NEW ZEALAND
- Christchurch
- Glacier Regions
- Queenstown & More
13 May 2010 - 26 May 2010
Highlights:
- Scenic helicopter flight over glaciers with a snow landing ( what a spectacular view! )
- 3-hr Glacier Walk ( learning to walk on new grounds like a baby )
- 12,000 feet Tandem SkyDive ( falling in the sky is an out of the world experience; one tick off our bucket's list! )
- Adventure Day - Ultimate Bungy Jump, Jetboating & White Water Rafting ( heart-pumping plus wet, wet wet )
- Back to more relaxed journey of New Zealand's famous & beautiful scenic itinerary ( time to catch our breath )
- We SWAM with DOLPHINS in the cold oceans!! ( loved, loved, loved this experience !!! )
- Glow Worm Caves ( in awe of nature's magnificent beauty )
- Death-defying 220m ( 732 feet) Auckland Sky Tower Jump ( takes courage & slight insanity to do this jump )
Christchurch > Greymouth > Glacier Region > Queenstown > Milford Sound > Queenstown > Mt Cook > Christchurch > Kaikoura > Picton > Wellington > Rotorua > Waitomo > Auckland
|
CHRISTCHURCH
Upon arrival, we were met by A2B Luxury Lines and transferred to our accommodation. The emergency contact number for A2B Luxury Lines is Ph (03) 358-7579. Our driver handed over our travel documents (including vouchers) upon arrival at the hotel. We spend the day exploring Christchurch. Our hotel was Copthorne Christchurch Central. |
|
CHRISTCHURCH > GREYMOUTH > GLACIER REGION
Today, we departed Christchurch on the Tranz Alpine Train to Greymouth. The Tranz Alpine is described as "The Great New Zealand Rail Adventure" and is rated as one of the top six scenic train journeys in the world. After crossing the huge and fertile patchwork farmlands of the Canterbury Plains, the Tranz Alpine winds its way over mas.sive viaducts, through spectacular river gorges and the stunning Waimakariri River valley. It tracks its way up and across the spectacular Southern Alps via the alpine village of Arthur’s Pass situated 737 metres above sea level, before descending through lush beech forests past the beautiful Lake Brunner to the West Coast town of Greymouth, on the Tasman Sea. We arrived at Greymouth around 12.45pm and make our way to the Intercity Depot to connect with our coach journey from Greymouth to the Glacier Region.We traveled south along the Scenic West Coast, enjoying views of the Southern Alps to the East and the Tasman Sea to the west as we make our way to the Glacier Region, where we stayed at Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier. |
|
GLACIER REGION
We signed up with The Helicopter Line for a scenic helicopter flight over the glaciers including a snow landing for my mum, and a 3-hr Heli guided glacier walk in Fox Glacier (NZ$395 each by then; now is NZ$425) for my wife and myself. After the glacier walk, we signed up for the Ultimate Jump in the afternoon, where we did the 12,000 feet tandem skydive near Franz Josef Glacier. It's a unique place to jump, with the highest mountains, glaciers, ocean and rivers below. The price for the jump was NZ$295 per person and NZ$180 for filming us and printing into DVD. For the night, we stayed at Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier. |
|
GLACIER REGION > QUEENSTOWN
We departed the Glacier Region this morning around 735am via Intercity Coachlines and traveled down the West Coast past spectacular mountain ranges, native forests and lakes to the Haast Pass, gateway to World Heritage Westland National Park. Followed the shores of Lakes Hawea and Wanaka to the resort city of Queenstown arriving approximately 4.30pm. Here, we stayed at Rydges Queenstown. |
|
QUEENSTOWN
Today was an activities day for us in Queenstown, where we did the 43m Kawaru bridge bungy jump (I did two jumps as they give big discount for second jump; 1st jump NZ$175, 2nd NZ$60), jetboating, and white water rafting all in one day. The price for rafting plus Jetover cost NZ$275 per person. For Jetover alone will cost NZ$109. In the evening, we make our way to the Skyline Queenstown and enjoy a Gondola ride up to Bob’s Peak to enjoy the beautiful night view of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu. Accommodation: Rydges Queenstown |
|
QUEENSTOWN > MILFORD SOUND > QUEENSTOWN
Follow the southern arm of Lake Wakatipu to Lumsden, and onward to Lake Te Anau. The scenery changes dramatically from tussock covered grasslands to glacier hewn valleys as we entered the Eglinton Valley and traveled through the breath taking man made Homer Tunnel to reach Milford Sound. We enjoyed a cruise on this world famous fiord, dominated by Mitre Peak and the cascading Bowen Falls. On completion, we returned to Queenstown by coach arriving approximately 8.00pm, staying at Rydges Queenstown. |
