Leave Auckland for the delights of the Bay of Plenty staying two nights on Lake Rotoiti with Christmas lunch and a buffet dinner at your hotel. In Tauranga we stay at Trinity Wharf on the harbour’s edge. Special off-the-beaten-track highlights include a cruise on a luxury catamaran on Lake Rotoiti and riding the rail carts at Awakeri.
Catching up with George at the Mine Museum, meeting Rachel at the Waterlily Gardens, setting forth on a rail cart adventure with Paul at Awakeri and sailing with Matt on his catamaran along the shoreline of Lake Rotoiti. It’s the passion of these people and their special places that make this holiday unique.
Day 1: Auckland - Cambridge - Rotorua - Lake Rotoiti
We depart Auckland for Cambridge where we stop for lunch on our way to our hotel at Okawa Bay on the shores of Lake Rotoiti. Just across the hotel's lawn the large, luxury catamaran "Tuia" waits at the jetty. We set sail to explore the lake's secluded reaches on our own private Christmas Eve cruise.
We call into Manupirua Hot Pools, reached only by water, for a late afternoon soak in the hot pools. We cruise back down the lake to the hotel's jetty and dine in this evening at our hotel our home for two nights.
- Cruise on Lake Rotoiti on "Tiua" a luxury catamaran
- Relax in your lakeside hotel
Day 2: Rotorua Christmas Day Sightseeing
We visit beautiful Hamurana Spring, the deepest freshwater spring in the North Island and walk through the magnificent redwoods before heading back to our hotel for a Christmas lunch.
This afternoon we sightsee in Rotorua to Kuirau Park's steaming mud pools and ride the Skyline gondola up Mount Ngongotaha to enjoy the spectacular views of Rotorua and its steaming geothermal landscape.
We return to our hotel to relax and enjoy the Christmas buffet.
- Take the gondola up Mt Ngongotaha
- Visit beautiful Hamurana Spring
Day 3: Lake Rotoiti – Wingspan, Paradise Valley - Tauranga
This morning at Wingspan, the National Bird of Prey Centre, in Paradise Valley we watch the native Falcon (Karearea) on a flight training display.
After lunch we .head over to Tauranga to take a guided tour of a hidden gem, The Elms Mission homestead completed in 1847 and surrounded by gardens of National Significance.
We check into our hotel, Trinity Wharf, for two nights on the harbour's edge and dine in both evenings.
- At Wingspan see the native Falcon in action
- Guided tour of the Elms historic Mission house in Tauranga
Day 4: Tauranga – Mount Maunganui – Papamoa – Awakeri Station
After breakfast we drive across to Mount Maunganui to take a stroll along the beach boardwalk. Then we head further east to Papamoa to check out this fast-growing beachside town.
Near Te Puke, at Awakeri Station we meet Paul for a fun adventure. We hop on board his rail carts and take a leisurely scenic ride along the tracks towards Taneatua, stopping for a picnic lunch along the way. We return to Tauranga in the mid afternoon.
- Stroll along 'the Mount' beach boardwalk
- Awakeri rail cart ride
Day 5: Tauranga - Waihi - Karangahake Gorge - Auckland
We leave Tauranga and drive through the Karangahake Gorge where rusting machinery is the only sign of the gorge's fascinating gold-mining past.
At the Victoria Battery local guide George shows us through the Mining Museum’s collections.
A pretty back country road leads to the Waterlily Gardens where we stop for lunch and a wander among the waterlily ponds. In the mid afternoon we return to Auckland over the Hauraki Plains .
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Guided visit at the Victoria Battery Museum in the Karangahake Gorge
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Enjoy lunch and a stroll around the beautiful Waterlily Gardens