Departure dates Sat 24 Sep 2023, Sat 1 Oct 2023
Day 1 |
Arrive Auckland Airport Pick up by bus and tour guide Bus to accommodation – Hamilton and evening buffet meal |
Day 2 |
10:30 Festival visit 12:30 Lunch provided in own catered tent 14:30 Hamilton Gardens guided tour 17:00 Return to accommodation |
Day 3 |
11:00 Waitomo Caves Lunch provided 14:00 Hobbiton filmset 17:00 Return to accommodation |
Day 4 |
10:30 Sanctuary mountain surrounded by world's longest pest-proof fence Lunch provided 14:00 Blue Springs walk 30-min 16:15 Accommodation in Rotorua 18:00 Evening Maori meal and performance |
Day 5 |
9:30 Free time for therapeutic spa or sightseeing (optional) 11:00 Geyser, bubbling mud, volcanic landscape Rotorua 12:30 Lunch provided 15:00 Gorge walk 30-min 16:00 Visit waterfall 17:30 Accommodation in Coromandel peninsula |
Day 6 |
10:00 Hot water beach 12:30 Fresh Coromandel oysters and green lip mussels buffet lunch 14:00 Visit waterfall and giant kauri trees 18:00 Accommodation in Auckland and evening buffet meal |
Day 7 |
10:00 Garden 1 visit Lunch provided 14:00 Garden 2 visit 16:00 Return to Auckland Airport |
Departure dates Sat 24 Sep 2023, Sat 1 Oct 2023
Day 1 |
Arrive Auckland Airport Pick up by bus and tour guide Bus to accommodation - Hamilton and evening buffet meal |
Day 2 |
10:30 Festival visit 12:30 Lunch provided in own catered tent 14:30 Hamilton Gardens guided tour 17:00 Return to accommodation |
Day 3 |
10:00 Waitomo Glowworm Caves Lunch provided 13:30 Hobbiton filmset 16:00 Return to Auckland Airport |
Price $199
Coach departs from Auckland (Britomart, Sky City and Manukau) Sat 24 Sep 2023, Sun 25 Sep 2023, Sat 1 Oct 2023, Sun 2 Oct 2023 8:30am to 6:45pm
Highlights of 1-day tour Book Now
Trip inclusions
All accommodation is modern, well-appointed and of the best in the area. One exception is Prince’s Gate in Roturua, which was built in 1897, but is equally well-appointed.
You are in the vibrant heart of Hamilton beside the mighty Waikato river, the longest river in New Zealand. The are many dozens of restaurants, a casino, a museum, an art gallery and pleasant garden walks either side of the river. If you come a day early, you can take a boat ride or hire electric bikes to go along the river trail to reach renowned Hamilton Gardens and beyond.
This 1897 hotel has a fascinating history, oozes charm and couldn’t be better located at the edge of the Government Gardens and a 5-10 minutes’ walk to the Polynesian Spa and much else.
You are overlooking the harbour and right on the edge of the town centre, where there are a number of cafes. The apartments are spacious with lounge and washing facilities to catch up on any laundry, and breakfast is served to the apartments.
You are in another great location, next to the harbour and the city centre. If you have the time and energy on your last night of the tour, you could take a short ferry ride to Devonport, or have a cocktail at the top of Sky Tower, the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere.
You have three free nights on the tour, two in Hamilton and one in Whitianga. For those looking for fine dining, we recommend:
Palate next to the hotel in Hamilton
Elevated, modern NZ cuisine served in a window-filled space overlooking woods & the Waikato River. https://palaterestaurant.co.nz/
Gothenburg 9 minutes walk from the hotel in Hamilton
Global tapas, beer, wine, coffee & cocktails served in a light-filled, glass & steel space. https://www.gothenburg.co.nz/
Blue Ginger 4 minutes walk from Marina Park in Whitianga
Polynesian, Asian, Thai, Vietnamese, Fusion Cuisine https://www.blueginger.co.nz/
Acclaimed Hamilton Gardens 5 minutes from festival site–17 themed gardens: Italian, Tudor, Maori, Concept, Surrealist, English, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Modernist, Concept, Tropical, Mansfield, Chinoiserie, Picturesque, Herb, Kitchen.
https://hamiltongardens.co.nz/collections/Waikato River at Hamilton, NZ’s longest river.
Waitomo Glowworm Caves
On the Waitomo Caves tour, marvel at the stalactites and stalagmites and enjoy a boat ride through a grotto lit by thousands of tiny native glowworms.
Visit the Lord of the Rings filmset