New Zealand

The tour starts at 2.30pm on Sunday 10 March, at Auckland Airport.

The tour ends after breakfast on Monday 25 March, at the Scenic Hotel Te Papa, Napier.

Meet your tour leader and fellow tour participants at the departure gate at Auckland Airport for our short included flight to Kerikeri on the Bay of Islands. On arrival at Kerikeri, we transfer to our hotel in Russell, the main settlement in the area. There are drinks and a light dinner this evening. Overnight Russell (D)

This morning’s introductory talk explores some of the important and complex issues in Māori-European contact. We then walk to the Pompallier Mission and Printery in Russell. Founded by French Marist missionaries in 1842, the mission documents one aspect of European travel to New Zealand – the desire to Christianise the inhabitants. We then head a short distance out of town to a local winery, enjoying fine views over the Bay of Islands. Here we enjoy lunch at one of the district’s best restaurants, sampling the vineyard’s produce. Late this afternoon we board the R. Tucker Thompson, an 85-foot halibut schooner, for a gentle twilight sail of the bay. Overnight Russell (B, L)

Today we visit the two most important historic sites in the Bay of Islands. Our first stop is the excellent museum and historical site of the Waitangi Treaty, signed by Māori Chiefs and Europeans in 1840 and the basis for relations ever since, though frequently criticised and reinterpreted. The museum looks at the shared history from both sides, using artefacts and explanatory texts. The treaty grounds themselves are a peaceful, reflective site. Established in 1819, the Kerikeri Mission is an extensive and well-preserved site. We visit the Stone Store, Kemp House and stroll the award-winning heritage garden, more than 200 years old. Before returning to Russell, we visit Kororipo Pā, an ancient, fortified hill settlement once home to the Mission’s Māori protector, Hongi Hika. Overnight Russell (B)

This morning we depart Russell and head south. Our first stop is the Hundertwasser Art Centre, the largest exhibition of the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser outside of Vienna with original artworks, architectural models and more celebrating his legacy in New Zealand. On site is also the Wairau Māori Art Gallery which features the contemporary artworks of Toi Iho Māori artists. We stop for lunch in Whangerei before heading to the Kauri Museum at Matakohe to recount the history and the legacy of the ancient kauri forests which once covered northern New Zealand. We arrive in Auckland in the early evening and enjoy dinner in one of the city’s fine restaurants. Overnight Auckland (B, D)

This morning we visit the Auckland Art Gallery, the nation’s leading public gallery and home to a celebrated collection of 19th-century Māori portraits by Gottfried Lindauer and others. We also go behind the scenes, visiting the gallery’s well-regarded conservation department. The afternoon is free for individual activities. This evening has been set aside to enjoy a concert by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra or a play by the Auckland Theatre Company (details to be announced). Overnight Auckland (B)

This morning we take the 45-minute ferry ride across Auckland Harbour to Waiheke Island. This idyllic island has wineries, secluded beaches and a number of art centres. We visit the Connell’s Bay Sculpture Park on the eastern tip of the island. Here, in an idyllic setting overlooking Hauraki Gulf and the Coromandel Peninsula, collectors and philanthropists John and Jo Gow will take us on a walking tour of their fine collection, which includes many site-specific installations by New Zealand sculptors. We end our visit with a late lunch at the Mudbrick Vineyard, enjoying the spectacular views back to Auckland, before returning by ferry. Overnight Auckland (B, L)

After a brief talk, we spend the morning at the remarkable Auckland War Memorial Museum, arguably the world’s finest museum dedicated to Pacific cultures. A museum guide takes us through some of the key exhibits, and explains the history of the building itself, conceived as a war memorial. There will be time to explore the museum independently, as well as take a stroll in the adjacent Domain and its elegant iron and glass wintergarden. Departing Auckland, we head south and travel through the stunning countryside of the Waikato Valley. This rich agricultural district is home to New Zealand’s thoroughbred racing industry and is also where much of the Lord of the Rings film series was shot. We arrive in Rotorua in the late afternoon. This evening we visit the Te Puia hot springs and geyser park, observing this natural spectacle and learning about local Māori history and culture. Overnight Rotorua (B, D)

We spend the morning exploring the Waimangu ‘volcanic valley’ with a local guide. The valley was formed through dramatic volcanic activity in 1886. We first take a path past craters, lakes and hot springs before joining a short cruise on Lake Rotomahana, with fumaroles and other evidence of the 1886 eruption. After a break for lunch we join local specialist guide Geoff Cox for a walking tour of the Lake District of New Zealand, focusing on its natural history. Overnight Rotorua (B)

