20 Day Signature Showcase
This tour is categorised as 3 out of 5
Balanced exploration with walking tours: Our most popular style, this tour offers a good mix of planned activities and free time. Expect moderate daily walking tours, so pack comfortable shoes.
As a general requirement across all of our trips, you may be required to walk up and down stairs, get on and off transportation, handle your own luggage, and participate in all scheduled sightseeing that may be conducted on uneven ground and terrain. Any physical ailments you may have must be disclosed at the time of booking to determine your suitability and where required, supporting documentation may be requested to ensure that we are comfortable that you will enjoy your trip.
This tour is fully escorted by a dedicated tour leader who will accompany you throughout the tour. If your tour includes multiple countries, you will be met by a new tour leader in each country and any internal flights included will be unescorted.
Often regarded as one of the world's great train journeys for the mountian scenery, as it travels over massive viaducts, river valleys & spectacular gorges.
✓ Travel with Grand Pacific Tours
✓ BONUS OFFER - Includes Savings of up to $375pp off RRP
✓ BONUS OFFER - Includes Free Night in Auckland, pre tour
✓ Professional Coach Captain
✓ Tour Leader
✓ 32 Premium Economy Comfort seats on a full-size coach
✓ Personalised Meet and Greet on arrival
✓ Return airport transfers in New Zealand
✓ 19 nights 4 star accommodation
✓ 5 two night stays
✓ 1 rail journey
✓ 4 cruises
✓ All sightseeing and prepaid attractions
✓ Extensive Optional Activities
✓ Signature Documentation Pack
✓ 18 cooked breakfasts including a specialty breakfast: Stratosfare Restaurant, Rotorua
✓15 sumptuous dinners including complimentary pre-dinner drink at the Welcome Dinner and 3 specialty dinners: Māori Hāngi and Concert, Rotorua; Walter Peak Homestead, Queenstown; Farewell Dinner including pre-dinner drink, Christchurch
✓ 2 lunches including a Shire’s buffet lunch: Hobbiton™
✓ 1 delicious Devonshire Tea: Larnach Castle
✓ Enjoy GPT Hotel Wine Time (discounted drinks)
✈ Needing international airfares to accompany your Inspiring Vacation? You will be able to access our flight portal after securing your package to add international airfares to your booking.
Travel with the experts for a carefully curated, value-packed discovery of the world's most iconic destinations. Our tours are bursting with must-see sights, rich experiences and quality inclusions, all at an unbeatable price. Bucket list dreams are ticked off on these all-encompassing journeys.
On arrival into Auckland you will be met by a Grand Pacific Tours representative and transferred to your hotel.
Today is a free day to explore Auckland. This evening enjoy a complimentary pre-dinner drink when you meet your Tour Leader and travelling companions for dinner.
Depart Auckland and travel to Matakohe for a visit and informative talk at the Kauri Museum. Travel via Whangarei to Paihia, situated in the heart of the beautiful Bay of Islands. Enjoy a guided tour of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, the location of the signing of the treaty between the Māori tribes and the British Government in 1840.
Today is a free day. Choose from the many optional activities available, including the Cape Reinga coach trip via Ninety Mile Beach or a spectacular scenic flight. This evening is also free, you may like to enjoy a relaxing dinner cruise (optional).
This morning cruise through the beautiful Bay of Islands aboard a luxury catamaran to Cape Brett, where a historic lighthouse keeps watch over Piercy Island, or as it is popularly known, the ‘Hole in the Rock’. Keep an eye out for dolphins and other marine life. Return to Paihia and travel south via Whangarei to Auckland where you will enjoy a city sights tour. This evening is free to explore the many eateries surrounding your hotel.
Enjoy a leisurely start before visiting Sky Tower, one of New Zealand’s most spectacular attractions. Depart Auckland and travel through the picturesque countryside to Hobbiton for a buffet lunch. This is followed by a guided tour of the Movie Set from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Your guide will recount details of how this beautiful piece of farmland was transformed into The Shire from Middle Earth.
Today begins with a gondola ride and breakfast at Skyline Rotorua. There is also time for a thrilling luge ride! Next stop is the Agrodome for an action-packed hour of farming entertainment and education that is unlike anything you’ve seen before. Enjoy some free time this afternoon before travelling to Te Puia to see the boiling mud pools and awesome geysers that Rotorua is famous for. This evening experience an entertaining Mãori Hãngi and Concert.
