7 days / 6 nights
Experience the best highlights of the very top New Zealand, Northland. The tour includes a visit to the Matakohe Kauri Museum, view the Hokianga Harbour and the giant sand dunes which overlook it, international award-winning “Footprints Waipoua” tour of the Waipoua Forest featuring the giant kauri “Tane Mahuta”, a lamb on a spit dinner, Manea – Footprints of Kupe, visit to historic Rawene, view of Clendon House and the old jail house, a tour along Ninety Mile Beach, Cape Reinga, Doubtless Bay, Kerikeri, Stone Store & Kemp House, Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Paihia and historic Russell, a visit to the Hundertwasser Toilets in Kawakawa, and a visit to the Hundertwasser Art Centre on the last day.
AUD $2999
per person, twin share
Solo travellers (same gender) are matched for twin share at no extra cost.
AUD $699 Single Supplement
(to guarantee a single room)
Departure Dates
Christmas Tour departure includes a special Christmas dinner or lunch – Tour prices differ from other dates, AUD $2899 per person.
16 Oct 2023
6 lEFT!
11 NOV 2023
FULL!
09 Feb 2024
02 Mar 2024
03 APR 2024
Door to Door Service & Flight Options (including home/hotel pickup & return)
Gold Club Tours offer door to door service & transfers, as well as return flight packages which include door to door service.
COMPLIMENTARY TRANSFERS (flight packages include additional transfers/door to door service)
Tour Only – Door to Door inclusions
Day 1
1. From your arrival flight (or nominated address) to hotel.
Final Day
1. From your hotel to your departure flight (or nominated address).
Flight Package – Door to Door inclusions
Day 1
1. From your home (or nominated address) to your flight to New Zealand.
2. On arrival in New Zealand, you are met at airport and taken to your hotel.
Final Day:
1. From your hotel to your departing flight.
2. On arrival in Australia, you are met at airport and taken to your home.
Return flight packages, including door to door service (home or hotel pickup & return) are listed below. Many suburbs we pickup from are not listed below. If your area falls in between the below listed and the airport, we almost certainly pickup, call or email to confirm your area is included.
Call or email us to check your preferred tour date – we can confirm availability and pricing.
If your area is not listed, please contact us and we can advise you options and prices for flights and/or door to door service from your preferred location.
Flights packages are based on economy airfares. Should you wish to travel on alternative dates, times or airliers, or wish to upgrade to business or first class, please advise and we can advise options and any pricing change (alternative flight arrangements subject to availability and confirmation – fares and arrangments are not confirmed until funds have been recieved). Typically, guests fly to the airport closest to their home return area, although this may vary in some instances, particularly in smaller and/or more remote areas. Guests who wish to have specific requests catered to, such as direct vs connecting flights, specific flight times or specific airports, alternative locations, alternative dates, etc, may incur additional charges (wherever possible we do not charge additional).
Extra Accommodation (pre and post tour options)
Gold Club Tours offer additional accommodation options for guests travelling on our tours.
We have set pricing for guests to stay pre-tour or post-tour at:
Locations
Pricing
If your wish to arrange accommodation at another location, please contact us.
Tour Itinerary
This morning we depart Auckland. Travel west at the Brynderwyns, passing through the lovely township of Maungaturoto and on to visit the award-winning Matakohe Kauri Museum. The Matakohe Kauri Museum tells a fascinating story of the pioneering days through the use of kauri timber and kauri gum. Settlers first came to Matakohe and nearby Paparoa and Maungaturoto in 1862. This museum was established to celebrate their centennial and to pay tribute to those early pioneers. There are many exceptional displays and dedicated galleries. The museum holds the world’s best and biggest display of exquisite kauri gum, polished and carved specimens. View the world’s largest kauri slab, a huge 22.5 metres long! Witness the gigantic rings showing sizes of the largest known kauri, and the magnificent collection of antique kauri furniture. The museum also contains restored machinery including NZ’s earliest tractor, a 1929 Cat 60 and a turning Steam Sawmill, as well as a blacksmith’s workshop plus the nikau gumdigger’s hut and model dam to admire. Continuing our journey on past the town of Dargaville, then north towards the West Coast, through the forest and through rolling countryside, arriving at the twin beach settlements of Omapere & Opononi.
