Idyllic 12-Day New Zealand Private Tour for Seniors

Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city and possesses its largest airport. It is a convenient place to fly in and out of New Zealand and marks the northernmost point of your 12-day experience. A local guide will greet you at the airport for a short transfer to the harborfront and your waterside hotel. Nothing will be planned for today as you ease into New Zealand and rest after your flight. Your hotel hosts a superb on-site spa, and you can soon be beneath a spell of bliss. All you have to do is step out of your hotel and you will find a series of bars and restaurants along the promenade, as well as insatiable views toward wading yachts and distant islands.

One of these not so distant islands is Waiheke and is located only a short ferry ride away. A local guide will accompany you on your journey and lead you to the highlights of this tropical Pacific island. Vineyards cover the hills, which are idyllic places to taste experimental wines and feel yourself unwind. Small bays and beaches also cover the island, and these always make for easy afternoons. Tiny villages often demonstrate Waiheke’s alternative culture, and a series of sculptures line the western cliffs, showcasing indigenous art and style. Waiheke is excellent as a day trip. The ferries run regularly all day, so you can take the day as it comes and discover the area with your local guide.

Today marks the first of three sublime journeys that you will have in different parts of New Zealand. This part of the North Island is marked by conical hills, green pastures, and volcanic plains. It is about 2 hours to Rotorua, and you will travel via Waitomo. Glowworms will illuminate magnificent limestone formations, and there will be a real sense of the surreal as you drift through the caves in a boat. The afternoon will be at your leisure in Rotorua before an evening tour of a geothermal park. Here, there are geysers, mud pools, and the highlight of being welcomed by a Maori community. This will be a dramatic and somewhat frightening experience because you will witness warriors in full costume. From there, it will be all smiles with an evening of dance, song, sharing stories, and learning the Maori ways.

Steam escapes from cracks in the asphalt roads of Rotorua, geothermal activity bubbles everywhere, and you will visit a second thermal park this morning. Here, geysers shoot 30 feet into the air, and pools of mud take a bizarre color. This will be a relaxed day, and, following the park, you will be taken across a lake in a traditional canoe to an island of volcanic hot springs that is perfect for resting both your body and mind. Maori locals will be your guides, so today will bring a further understanding of their culture and ways.

New Zealand has fabulous landscapes, and transfers between destinations are not simply transfers but beautiful travel experiences. Today, you can sit back and watch Middle-earth unfold from a first-class train carriage. Cutting past most of North Island’s main volcanoes, the railway follows a rural and winding route from Taupo near Rotorua to the coast and capital city of Wellington. You do not need to move because the scenery will change dramatically as you twist between majestic peaks, gaze up at volcanic craters, and slowly roll into the low-key waterside city of Wellington.

With its colorful streets and laid-back ways, Wellington feels nothing like a capital. This is one of the reasons that it is so agreeable. You will spend the day with a local guide, exploring Wellington at a slow pace and stopping to discover the city’s fine cafes. There are many directions that you can travel, and most of the best will lead you to different neighborhoods, where there are boutiques galore and the slow pace that you may have come to expect from a village. Many travelers miss Wellington, but it is a superb destination, especially for senior travelers.

Today will present the last part of your journey trilogy. After the road through the north and train into Middle-earth, you will cruise across Marlborough Sounds on a boat, connecting Wellington with Blenheim on the South Island. Dolphins almost always mark this route, and you will travel between astonishing green cliffs and islands that are small in size but tall in shape. When you arrive, you will disembark on the South Island, and a local guide will lead you to Blenheim, which is another laid-back New Zealand town where the focus is on fine tastes and experience. This is wine country, and the afternoon and evening will provide you with stunning gastronomic experiences led by your local guide.

Famous for its crisp Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough is the darling of New Zealand wine regions. Over the last ten years, it has turned from boutique gem to international wonder, although there are still plenty of small producers to rival the more famous exporters. Aromas of freshly cut grass and apples dominate the nose when tasting the Sauvignon Blanc, and there are other soft and subtle varietals to try. Blenheim’s food is reflective of the wine, and your guide will know an excellent low-key vineyard for a leisurely lunch. As with most days on your 12-day New Zealand tour, today can be entirely tailored to your interests.

After flying south to Queenstown, the landscape will change dramatically. Lovely plains will be replaced by towering mountains and a strong sense of wilderness. Lake Wakatipu stretches out from beneath your lodge, and the Remarkables reflect perfectly on the water. A local guide will provide you with a brief orientation tour, so you will know the best places to dine. Queenstown is really small and quiet in addition to being a very walkable city. Here, nature is always dominant wherever you are. Today will be at your leisure, and your lodge has an excellent Polynesian spa in which you can indulge. For the perfect Queenstown introduction, you should consider taking a cable car to Bob’s Peak, which is especially gorgeous at sunset.

Fiordland National Park is roughly the size of Connecticut, and it is just one part of a UNESCO World Heritage wilderness that covers almost half of the South Island. Much of Fiordland remains unexplored and inaccessible, except for those who can travel by helicopter. On a private helicopter tour, you will soar over glaciers and ridges. Eventually, you will touch down on a glacier to wander across the ice. You can also touch down on a mountain, where extravagant vistas can be complemented by a picnic and plenty of stories from your pilot. With a full day flight, you can gasp at the area’s changing scenery and begin to understand the scale of this untamed and unchanged land.

This final day will be left free and is completely customizable to your interests. You can indulge in a 4WD tour to Glenorchy and Lord of the Rings filming locations. Moreover, you can indulge in a trip to the mountains and one of the excellent easy hiking trails. There will also be a spa along with a beautiful lakeside trail. Plus, you can even partake in some adventures on the water, including a jetboat ride or an old-world steamer that traverses Lake Wakatipu. Whatever you do will be all up to you, and there is so much you can try.

After another leisurely morning and breakfast, you will be transferred to Queenstown’s international airport.