Depart Rotorua and travel along the Thermal Explorer Highway to Huka Falls and Lake Taupo. Continue to Napier known as ‘The Art Deco Capital’, where a city tour will showcase an impressive collection of art deco buildings. Enjoy some free time to explore the fascinating architecture before travelling through the Wairarapa, an emerging cool-climate wine region.
Enjoy a leisurely start to the day before travelling to quaint Greytown. Drive through the scenic Rimutaka Mountain Range into Wellington. Enjoy a city tour of the nation’s capital followed by a visit to Gallipoli: A Scale of War exhibition at Te Papa, New Zealand’s National Museum. Cutting edge technology brings these stories to life through the eyes of New Zealanders who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances.
This morning board the Interislander Ferry where you can relax in comfort in the Queen Charlotte Lounge. Enjoy the scenery as you travel through the Marlborough Sounds to Picton. Board your coach for the short journey to Blenheim, where you will experience a personalised wine tasting at an iconic Marlborough Winery. You will taste award-winning wines and enjoy exploring the beautiful Marlborough vineyards.
Tour through Marlborough Country, famous for its food and wine, then travel to the seaside village of Kaikōura. Continue onto the garden city of Christchurch for a city sights tour.
This morning board the TranzAlpine, renowned as one of the great train journeys of the world. Travel over massive viaducts, river valleys and spectacular gorges as you ascend to Arthur’s Pass located in the centre of the Southern Alps. Board your coach and travel to Hokitika, famous for its Greenstone before continuing to the township of Franz Josef where time is available to experience a scenic flight (optional, weather permitting) over the spectacular glaciers.
See the snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps as you travel south along the West Coast to Fox Glacier. Continue via the Haast Pass, an area of stunning beauty before arriving into picturesque Queenstown, a year-round resort situated on the shores of magical Lake Wakatipu. This evening is free to dine out at one of the many fine restaurants.
Today is a free day to explore Queenstown. You may wish to enjoy the thrill of a jet boat ride, a heritage tour of the scenic Skippers Canyon or to get up close to a Kiwi bird. This evening board the vintage steamship TSS Earnslaw and cruise across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Station. Sit back, relax and enjoy a delicious gourmet barbecue dinner featuring seasonal, fresh and locally sourced food at the Colonel’s Homestead. After dinner enjoy a short farm tour then reboard the TSS Earnslaw for a sing along by the piano as you cruise back to Queenstown.
Enjoy a leisurely start this morning before travelling to Arrowtown, an old gold mining village where you visit the Lakes District Museum. Continue to Te Anau, the gateway to Fiordland. Today you may like to visit the Te Anau Glowworm Caves (optional).
Depart Te Anau for a fascinating drive to Milford Sound where you board your launch for a cruise on this magnificent fiord. See the spectacular Bowen Falls and towering Mitre Peak as you enjoy lunch onboard. This afternoon return to Te Anau where some free time is available. You might like to cap off your Fiordland experience by watching the breathtaking film, Ata Whenua - Shadowland, which screens at the Fiordland Cinema (optional).
Travel via Gore and Balclutha to Dunedin known as the ‘Edinburgh of the South’ and enjoy a city tour. Travel along the Otago Peninsula to Larnach Castle where you will hear of the tragic and scandalous history on a guided tour. Enjoy time to wander around this Garden of International Significance followed by a delicious Devonshire Tea.
Farewell Dunedin and travel to Oamaru famous for its limestone. Follow the Waitaki River and see Lake Benmore as you continue to marvel at Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest peak. The opportunity is available to enjoy a scenic flight (optional, weather permitting) over the Southern Alps. Travel to Twizel for your overnight stay.
Continue to Lake Tekapo and view the brilliant turquoise water, the Church of the Good Shepherd and the Sheep Dog Statue before arriving in Christchurch. This evening enjoy a pre-dinner drink and reminisce on memories shared with your new friends at the farewell dinner.
Time to say goodbye. You will be transferred to the airport for your flight home after a memorable New Zealand holiday.
Secure your trip with a $99.00 deposit per person.
Once we receive your deposit, we will send you an invoice with your remaining balance and payment options.
Instalment Schedule:
This is a land only package.
This package does not include international airfares. If you would like to add airfares to your booking our flight portal will be available via your Traveller Hub. The flight portal will allow you to search for all available airfares to your destination. The function works like most general flight search engines allowing you to select your preferred airline, book different cabin classes (eg. Business class) and view flight durations and transit times to your destination.
