Travel dates:
- 3 - 7 October
- 11 - 15 November
- 9 - 13 December
Includes:
- Flights departing Auckland or Wellington to Christchurch*
- 1 night at Akaroa Waterfront Motels
- 1 night at Methven Resort
- 2 nights at Danseys Pass Hotel
- 3 x cooked / buffet breakfast
- 3 x 2-course dinner
- Entry Fee of Garden Tour, The Giant House Akaroa, Family-owned farm tour, Visit Country Estate and Lunch, Waimate Museum, Wallabies at Victoria park Waimate, Vanished World Centre Duntroon, historic garden cottage visit, Maniototo Early Settlers Museum, Larnach Castle
- Commentaries provided by your experienced escort, drivers and local guides
- Comfortable air-conditioned coaches with panoramic windows
- Single Supplement included into the price for one person
Itinerary
Day 1:
Highlights of the day:
- Scenic Lookout over Christchurch and mountains
- Ohinetahi House & Garden
- The Giant House Akaroa
- Onuku, ancestral house and church
- Birdlings Flat, pebble beach with ocean surf
- Little River, tiny town in the heart of the Peninsula
Departs Christchurch Botanic Garden at 9.30 am. You will board your coach to start your southern experience!
On the way to Ohinetahi Garden you'll stop by Sugarloaf Scenic Reserve - fantastic area for views of Christchurch, Canterbury plains and southern alps.
Ohinetahi - a magnificent garden merging native with exotic plantings in a symphony of colour and shape starts the day with a bang. Then a wonderful gift / book shop with a glorious beach vista gets you wondering if there is a job vacancy going.
Onward to meet the giants and a town with a French story to tell. Ōnuku Marae represents the founding spirit of our past and nourishes our spirit and enriches our lives. The team welcome you to come and experience the spirit of Ōnuku.
You finally relax in the comfort of a 4-star waterfront accommodation.
Day 2
Highlights of the day:
- Warwickz Farm
- Cotons Cottage
- Boutique Cinema Experience
- Gunyah Country Estate Lunch and Garden Tour
- Lake Coleridge / Rakaia River scenic route
Variety is the keynote of today from a working farm, a picturesque lake with an industrial sized job (generating hydroelectric power) and tiny settlements with interesting stories. Not to mention the alpine scenery of the South Island that is the envy of postcards and Instagram posts.
In the rolling foothills of the Southern Alps west of Christchurch you’ll find Gunyah Country Estate. Enjoy a buffet lunch at one of New Zealand’s grand old rural homesteads.
This is just the 2nd day, you still have much to see. If you like blockbuster movies you better go and watch classics at Cinema Paradiso.
Day 3
Highlights of the day:
- Hand feed wallabies
- Take a selfie with Richie McCaw / Kurow
- Lost in Vanished World / Duntroon
- Jumping across Moeraki Boulders
There’s bound to be a small town out there that’s calling your name: Waimate. Waimate is home to one of New Zealand’s largest pieces of street art. Waimate attractions: Arcadia Theatre, Dr Margaret Cruickshank MD memorial, Waimate Museum and Archives, Aussie wallabies, Bushtown Waimate Heritage Park and The White Horse... and that's not all. The New Zealand rugby team is a kiwi identity badge. Spanning over 125 years, the All Blacks have won more than 70% of all the international matches they have played. We stop by Kurow, where Richie McCaw, one of NZ's great players spent his childhood.
Vanished World is a mine of information from displayed excavations of enormous prehistoric penguin to self-guided route maps. Your brief foray into the geopark will start with well-known Elephant Rocks. Just around the corner is Moeraki boulders, granite shaped and smoothed by eons of sea water movement. Magic made by nature is worth the visit.
Day 4
Highlights of the day:
- Cachanburn, a rambling country garden
- Ranfurly, the Art Deco of Otago
- Naseby, 'jewel of the Maniototo’
- St Bathans, five people are a crowd! / Blue Lake
Jane Falconer welcomes you to her rambling country garden, set in the stark beauty of the Maniototo. Magical places where Scottish roots writ large on the Maniototo (red tussock) landscape. Perhaps try your hard at curling. Meet local artists who call the place home with one of the objects to ponder over.