Departing Rotorua, we travel through a geothermically active area of hot springs to Lake Taupo, stopping to view the dramatic Huka Falls on the way. At Lake Taupo, we visit the small but interesting local history museum, and take a short boat cruise to see some impressive contemporary Māori rock carvings on the lake shores. After a break for lunch, we enjoy the fabulous drive along New Zealand’s West Coast to New Plymouth on the Tasman Sea, before dining at the cosy and welcoming Social Kitchen restaurant in the heart of the city. Overnight New Plymouth (B, D)

This morning a local guide takes us on a walking tour of this overlooked city, with its dramatic backdrop of Mount Taranaki, pristine beaches and beautiful parks. We pay a visit to the innovative Puke Ariki Museum, spot the 45m high kinetic sculpture Wind Wand by Len Lye and after lunch, visit the gallery dedicated to the work of this inspirational film maker and kinetic sculptor, whose work literally pops, flips and zazzles! Later this afternoon we enjoy a winery visit with tasting and nibbles at Okurukuru, just out of town. Overnight New Plymouth (B, WT)

Our journey south to the Capital is punctuated by a morning in picturesque Whanganui at the end of the wild Whanganui River. We have time for lunch among its heritage buildings and stop for a visit to the Whanganui Regional Museum, with its Lindauer portraits and Māori treasures. On arrival in Wellington we check in and catch a performance at Wellington’s well-regarded Circa theatre, close to our hotel. Overnight Wellington (B)

This morning a walking tour takes us along the waterfront and introduces us to the history of Wellington, from its establishment as a profit-making colony by Edward Gibbon Wakefield to its later position as the national capital. After a break for lunch we continue our exploration by visiting the summit of Mount Victoria, overlooking Cook’s Strait and Wellington Harbour. Well before the arrival of Europeans, the summit was the site of a Māori Pā. Next stop is the botanic gardens above the city, from where we can walk back down to the city and return to the hotel on foot. Overnight Wellington (B)

Our morning is dedicated to a tour of the extraordinary Old Government Buildings dating from 1876. We witness colonial history in one of the world’s greatest wooden buildings, with a four storey Italianate façade that once housed the entirety of the civil service and New Zealand cabinet. In the afternoon we visit the impressive Te Papa Museum. We tour the Māori heritage and the early colonial exhibitions, to give us a sense of the country’s earliest years. There is also an excellent Anzac gallery to visit and a good collection of paintings. We farewell Wellington with dinner at the Boulton Street Bistro, one of the city’s best restaurants. Overnight Wellington (B, D)

On the last leg of our journey we depart Wellington for Napier, with a stop at the Pukaha National Wildlife Centre in a pocket of ancient forest on Mount Bruce. Here we can see Tuatara, Kiwi and other native New Zealand fauna in an unfenced breeding sanctuary for native wildlife, run by a not for profit organisation. After a picnic lunch we continue to our comfortable hotel on the seafront in charming Napier which has the appearance of a 1930’s film set. Overnight Napier (B, PL)

After a brief talk this morning, a specialist architecture guide takes us on a walking tour of Napier’s city centre. An earthquake in 1931 destroyed most of the city centre, but it was rebuilt immediately in a consistent Art Deco style and today boasts a remarkable architectural heritage, recognised as one of the densest concentrations of small-scale Art Deco architecture anywhere in the world. After some free time to visit the regional art gallery and stroll the seaside promenade (also Art Deco), we head by coach to the Art Deco residential suburb of Marewa and onto Hastings, built mainly in the Spanish Mission style. The nearby town of Hastings is at the heart of the Hawke’s Bay wine district. With a climate similar to that of Bordeaux, the area is known for its sauvignon blanc and syrah varieties, which we have the opportunity to evaluate for ourselves at a wine tasting and walking tour of the vineyard. Back in Napier, to celebrate our last night we enjoy dinner in the highly regarded Bistronomy Restaurant. Overnight Napier (B, WT, D)

The tour finishes today after breakfast. Flights are available to Auckland to connect with departures back to Australia or direct to Christchurch to access the South Island. (B)

Hotels have been selected principally for their central location. All hotels are four or five-star standard.

• Russell, The Duke of Marlborough (3 nights)

• Auckland, SO/ Auckland (3 nights)

• Rotorua, Novotel Hotel (2 nights)

• New Plymouth, King and Queen Hotel Suites (2 nights)

• Wellington, Intercontinental Hotel (3 nights)

• Napier, Scenic Hotel Te Pania (2 nights)