Sun & Steam

Welcome to the land of the long white cloud: New Zealand! Time to meet your Contiki crew and get ready for the adventures on the horizon. We'll cross Auckland's Harbour Bridge admiring the 'City of Sails' harbour before starting our journey north to Paihia. But first, a stop off at the stunning yacht marina in Whangarei. Here we'll check out the weird and wonderful Huderwassert art centre, a unique architectural project dedicated to the ecological activist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. After lunch we'll hit the road again onwards to the Bay of Islands. On arrival to the Bay of Islands we're starting off with a dose of Kiwi history on a guided tour at Waitangi Treaty grounds where in 1840 New Zealand officially became a nation of two communities. And because we like to give you that something extra, how about a free admission at the Treaty museum, in case you seek a bit more detail on Kiwi history. Tonight we'll feast like the locals as we enjoy a true Kiwiana fish'n'chips as we overlook the glittering Bay of Islands.

Whether it's parasailing or a fast boat ride - today's (idyllic) list of optionals reads like a who's who of adventure. This area is filled with natural beauty and is sure to inspire your inner wild child. Make the most of the Free Time Add-On experiences on offer - tomorrow we head back to the big city vibes.

After breakfast this morning, feeling full, salty and sun-kissed we wave goodbye to Paihia & sashay our way back down NZ in the direction of Auckland. Arriving in Auckland we've got a array of awesome Free-Time Add-Ons to choose from. Adrenaline junkies, get ready for a bungee jump, climb over the iconic harbour bridge or sky jump off the Skywalk. For those who prefer to keep two feet on the ground, why not get your taste buds tingling with a multi-sensory icecream experience at Giapo?

Laters Auckland! Today we drive through the lush farmlands of Waikato, an area that produces many of New Zealand's best Rugby players for the All Blacks, on route to Rotorua. When you catch your first whiff of that .. 'unusual' sulphur smell, you'll know we've arrived in Rotorua. Famed for its spurting geysers, boiling mud pools & hot springs, gondola and speeding luge rides, Rotorua is a natural wonderland, and then some. We'll stop off at the New Zealand Kiwi Hatchery, the largest conservation project for the kiwi bird in the world. Watch these adorable little birds roam around, stand in a human-sized kiwi burrow, and visit the incubation centre, where over 2100 kiwi chicks have been born. Who knows, maybe you'll see a newly-hatched kiwi chick! Tonight the culture will sky rocket with a traditional Māori hāngi dinner & cultural performance, and perhaps best of all, the chance to get involved in the world-famous HAKA.

The day is yours to roam free in this geothermal paradise. Soak in a hot spring, go white water rafting or hike up a volcano. The options are limitless and the decisions are yours. We recommend the Rotorua Dawn Canopy Tour, exclusive to Contiki, where you'll watch the sun rise, eat some breakfast and drink coffee up in the towering trees as the birds make start their morning calls. Then, you'll get to soar 1200m through the forest on the ultimate zipline adventure.

Just as we were acclimatising to that funky smell, it's time to leave Rotorua, taking one last look at the bubbling geothermic mud pools before we flee. Arriving into Auckland marks the time to say goodbye to the wolf pack (sob). NZ - you've been real.