• 2 Dinner (D)
• 5 Breakfast (B)

• Sydney: A modular trip means fellow travellers will join and leave at various locations. There’ll be some goodbyes, sure, but there’ll also be plenty of hellos with new like-minded travellers.

• Auckland: Cameras at the ready folks, the views will be extraordinary here.
• Auckland: With sailboats at every angle, this is a beaut view indeed.
• Whangarei: See the work of the visionary Austrian painter, architect and ecological activist who made New Zealand his spiritual home.  
• Paihia: The Waitangi Treaty Grounds might just be NZ’s most important historical site, marking the place where the British Crown and the Maori people signed their first accords back in 1840.
• Paihia: A dinner of fish ‘n’ chips, enjoyed while overlooking the Bay of Islands in Paihia. Is this heaven? No sir, it’s just salt and vinegar.
• Rotorua: A traditional Maori cultural performance, topped off with a traditional Maori feast… this ought to satisfy even the keenest of culture vultures.
• Rotorua: Wait til you see ’em. Wait til you smell ’em. These geothermic mudpools are a thing to behold.
• Rotorua: On this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, we’ll head to National Kiwi Hatchery near Rotorua to learn all about the locals’ efforts to protect New Zealand’s adorable national bird.

Pause to take in the City of Sails from a waterfront lookout or the approaches to the Auckland Harbour Bridge. With cameras at the ready, frame sleek yachts on the Waitemata and the skyline punctuated by the Sky Tower.

Guides point out neighbourhoods spread across the isthmus and the volcanic cones that shape the horizon. It’s a crisp orientation to Auckland’s harbour life and layered cityscape.

Set sail across sheltered waters as you sail the Bay of Islands on the Carino wildlife eco-cruise. Trim sails, watch for dolphins and seabirds, and drop anchor at a calm cove for a swim or beach time on an emerald isle.

Crew share marine ecology and island history while breezes carry the scent of salt and manuka. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Lift gently into the sky for serene parasailing above the Bay of Islands. From your harness, turquoise channels, pocket beaches and misty headlands unfold beneath you, with boats tracing white ribbons across the water.

Choose solo or tandem flights with expert crews and soft, dry take-offs and landings from the boat. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Clip in for the Auckland Harbour Bridge Climb, following engineered catwalks to panoramic viewpoints over Waitemata Harbour. For the bold, take the leap with the iconic AJ Hackett Bungy, plunging toward glittering blue water.

Guides share harbour stories and point out volcanic cones and city landmarks before safety briefings for jumpers. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Circle a narrow ledge 192 metres above the city on the SkyWalk, then, if you dare, step out for the wire-guided SkyJump from the Sky Tower. Sweeping views span harbours, islands and volcanic peaks.

Specialist guides handle safety while you focus on steady steps and the rush of open air. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Indulge in a multi-sensory ice cream experience at Giapo, where chefs transform gelato into edible art. Expect hand-crafted flavours, surprising textures and imaginative garnishes served with theatre.

From local fruits to premium chocolate, every ingredient is treated with flair, turning dessert into a creative encounter. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Greet first light on a Dawn Canopy Tour, sipping coffee on platforms high in native forest as the birds’ morning chorus rises. Harness up to zipline through native forest, crossing swing bridges above mossy gullies.

Guides share conservation wins and introduce ancient podocarp giants while you glide between towering trunks. This optional, Contiki-exclusive timing is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Laugh your way down volcanic slopes with ZORB Rotorua, rolling inside a giant inflatable orb on water-lubricated tracks. Expect splash-filled laughter, sweeping views and a giddy sense of freedom.

Pick your track — straight, twisty or with big drops — and let gravity do the rest under watchful staff. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Unwind in geothermal pools as you soak in hot springs beside Lake Rotorua. Silky, silica-rich waters ease tired muscles while lake breezes and lakeside views complete the calm.

Choose from a range of temperatures and outlooks for a restorative pause amid the geothermal heartland. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Tackle frothing rapids and drop the world-famous 7-metre Tutea Falls on a white-water rafting run along the Kaituna River. Lush gorge walls, fern fronds and warm water make for an epic North Island descent.

Professional river guides brief you on paddling and safety before a pulse-raising ride through chutes and pools. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Ride by 4WD to the summit and set out on a Mount Tarawera guided hike along serrated ridgelines and volcanic craters. Peer into the scar of the 1886 eruption and scan expansive views to lakes and forests.

Guides weave geology with Maori stories of this sacred maunga, revealing how the eruption reshaped the region. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Step into Middle-earth on the Hobbiton Movie Set, wandering lanes of Shire landscapes, bright-doored Hobbit holes and vegetable patches that appear lifted from the screen. Toast with a ginger beer at the Green Dragon Inn.

Guides share filming secrets from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit as you explore gardens, mills and the Party Tree. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore Rotorua’s active landscape where geothermal mud pools bubble and vents exhale sulphur-scented steam. Boardwalks lead past spurting pools and otherworldly terraces, with the air humming and the earth audibly alive beneath your feet.

Set within New Zealand’s volcanic heart on the Pacific Ring of Fire, these phenomena reveal the forces that shaped the region’s lakes and valleys. It’s a photographer’s dream and a vivid lesson in geology and geothermal life.

Taste a New Zealand seaside classic with fish ’n’ chips enjoyed alfresco beside the Bay of Islands. Crisp, golden batter, hot chips sprinkled with sea salt, and a dash of salt-and-vinegar meet ocean breezes and the sight of boats at anchor.

This simple ritual captures local life — fresh catch, casual chats, and sunset hues over the water. It’s an easygoing feast that pairs perfectly with the bay’s relaxed rhythm and coastal views.

Visit the National Kiwi Hatchery near Rotorua on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER Experience. Learn how conservationists safeguard eggs, witness incubation and nursery care, and step into a human-sized kiwi burrow to understand this nocturnal bird’s world.

Discover how dedicated teams have raised more than 2,100 chicks and supported wild populations. Insightful guides explain threats, predator control and release programs, turning a close-up wildlife encounter into a hopeful story of species recovery.

Discover Aotearoa’s founding story on a guided tour of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Walk the ceremonial lawn, see the Treaty House and Te Whare Runanga, and gaze across the island-dotted bay where chiefs and Crown representatives met. Guides bring to life the moment the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, shaping the nation that followed.

Continue into the Museum of Waitangi to explore taonga (treasures), interactive exhibits, and powerful narratives of partnership and identity. This visit offers context and reflection in one of New Zealand’s most significant cultural landscapes.

Contiki

Stroll the yacht-lined Town Basin marina and admire the joyous curves and bold colour of the Hundertwasser Art Centre. Its undulating lines, mosaic tiles and living roof reveal the playful, eco-conscious vision of the Austrian artist who made Northland his home.

Hear how Friedensreich Hundertwasser championed harmony with nature and human creativity. Even from the outside, the centre’s sculptural facade and golden cupola offer a striking counterpoint to the calm water and green hills of Whangarei.

Experience a traditional Maori dinner and performance in Rotorua. Be welcomed onto the marae, feel the energy of the haka, and enjoy songs and stories that share whakapapa (ancestry) and tribal identity before savouring a hangi earth-oven feast.

Guides explain customs, haka meanings and the region’s Te Arawa heritage. Slow-cooked meats and vegetables emerge infused with steam and native wood aromas, offering a flavoursome window into living culture and hospitality.