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14-DAY KIWI SMALL GROUP TOUR Meals included: (B) Breakfast and (L) Lunch Exploring the road less traveled is easiest—and best—done on a tour. Delve into Kiwi life with a small group of like-minded tourists by booking this itinerary. DAY 1: Arrival Transfer to your waterfront hotel, and begin exploring Auckland, the City of Sails, right away on your own. Try the local Marlborough green-lipped mussels, revered for their health benefits, then venture to the Auckland Viaduct for the city's best nightlife or back to your room to rest up for tomorrow's full day. DAY 2: Karangahake Gorge, Lake Rotoiti & Rotorua Discover Karangahake Gorge, one of the "14 Wonders of New Zealand." Relics of its gold mining past line the trail as you make your way through native bush, the Ohinemuri River a bubbly companion. Later, cruise Lake Rotoiti on 53-foot catamaran Tiua, and maybe even take the helm as you visit secluded coves and hot pools reachable only by boat. Spend your first of two nights in Rotorua, famed for its geothermal activity. DAY 3: Rotorua A free morning grants you time to better explore "Cureland" and its mud pools, geysers, and hot springs. Then, it's on to boutique Pounamu Lodge overlooking Lake Tarawera and its sacred mount. Experience the B&B's trademark Manaakitanga mantra of "beauty, respect, and pride" over a fresh, Maori-inspired lunch with hosts David and Karen as they regale you with stories of the region's rich history. (L) 32 | Kiwi Small Group Tour DAYS 4 – 5: Tongariro National Park Embark on a two-day expedition through the "Thermal Wonderland" of Wai-O-Tapu, one of TripAdvisor's "20 Surreal Places You Need to See to Believe." Bubbling mud pools, awesome geysers, and vivid silica shores mark this commanding landscape. Take an afternoon walk through the volcanic mountains of dual World Heritage-listed Tongariro National Park, where you'll also spend the night. Start the following day with breakfast at historic Chateau Tongariro Hotel in Whakapapa Village, at the base of iconic Mt. Ruapehu. Depart for Napier, where a private guide leads you through the city's Art Deco architecture; breathtaking vistas atop Te Mata Peak conclude your day. (B) DAY 6: Wellington Cross the forested Rimutaka Ranges to New Zealand's capital city. An introductory tour provides an overview, after which you'll look up, up, upward to magnificent Mt. Victoria, then back down from its peak for a bird's-eye view of the harbor. Later, settle into a contemporary hotel in the center of Wellington's eclectic café scene. DAY 7: Marlborough & Nelson Lakes National Park Board the Interislander ferry across Cook Strait and up beautiful Queen Charlotte Sound to South Island. Back on land, stop for a wine tasting in Marlborough's acclaimed premier wine region before reaching the alpine peaks and honeydew-laden beech forests of Nelson Lakes National Park.

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