Travel Deal | Essential Experiences of New Zealand Vacation

9-Day Auckland, Wellington & Queenstown with International Flights from $2,739*

Save $646 per person with this deal!

An essential New Zealand experience with scenic train ride. Includes flights, tours, hotels & transfers all in one New Zealand Vacation Package

Highlights & Inclusions:

9 Days / 7 Nights – New Zealand
4-Star Accommodations: Auckland (2 Nights), Wellington (2), Queenstown (3)
New Zealand Domestic Flights: Wellington to Queenstown, Queenstown to Auckland
International Flights: Los Angeles to Auckland (Return) Houston, Chicago & San Francisco also on sale!
Scenic Rail Journey: Auckland to Wellington
Tours: Auckland City-Sights Tour, Waitomo Glow Worm Caves, Rotorua Maori and Geothermal Experience
Tour Choice of Wellington Tour: City Highlights or Middle Earth Filming Locations
This free and independent travel (FIT) tour is customizable to suit your needs.

Permitted US Departure Dates: September 2 – December 9, 2018 and February 3 – June 20, 2019 departing on a Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday only.

Starting Price Can Be Found: April 28 – June 11, 2019 departing on a Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday only.

Choose Your Own Wellington Adventure:

Wellington City Highlights Tour

Fully guided city tour of the city of Wellington
See the beautiful city center and downtown areas, surrounded by lush, hilly landscape
Head up to Mount Victoria for stunning, 360-degree views of Wellington City
Ride the famous Wellington cable car

See More of Wellington

Middle Earth Filming Locations Tour

See your favorite Middle Earth locations in person
Go by coach to see film sites like the Quarry of Helms Deep, Rivendell, the Gardens of Isengard and more
Ascend to Mount Victoria lookout for an amazing panoramic look at Wellington City
Refreshments and morning/afternoon tea provided

Explore Middle Earth

Booking Code: ST-NZ40a or ST-NZ40c

Call: 888-359-2877 (M-F, 8:30am-5pm CT USA)

Don’t miss this amazing New Zealand vacation and scenic rail experience!

Book by: October 8, 2018

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Packages by AboutNewZealand.com, a subsidiary of About Australia, a fully bonded ARC accredited travel company.

Other Departure Cities

Direct International Flights from the following cities are available!

San Francisco – Add $100+

Houston – Add $100+

Chicago – Add $200+

About New Zealand Reviews

Rating of Average of 4.83 on a total of 12 Ratings

Patrick Kurz

YOU CAN'T TAKE A BAD PICTURE IN NEW ZEALAND!

We LOVED our New Zealand trip!!!!! It was the most gorgeous place we've ever been...the mountain scenery is amazing....the Rotorua geothermal area was amazing.... the entire country is AMAZING!

Carol Strickler

Thanks!

Thanks to Layla for planning our trip to New Zealand. Our hotels were lovely & well situated and our travel transportation worked well. The only glitch was we had to wait for our pickup shuttle at the Wellington airport for one hour as we just m(...)

Eric Olberding

My wife and I had a wonderful trip to New Zealand.

About New Zealand did an excellent job of covering all the details which led to a very organized and stress free vacation! A couple of the IBIS hotels we stayed at were disappointing but on the flip side we received a nice surprise with lake vie(...)

Gene and Sandy Bauman

Perfect Adventure

Our trip covered several stops in New Zealand, Australia and Fiji over about a month. Each accommodation, shuttle, arranged tour and request was fulfilled beautifully. We couldn't have asked for a better trip, and the price was well within our(...)

Beck S.

Fantasic Job

I had a fantastic time in New Zealand. I only wish I could have been there longer! Thank you for putting together such a great itinerary on such short notice.

John B

Outstanding trip and customer service

Wound up with an opportunity to take some vacation time on short notice. After reaching out with a little less than a month to go til departure, we were able to arrange the most active and exciting vacation we’ve ever done. Our agent, Ana, too(...)

Scott Nowak

What a great way to spend our 40th Anniversary! Thank you!!

It was a fantastic vacation to both New Zealand & Australia (Melbourne area). Bekah arranged a self drive tour in NZ with all the tours/hotels to fit into our schedule. Amazing views of the coast, mountains, glaciers, country side & city. We esp(...)

Nicole Lambert

We had an awesome honeymoon! Thank you!

My husband and I booked our honeymoon trip to New Zealand and Fiji through About New Zealand and were fortunate to have a great travel agent, Darin! He organized our entire itinerary with activities, drop offs/pick ups, hotel accommodations etc.(...)