Naseby is an attractive place to relax – historic old buildings, a cafe, a couple of old pubs, and if you want more then there is more. Ranfurly: jazz-aged buildings, rich history of this picturesque gold mining town. An extraordinary lake where once a mountain existed, deep blue with glacial dust. Nestled beside the cute, Instagram worthy St Bathans. Meet the dogs, huskies where cuddles are compulsory.
Day 5:
- Highlights of the day:
- Macraes, Otago's gold mining history
- Middlemarch, Central Otago backcountry
- Larnach Castle, one and only mock castle in NZ
The bizarre, the sad and the glorious.
Macraes gold mining history is about struggle and the likelihood of failure. Most miners do not find their pot of gold. You discover their stories at Golden Point Reserve. A lunar landscape is the legacy of dredging on an industrial scale.
Middlemarch is replete with stories of everyday settlers, the rocky tors and confluence of two rivers reflects the history of its farming and domestic life.
Larnach Castle is a testament to lives marred by scandal with a glorious garden and stately castle, a record of the life of a nineteenth century politician.
Excludes:
- Travel/health insurance (highly recommended, please contact us for a quote)
- Entry visa if needed
- Accommodation not as listed in the itinerary
- Sightseeing / activities not listed in the itinerary
- Meals not listed in the itinerary
- Personal expenses such as room service, internet charge, laundry, drink, fax, telephone call, optional activities, etc
- Gratuities, tips to guides, drivers, bellboys, etc.
- Optional day tours during free time
Click here for more information about the tour.
About Pacific Jane:
The senior travel writer is a history buff. Sharing the joy of travel inspires Sarah-Jane’s stories. The quirky, the unique experience or the narrow winding road is grist for her typing fingers. Telling a story about a place is a conversation with good friends. As with all good travel writing, the adventure is never finished. There is always something new to write about.
Itinerary building, planning the perfect trip is an art. A travel expert is passionate about making sure your accommodation exceeds her expectations. Her eye for detail means the activities and adventures are effortless. With over fifteen years of travel knowledge to draw on our risk free guarantee is assured. Crafted unique journeys start with Pacific Jane.
The sales team love nothing better than stress testing a package to ensure holiday fun is part and parcel of the travel deal. An extensive international travel background is brought into play to capture the special moments that make our holidays unforgettable.
The team has walked the great walks of New Zealand or cruised on The Murray River. They have indulged in slow travel through the wine regions Down Under and layered up to explore Tasmania in winter. They have been there, loved the adventure. The travel deals are road tested. And they do not sit on their laurels. Travel deals are monitored to guarantee you do not miss out on anything.
Conditions
Valid from May 20, 2021
Expires Dec 13, 2021
Limit: 1 per user and 1 as gift for others
Bookings essential. Subject to availability. Valid travel dates: 3 - 7 October, 11 - 15 November, 9 - 13 December 2021. Not valid on public holidays. Book early to avoid disappointment. Valid for the number of people stipulated on coupon only. Tour departs Clyde. Includes: Flights from Auckland or Wellington*, 1 night at Akaroa Waterfront Motels, 1 night at Methven Resort, 2 nights at Danseys Pass Hotel, 3 x cooked / buffet breakfast, 3 x 2-course dinner, Entry Fee of Garden Tour, The Giant House Akaroa, Family-owned farm tour, Visit Country Estate and Lunch, Waimate Museum, Wallabies at Victoria park Waimate, Vanished World Centre Duntroon, historic garden cottage visit, Maniototo Early Settlers Museum, Larnach Castle, Commentaries provided by your experienced escort, drivers and local guides, and Comfortable air-conditioned coaches with panoramic windows. *Free flights with Air New Zealand, up to NZD 150 per person return, subject to availability (flights depart from Auckland/Wellington one day prior to tour departure and fly back to Auckland/Wellington the next day after the end of the tour). Single Supplement included into the price for one person. Excludes: Travel/health insurance (highly recommended, please contact us for a quote), Entry visa if needed, Accommodation not as listed in the itinerary, Sightseeing / activities not listed in the itinerary, Meals not listed in the itinerary, Personal expenses such as room service, internet charge, laundry, drink, fax, telephone call, optional activities, etc, Gratuities, tips to guides, drivers, bellboys, etc., Optional day tours during free time. 100% Covid risk free guarantee - all deposits are 100% transferable to other dates or tours. No cashback. Not to be used with other offers.
See the rules that apply to all deals.