Stay: Opononi Hotel
Day 2
Today, we will enjoy breakfast in the hotel before we set off to explore the majestic Waipoua Forest. Waipoua Forest is an ancient green world of towering trees and rare birds. The endangered North Island kokako and the North Island brown kiwi both still live here today. Here, we meet a guide from international award-winning “Footprints Waipoua”. Learn about the forest’s spiritual significance and fascinating mythologies passed down through Maori oral tradition. The highlight of the tour will be Tane Mahuta, the largest kauri tree in the world, standing an incredible 150 feet tall and estimated to be 2000 years old. At the conclusion of our time at Tane Mahuta, we make our way back to Opononi, to Manea – Footprints of Kupe”. Kupe was the legendary Polynesian navigator who first discovered and settled Aotearoa / New Zealand. Hokianga is uniquely associated with Kupe as the place he secured for his descendants before leaving on his return voyage to our ancient place of origin. Within a generation those descendants, returned to these shores. At the conclusion of our time here, we have free time before dinner. Tonight, enjoy a delicious “Lamb on a Spit” dinner with your new friends! As you see (and smell!) the lamb being cooked, you will undoubtedly work up an appetite – and rest assured there is a good selection of sides to accompany (non-lamb & vegetarian also).
Stay: Opononi Hotel
Day 3
After our breakfast, we farewell Opononi and board our coach. We head to the quaint Hokianga town of Rawene, which is full of charm with its rich variety of historic buildings, art galleries and cafes, as well as stunning water views. Rawene is New Zealand’s third oldest European settlement and home to a growing population who appreciate its beauty and lifestyle. Here, we will enjoy a guided tour of Clendon House. Clendon House was built in the 1860s by James Reddy Clendon, a trader, witness to the Treaty of Waitangi, Magistrate and New Zealand’s first US Consul. The family lived in the home for over 100 years. Step back in time and explore the home of one of Northland’s most prominent historical figures crammed with historic treasures belonging to the Clendon family – Clendon House is truly a heritage goldmine! A short walk from Clendon House, we can also visit the old, tiny Victorian jail, before heading back to our coach. A pleasant ferry ride across the Hokianga Harbour will take us to the charming seaside town of Kohukhu, another small eccentric town nestled on the harbour’s edge. From here, we will continue our ascent of the North Island, driving through the Maungataniwha, a large area east of Kaitaia characterised by mosaics of forest and regenerating shrublands on hill country. Later this afternoon, we will arrive at our hotel in Doubtless Bay, and settle in before enjoying a dinner together.
Stay: Taipa Beach Resort or Acacia Lodge Motel
Day 4
After breakfast this morning, we board our coach to start our northern expedition. We meet our special tour vehicle to travel off road and on the beach! We head west to the renowned Ninety Mile Beach. Cruise up the coast of this official New Zealand highway, while the waves gently come crashing beside us. Though the beach isn’t actually 90 miles long – rather 55 miles – it is still one of New Zealand’s longest stretches of sand and it certainly isn’t short on natural beauty! A stop on the beach will allow us to feel the sand between our toes and the salty breeze in our hair, as we take in the amazing views of this almost never-ending paradise. Then the off-road experience continues as we drive up Te Paki Stream & alongside the mountainous sand dunes. Then we journey on to the very top of the country – New Zealand’s most Northern point , Cape Reinga. Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Reinga) has great significance in Maori mythology. Maori believed that upon death their wairua (spirit) travel up the coast, then gather at Spirits Bay. At the very tip of Cape Reinga is a gnarled pohutukawa tree, believed to be over 800 years old, which the wairua are said to climb down to reach the ocean. They then travel underwater to the Three Kings Islands, where they turn for a last farewell to New Zealand before continuing onto the land of their ancestors. before departing Aotearoa on their journey home to Hawaiiki (the ancestral homeland).The iconic lighthouse of Cape Reinga was the last manned lighthouse to be built in New Zealand and it certainly makes for perfect pictures! It was first constructed in 1941 and lit during May of that year. It was manned by a real person until 1987, when it was fully automated. It is now operated remotely from Wellington. From the Cape, we can also witness the rare and astounding sight of two seas colliding, as the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean come crashing together in a spectacular swirl of currents, waves and foam! Then we depart for our return journey down the East Coast. Heading back towards Taipa, enjoy views along the way of the beautiful Northland East Coast. Once we are back at the hotel, we will get all the sand out of our clothes, freshen up and enjoy dinner.