Janet H. Rust

Wonderful Time!

We had a fabulous time in Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. You arranged fun excursions that we all enjoyed and then a relaxing time in Fiji before we returned to the US. Especially enjoyed the tour of the Opera House in Sydney, holding a Koal(...)

Bonnie Kelly

Our trip to New Zealand was fantastic.

Darin our coordinator with About Australia did a fantastic job coordinating our trip for us. Everything went smoothly with accommodations,car rentals and all of the attractions we were going to see. We would book with them for another trip.

(...)

Clyde & Sharon

A Great Experience!

It would actually please us greatly if our visit to Hobbiton might be the catalyst for others to visit the Shire. We’ve been Tolkien fans forever and lifting a pint in the Prancing Pony was one of highlights of our trip.

Delyn Simmons

Our trip to New Zealand was amazing!

It's such a beautiful country with lots of friendly people! Our travel guide did amazing work setting up our flights, hotels, tours, and shuttles, making it really relaxing on our part. So thankful for the opportunity for our family!

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Trip Details

Ah, New Zealand. You may know it as the place that provided gorgeous background scenery for films such as “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” or maybe you think of it as the birthplace of bungy jumping. Or maybe you just know it as the land with more sheep than people. No matter what comes to mind when you think of New Zealand, one thing is certain:

New Zealand is an incredibly diverse and culturally rich country and this vacation package is perfect for experiencing a little bit of everything on your journey.

Arrive in Auckland

Begin your New Zealand vacation journey in Auckland. The “City of Sails” is the perfect starting point for your journey through New Zealand. This harbor city has played host to the America’s Cup International yachting race on the beautiful Waitemata Harbour. You’ll see incredible views from the edge of this coastal country as Waitemata Harbour looks out over 15 islands that dot the horizon.

Photo: Tourism New Zealand

A half-day tour of Auckland’s scenic highlights gives you a proper introduction to the city. You’ll see the city center and eclectic and fashionable neighborhoods like Karangahape Road and Ponsonby.

Cross the Auckland Harbour Bridge and see more of the city’s spectacular sights on your tour.

See amazing views of Auckland’s skyline over Hauraki Gulf.
Walk through The Domain, one of Auckland’s oldest and largest public parks.
Take a ride along Tamaki Drive, a scenic waterfront route along the coast.

After you’ve been properly acquainted with Auckland, spend the rest of the day venturing out on your own. Return to some of the sights you’ve seen on your tour or see more of the city on your own. Tip: For a truly thrilling way to commemorate your Auckland visit, head on over to the Auckland Sky Tower. At a staggering height of 722 feet, the truly adventurous can choose to participate in a bungy jump sending you plummeting 630 feet down!

And that’s just the first day!

Glowworms, Farms & Culture to Rotorua

A full day trip on a luxury coach awaits as you are whisked away for an epic tour featuring several of New Zealand’s most cherished experiences. Pass through New Zealand’s beautiful countryside passing dairies, sheep farms and small farming settlements en route to your first stop, the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves.

Photo: Waitomo Glow Worm Caves

The Glow Worm Caves are one of New Zealand’s most treasured highlights. Follow a guide through amazing cave formations and subterranean landscape. The tour ends with a silent, drifting boat ride through a cavern that is brilliantly lit with the twinkle of thousands of tiny glow worms that call the cavern home. Think of the glow of a firefly, but with a soft blue hue. This almost indescribable cave experience definitely needs to be seen in person.

Your tour continues to Rotorua – a city that is a hotbed of geothermal activity in New Zealand, including geysers, hot springs and volcanoes. In fact, the city itself is located on the inside rim of a volcanic crater. Upon arrival in Rotorua, you’ll be introduced to a working New Zealand farm. A guide will take you around the farm on an all-terrain vehicle, where you can see how the farm works, witness a sheep shearing and hand feed the farm’s many animals.

Then, you’ll arrive at the Te Puia Institute, one of Rotorua’s most culturally-important and iconic Maori experiences. Te Puia Institute combines Maori culture of the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute along with incredible geothermal experiences. At Te Puia you’ll see:

The thermal valley and the Pohutu geyser, colorful silica deposits, boiling mud pools and more.
Traditional Maori woodcarving and weaving.
The famous Maori village with opportunities to see cultural performances.

Photo: Te Puia Institute

Train to Wellington

From Auckland, the beautiful Northern Explorer rail takes you on a scenic trip to Wellington, while you take in New Zealand’s most picturesque countryside. Open-air viewing cars allow an up-close look at the beautiful rocky coasts and canyons, lush farmland and the volcanoes of Tongariro National Park.

