb 14, 2012	-	Feb 18, 2012
Feb 21, 2012	-	Feb 25, 2012
Mar 6, 2012	-	Mar 10, 2012
Mar 13, 2012	-	Mar 17, 2012
Mar 20, 2012	-	Mar 24, 2012
Mar 27, 2012	-	Mar 31, 2012
Apr 3, 2012	-	Apr 7, 2012
Apr 10, 2012	-	Apr 14, 2012
Oct 16, 2012	-	Oct 20, 2012
Oct 23, 2012	-	Oct 27, 2012
Oct 30, 2012	-	Nov 3, 2012
Nov 6, 2012	-	Nov 10, 2012
Nov 13, 2012	-	Nov 17, 2012
Nov 20, 2012	-	Nov 24, 2012
Nov 27, 2012	-	Dec 1, 2012
Dec 4, 2012	-	Dec 8, 2012
Dec 11, 2012	-	Dec 15, 2012
Dec 18, 2012	-	Dec 22, 2012
Dec 25, 2012	-	Dec 29, 2012

Trip Rating

Moderate

Ratings Explained

Meals

4 Breakfasts, 5 Lunches, 4 Dinners

Accommodations


Hotel
4 Nights

Trip Includes

Veteran wilderness guides, all accommodation (twin shared), meals as indicated (b-breakfast, l-lunch, d-dinner), mountain bikes, support vehicle, and airport dropoff.

Trip Doesn't Include

Domestic and International airfares, departure taxes, optional activities, items of personal nature, tips to guides.

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Destination Guide

Destination Weather

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New Zealand

Navigating the North Island

Mountain Biking, Hiking and Caving

(5 Days)

Slide Show

New Zealand's North Island is quite different from its South Island. It is a land of volcanoes, hot springs, waterfalls and unique combinations of flora and fauna. It's also home to most New Zealanders and is especially known for its Maori culture. This active 5-day jaunt allows you to see the "other side" of New Zealand, and we have designed it with departure dates that link up with most of our South Island Land of the Long White Cloud departures, so you can experience the whole package.

Trip Highlights

Mountain biking in Roturua, the centre of Maori Culture
Tubing through the underground caves of Waitomo
Hiking through a volcanic crater on the Tongariro Crossing

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival Auckland, Mount Maunganui and Orokawa Beach (Hiking)

Most people leave the Northern hemisphere on a Sunday evening and arrive in Auckland early on Tuesday morning. You'll lose a day to the dateline - but you get it back on the way home! We'll pick you up in central Auckland at 9:30am, or at the airport at 10am on our way out of the city. Once we're out of the city limits. well hike around a series of headlands clad in native Pohutakawa trees to the impressive and secluded Orokawa Beach where, if the weather's nice, we'll have a swim in the warm South Pacific waters. Then we'll head to Mt. Maunganui, a scenic seaside town and popular summer vacation spot for locals, for a hike up Mt. Maunganui itself. This extinct volcano, creates an almost perfect dome on the horizon and offers unsurpassed views of the surrounding coast. After the hike, we'll travel further south through kiwifruit-growing country to Rotorua. There's a great deal of geothermal activity beneath Rotorua, so you'll see steaming pools of mud, fumaroles and smell the distinctive whiff of sulfer that characterizes the town. Overnight at the Rotorua Lodge (L,D)

Day 2: Lakes Okataina and Tarawera, Maori feast and Culture (Hiking)

Today we'll explore the virgin forest around Lake Okataina, an area sacred to the Maori but still unknown to many New Zealanders. We'll hike alongside its deep blue waters to explore the site of an ancient Maori settlement. We'll then continue over the ridge to the shores of Lake Tarawera. The entire area has been sculpted by intermittent volcanic activity, which continues in various forms to this day. Mount Tarawera was the scene of an enormous eruption in the late 19th century, and we'll be able to see the effects of this cataclysmic event during our time here. Tonight we'll head out to a Maori cultural experience and traditional hangi feast where we'll experience the Ngati Rongomai tribe's method of cooking. The meal is prepared by wrapping the food and burying it in the earth to cook over hot stones. This method is very healthy - akin to steaming - but hangi food has a wonderful smoky flavor. Overnight at the Rotorua Lodge (B,L,D)

Day 3: Rotorua - Whakarewarewa Forest and Huka Falls (Mountain Biking and Hiking)

Rotorua is the centre of Maori culture in New Zealand and the influence of the Maori people can be seen everywhere here. Although it's a well-known tourist destination, there's plenty going on behind the glitz that is well worth checking out. We'll spend a couple of hours showing you some of our favorite highlights of Rotorua, before heading out for some biking on the trails in Whakarewarewa Forest. We have biking options to suit all abilities and levels of interest. If you prefer not to bike, there are other options available, such as visiting the local mineral spas for a relaxing soak. We then go hiking down the Waikato River (New Zealand's longest) to the impressive Huka Falls. After this we head south for the short drive down the length of Lake Taupo, the biggest volcanic crater in the world, to Turangi which is on the southern shore of the lake. You'll have time to take a walk alongside one of the country's most famous trout fishing rivers, the Tongariro, while your guide cooks up a great Kiwi barbeque dinner. Overnight at the Creel lodge, Turangi (B,L,D)

Day 4: Tongariro National Park (Hiking and Hot Springs)

Turangi is nestled between Lake Taupo and three massive volcanoes in the central plateau of the North Island; Mount Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu. We have two options here - if the weather is good, we can hike the well-marked Tongariro Crossing, a 7-hour unguided trek known as the best one-day mountain hike in New Zealand. The Crossing is an awesome hike on a less than perfect day, but it's even better on a clear one! If you prefer, you and your guide can do a couple of shorter walks in Tongariro National Park. Firstly, you'll hike through the native tussock to a waterfall at the base of Mt Ruapehu, the highest active volcano in New Zealand. Then, you'll hike around an isolated mountain lake in the middle of the virgin prehistoric rainforest. However you choose to spend your day, we'll all head to some thermal hot springs tonight to soak tired muscles in natural hot water. Later, we'll enjoy a well-earned al fresco dinner! Overnight in Tongariro at a local lodge. (B,L,D)

Day 5: Waitomo Caves and Auckland (Caving)

For our last day together, we'll head over the spectacular Pureora Forest Range through groves of huge native trees, then into sheep farming country, before arriving at Waitomo Caves for some caving. After a cafe lunch, it's an afternoon of caving (a.k.a. spelunking)! You have two options here. For the more adventurous, you'll head "down under" to explore an underground cave system. You'll be fitted with a wetsuit, helmet, headlamp and floatation device to float down a subterranean stream, slide down waterfalls and at one point, switch off your headlamp to check out the incredible glowworms that live on the limestone ceiling of the cave. If wet-caving is not really your thing, you can take a walk through Ruakuri Cave to learn more about the geological significance of the area. After a shower and some hot soup, we'll head back to Auckland, where we'll have you at the airport in time to catch evening flights back home, or down to the south island to join The Land of the Long White Cloud Adventure. (B,L)