The flight portal will be available via your Traveller Hub once the following criteria has been met:
Visit our Flight Hub for more information on terms and conditions, amending your flights and information on luggage allowances.
It is the traveller's responsibility to ensure they have a valid passport. The passport must be valid for a minimum of six months from the intended date of return. Visas may be required for your destination. For further visa information, click here.
Fitness Requirements
While the tour itinerary should give you some guidance and overview to the expected requirements, to determine if this tour is right for you we categorise each of our tours in terms of their intensity. These guidelines are to ensure that each tour group is conducted as expected and to ensure the overall satisfaction of all Inspiring Vacations customers.
Accommodation
The accommodation listed is subject to change. Any changes will be of an equal or higher standard. Bedding configurations (double or twin) are requests only. All efforts will be made to meet your preferences, but we can’t guarantee your request will be available at all properties.
Single travellers
When booking this tour, solo travellers will be presented with two options:
1 - Single Supplement
By paying an additional $2,700.00 per person, in addition to the twin-share price, you guarantee the privacy of your own room throughout the entire trip.
2- Shared Room with a known friend
If travelling together with a friend, you can opt to share your room with him/her and avoid paying a single supplement.
You and your friend can create a unique booking each. Creating a unique booking, gives each of you the flexibility of making different travel arrangements (such adding extra accommodation, flights, etc), make separate payments and have individual access to our Traveller’s Hub
During the purchase path, you will need to provide your friend’s booking ID (if known) or at a minimum, your friend’s full name.
Triple Share
Not Available
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is recommended to protect yourself against the unexpected. In addition to the support that a policy may provide, you may be asked to present a copy of your travel insurance documentation while traveling.
We have partnered with nib to offer our customers competitive rates for their travel insurance. You can book Comprehensive or Essentials cover for your domestic, international or multi-trip journeys simply by clicking HERE.
Note that Inspiring Vacations cannot provide advice with regards to any insurance product.
Visa & Passport information
It is the traveller's responsibility to ensure they have a valid passport. The passport must be valid for a minimum of six months from the intended date of return.
Visas may be required.
Please note that these details are subject to change without notice. We recommend visiting https://smartraveller.gov.au for up to date information in terms of entry requirements.
Group Size
Signature Mid-Size Group Tour itineraries are for a maximum of 32 travellers.
Children
On Ultimate Small Group Touring and Signature Mid-Size Group Touring, children under 16 years are not permitted.
All participants must be in good physical condition to fully engage in this journey. For the safety and welfare of yourself and fellow travellers, if you are feeling unwell prior to departure, we advise staying home and contacting us to arrange alternate plans.
Prior to selecting your trip, carefully review the itinerary to assess your ability to comfortably manage our travel style. Please be aware that if, based on evaluation by our leader or local representative, a participant is deemed unable to safely complete the itinerary, we retain the right to exclude them from all or part of the trip without reimbursement.
It is advisable to consult your physician for current medical travel advisories and any required vaccinations before embarking. We recommend carrying a first aid kit and any necessary medications in their original packaging, as they may not be readily available during travel. For those carrying medication, it's essential to check your government's foreign travel guidelines for local restrictions or regulations.
*Conditions apply. Prices are land only. **Travel on selected seasonal departures in Sep 2024 and May 2025 and save up to $750 per couple ($375 pp). All other departure dates save $175 per person off the brochure price. Maximum savings are reflected in the advertised prices. Bonus Night is a pre tour night in Auckland, at the nominated tour hotel, subject to availability upon request. Only if a hotel is not available at the time of booking, receive $100 per person, twin share discount instead. Special Offer Valid on new bookings only until 12 April 2024 for travel Sep 2024 - May 2025. Not to be used in conjunction with any other special offer; not applicable on group departures; can be withdrawn at any time without notice.
Please note that your tour is operated by Grand Pacific Tours and documentation is provided via delivery to your residential address approximately 14 days prior to departure.
In order to ensure a smooth process for delivery of your documents, you will receive a phone call directly from Grand Pacific Tours leading up to the delivery dispatch date to confirm your delivery address details.
Please ensure you answer this call and provide accurate details to the supplier. In the event that an incorrect address is provided there may be additional costs to redirect the delivery to the correct address.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the above please do not hesitate to contact us.