Stay: Taipa Beach Resort or Acacia Lodge Motel
Day 5
This morning we enjoy breakfast and say our farewells to Taipa. Making our way south to the quaint town of Kerikeri, we enjoy a guided tour of some of the oldest buildings in New Zealand – an insight into the time of European colonial influx. The Stone Store, New Zealand’s oldest stone building, was built in 1832-36. The Stone Store is of national and international significance as the oldest surviving commercial building in New Zealand, demonstrating the early stages of the country’s connection with international trade. Also known as Kemp House, the Kerikeri Mission House was built in 1821-1822 by the London-based Church Missionary Society, the mission under the protection of Hongi Hika, the most influential Maori leader in the Bay of Islands. Then we will head to the Bay of Islands and Paihia, crossing over via ferry to the seaside town of Russell. Once we have settled into our hotel, we enjoy dinner together in the hotel’s restaurant.
Stay: The Duke of Marlborough Hotel
Day 6
This morning, we have breakfast at the hotel before exploring historic Russell. As we stroll around, we are looking back in time. The town’s original street plan & names from 1843 are still intact and feature some of New Zealand’s oldest &most significant historic buildings. The township gained a reputation as a lawless and rowdy port and the unflattering nickname “Hell Hole of the Pacific”. We then head to visit the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Aotearoa New Zealand’s most important historic site. Explore the two contemporary museums, Te Rau Aroha, Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi, the carving studio, the Treaty House, Te Whare Rūnanga, traditional Māori waka taua (war canoes), through a fascinating guided tour.
Stay: The Duke of Marlborough Hotel
Day 7
Sadly this is our last day. We stop in Kawakawa at the fascinatingly designed Hundertwasser Toilets by the internationally famous artist who made this town his home. Then, continue south, passing through Whangarei where we visit the Hundertwasser Art Centre, before resuming our travel through Wellsford and Warkworth. On arrival in Auckland, we will all be met & returned to our homes & hotels.
Tour Inclusions
Tour Highlights
Tour Reviews
Chris – was superb, focused on travelers’ needs. The information that was shared made the travelling so much more interesting, educational and enjoyable. Buzz , on the 90 mile trip, was also informative and interesting.
Mike Byrnes, St Heliers, Auckland
Accommodation
4.37
100 Reviews
Opononi Hotel truly beautiful people. Duke of Marlborough quality & so friendly. Taipa also great
Fran Woods, Halswell, Christchurch
Breakfasts
4.38
100 Reviews
Great choices at all accommodation. I never felt hungry.
Julie Lewis, Totara Park, Upper Hutt
Dinners
4.43
100 Reviews
We both enjoyed our dinners at night good choose to chose from the dinner list. Meals all got a big tick too.
Helen & Maurie Andrews, Gladstone, Invercargill
Tour Vehicles
4.21
102 Reviews
Comfortable – driver was fantastic at getting the bus into very awkward places to make our trip as comfortable as possible. He was an absolutely fantastic driver
Rod Gibson, Te Aroha
Included Activities & Admissions
4.67
99 Reviews
All the ‘guides’ were fantastic & we always had a good commentary leading up to the visit & time to really enjoy each place. No rush!
Madeline East, Howick, Auckland
Home Pickup
4.72
99 Reviews
These were the icing on the cake and much appreciated.
A & D Jinman, Rolleston, Christchurch
Home Dropoff
4.7
99 Reviews
Drop of to our hotel was great. we stayed in Auckland another night before going back home to Invercargill Southland.
Helen & Maurie Andrews, Gladstone, Invercargill
Value For Money
4.48
99 Reviews
Wonderful Tour busy! I saw things I would have missed on a self driven, everything was made easy for me. Thank You.
Fran Woods, Halswell, Christchurch
Travel Insurance
Gold Club Tours always recommend that guests take out travel insurance. This is important whether it is for international or domestic travel. In the event you are unable to travel before or during a tour, cancellation terms apply – take out insurance to protect yourself.
Tour Leader
4.71
97 Reviews