Arrive in Wellington and spend two nights in a centrally located hotel, within walking distance to Westpac Stadium, Te Papa Museum, the waterfront and more. Choose between two different tours to get to know this amazing city: A City Highlights Scenic Tour or a Lord of the Rings Middle Earth Film Tour

Wellington is famously known as the city where many scenes from the Lord of the Rings were filmed.

Choose your Wellington Adventure

You can experience a half day tour that truly brings some of your favorite Middle Earth scenery to life on a tour that is great for fans of the movies and non-film buffs alike.

You’ll embark on an epic journey of Lord of the Rings filming locations all over Wellington. See Middle Earth come to life as you see the pristine rainforest of Rivendell, the Gardens of Isengard, the quarry of Helms Deep and much more. You will also visit Mount Victoria, the site that made Buckland come alive in the films.

If you’d rather see Wellington City proper, opt for the Wellington City Highlights Tour. You’ll become properly acquainted with the city’s beautiful downtown surrounded by picturesque rolling hills. A guided coach drives you through Wellington hot spots, including a ride on the Wellington Cable Car. A ride up Mount Victoria gives you spectacular 360-degree city views of the city.

Photo: Tourism New Zealand

Explore Queenstown

Jet off to Queenstown where you’ll spend 3 days in this dynamic outdoors oriented city. Enjoy 3 days to do whatever your heart desires from the numerous outdoor nature experiences like hiking some of Queenstown’s rugged terrain, extreme adventure sports activities (skydiving anyone?), tours, the buzz of downtown and more. Even if you choose not to partake in any optional tours, there is plenty to experience on your own around Queenstown. The choice is yours.

An amazing New Zealand vacation experience can you show you all sides that this dynamic, culturally rich country has to offer. You’ll feel like you’ve seen it all with the diverse array of experiences to be had. New Zealand is renowned for its amazing culture and majestic beauty and it is important to see it all for a true look at this amazing country. Don’t risk missing out – let us do the planning and give you an authentic and unforgettable Kiwi-experience.

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*Terms and Conditions:

All prices are in US dollars and correct as of August 28, 2018. Pricing is from “per person” based on Double Occupancy (2 Adults) in hotels. Single Supplements apply. Upgrades available on request (upgrade supplements apply). No refunds allowed. Changes are permitted (fees may apply). Other restrictions may apply. Not combinable with any other offer or discounted vacation package. About New Zealand reserves the right to adjust the amount of any outstanding balances at any time according to USA Exchange Rate variations. All taxes, GST & Fuel Levies are included in the Price unless specified otherwise. Prices may vary when you book your travel package and are not guaranteed until payment in full is received. Airlines, hotels and tour operators frequently change their prices as a result of rate increases, fuel surcharges, government imposed taxes or fees. Prices may increase prior to full payment for those and/or other reasons. All prices, itineraries and routings are subject to change. After full payment, prices are guaranteed except only due to an increase in government imposed taxes or fees. By paying your deposit, you understand and agree to the possibility of such increases.

Flights, where included, will be operated by Air New Zealand or their code-share partners; flight Taxes & Fuel levy included; Economy Flight Class of Service. Flights maybe based on Fares which can not be held in advance of purchase, same day ticketing may be required.

Permitted US Departure Dates: September 2 – December 9, February 3 – June 20, 2019 departing on a Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday only.

Starting Price Can Be Found April 28 – June 11, 2019 departing on a Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday only.

Subject to availability. Blackout dates and seasonal supplements will apply; these vary by travel vendor and are subject to change without notice. Travel may be permitted outside the dates listed, but may attract seasonality or special event surcharges.

Known special event dates will increase the cost of the trip or limit availability:

Wellington: September 14 – 15, 20 – 22, 27 – 29 & October 4 – 6, 2018

Queenstown: November 16 & April 19 – 20, 2019.

All hotels are centrally located, inspected and approved by About Australia.

Bedding Configuration is as follows:
Auckland: 1 King or 2 Doubles
Wellington: 1 Queen or 2 Doubles

Queenstown: 2 Doubles (1 King or 2 singles available at additional charge. )

Northern Explorer Rail departs from Auckland on Monday, Thursday and Saturday only.

Contact About New Zealand directly to get a firm quote based on current prices for your preferred travel dates.

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Useful Links: New Zealand Visa Requirements, New Zealand Adventure Tours, Things to do in Queenstown, Things to do in Auckland