|
QUEENSTOWN > MT COOK > CHRISTCHURCH
Departed Queenstown today and traveled past Lake Wakatipu through the Central Otago Region to the small town of Twizel. From there, we continued north to follow the shores of Lake Puakai to Mt Cook, or as known in Maori "Aorangi", the cloud piercer. Along the way, we visited the Church of the Good Shepherd and Lake Tekapo before travelling across the Canterbury Plains to arrive in the Garden City of Christchurch arriving approximately 8.00pm. We stayed at Copthorne Christchurch Central. |
|
CHRISTCHURCH > KAIKOURA
We left Christchurch, traveling through North Canterbury to reach our destination of Kaikoura, a town steeped in Maori History and Legend. Here, we joined a Swim with Dolphins excursion with Encounter Kaikoura after settling in our hotel (NZ$165 per person). This is a wonderful experience for both my wife and myself as we get to jump into the ocean and swim with the wild dolphins. According to the operator, the sighting of wild Dolphins is almost 90%, and hence chances are very high. Our accommodation in Kaikoura was White Morph Motor Inn. |
|
KAIKOURA > PICTON > WELLINGTON
We left Kaikoura and headed to Picton to take the Interislander Ferry over to the North Island. We traveled across Cook Strait, the stretch of water that separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The journey across Cook Strait has a dramatic beauty all of its own. Both Islands can be viewed, including the magnificent Kaikoura ranges, and there is often the chance to see wildlife such as seabirds, dolphins, seals, whales and orca. Unfortunately, we only saw seabirds. We arrived Willington around 4.20 pm, and was transferred to our accommodation, James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor. |
|
WELLINGTON – ROTORUA
This morning, we departed Wellington and traveled north by sea vistas and satellite towns, past cropping and sheep farming country to the Tongaririo National Park. We left Mt Ruapehu behind and traveled across volcanic plateau country, past Lake Rotoaria to the summit of the Te Poninga saddle. After reaching Turangi, we followed the shores of Lake Taupo to reach Wairakei, where geothermal steam is harnessed to produce electricity. We then traveled on to the Bay of Plenty region to arrive in the "thermal city" of Rotorua, where we stayed at Rydges Rotorua. |
|
ROTORUA
Today, we visited Te Puia Geothermal reserve to view the boiling mudpools and cascading Pohutu geyser, that make Rotorua famous as New Zealand's "thermal city". Here we also enjoyed a visit to the Maori Arts and Crafts Institute to view local Maori carvers in action. Next, we traveled on to Rainbow Springs to view the resident bird life, native flora and fauna, and see local brown, rainbow and tiger trout as they swim in the crystal clear spring waters. Lastly, we traveled onto the Agrodome for an entertaining show featuring sheep dog demonstrations, cow milking and an introduction to the stars of our sheep industry - the various breeds that have established New Zealand as one of the foremost farming nations in the world. We ended the tour at our hotel, Rydges Rotorua, at approximately 12.30pm. |
|
ROTORUA > WAITOMO > AUCKLAND
We departed Rotorua and traveled over the forested Mamaku Ranges to reach Waitomo. Upon arrival in Waitomo, we enjoyed a guided tour of the world famous Waitomo Glowworm Caves including an underground boat ride on a subterranean river. Overhead thousands of tiny glowworms light up the cave walls and roof. On completion, we continued through the fertile Waikato area through Hamilton, New Zealand’s fourth largest city to reach Auckland arriving approximately 5.30pm. We stayed at the SKYCITY Auckland for the following two nights |
|
AUCKLAND > SINGAPORE
After lunch, we head to the Auckland Sky Tower, which is just next to our hotel in Auckland, where I did the Sky Jump (NZ$195 plus NZ$50 for DVD and photo) from the Sky Dec at a height of 220m (732 feet)! It was drizzling, and there were not many people taking up the challenge. In fact, I got a free second jump :). After the jump, we spend some time in the casino while waiting to be transferred to the airport to catch our late night flight back to Singapore. |
TRIP PHOTOS - NEW ZEALAND