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7 Day North Island ADVENTURE Tour

$1,099.00

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TOUR SUMMARY

 

Come tour the North Island of New Zealand with us to experience things the Kiwi way and be privilege to many unique adventures!

Starting from Auckland, we make our way down to New Zealand's capital Wellington through not only some of the North's hottest destinations, but a few hidden treasures of our own! Discover the natural beauty, misty rainforests and pristine golden beaches of the Coromandel peninsula, take part in some wicked adventure activities in geothermally-charged Rotorua, get acquainted with the famous glowworm deep in Waitomo Caves, and stay alongside the beautiful Lake Taupo - a mass of water the size of Singapore!

There are more than plenty of opportunities to get the adrenalin rushing whilst on this New Zealand tour - choose to go skydiving, white-water rafting, bungy jumping, canyoning, shark diving, caving, black-water rafting, river sledging, sailing, and heaps more! We've also thrown in some wicked inclusions - bone carving your very own 'tiki' pendant in Coromandel, entrance to Orakei Korako Thermal Geyserland, and an evening's entertainment at a traditional 'marae' complete with haka performance and 'hangi' feast!

A Haka Tour is not just a standard New Zealand holiday. We promise you will leave having both learned and experienced our country first hand, pushed yourself to limits you never thought you could reach, made a great group of friends from all around the world, and played a role in a thousand stories to amaze the folks with back home.

 
  • Accommodation – quad or 6 share
  • Services of passionate (and adrenalin seeking!) Tour Manager
  • Transport via tour bus
  • Breakfast
  • Unique guided tour in each location we visit
  • Carve your own kiwi pendant known as a "tiki"
  • Explore natural rainforests, hidden canyons and waterfalls
  • Visit Mokai Gravity Canyon – an extreme adventure park including NZ's second biggest bungy and longest flying fox!
  • View Mt Doom from “Lord of the Rings”
  • Entrance to a Maori fortified village known as a “marae”
  • Taste a “hangi” and witness a haka performance
  • Entrance to Orakei Korako Geyserland and Thermal Reserve
  • Swim in turquoise lakes, canyon pools and clear mountain rivers
  • Heaps of unique adventures along the way that other tour companies miss out on!
  
  • Upgrade your accommodation to double / twin with en-suite for N$499
  • Add single activity options - see our Discounted Activities section
  • Add an “Extreme Activity Pack”- the pack specifically designed for this tour is N$699
  • Select a Bay of Islands package, before or after your Haka Tour from N$210
  • Extend your North Island experience with our 6 day Subtropical Far North Adventure Tour!
  • Walk “The Tongariro Crossing” – from N$46
  • Add a snow tour during the winter season! Options from 3 to 7 days
  • Extra nights' accommodation before or after your tour from N$28 per night

     
  • Tour Starts: Auckland / Wellington @ 8am
  • Tour Ends: Wellington or Auckland @ 6pm

 

Discounted Activities And Extreme Activity Packs
Haka Tours offers the most extensive and innovative range of adventure activities available online - at a discounted rate! You can customize your tours with single activity options and any of our Extreme Activity Packs!

Click on this tab for Tour Dates and Pricing

2010: $1,099 NZD per person | 2011: $1,149 NZD** per person
[Click here for Currency Converter]

**Place a deposit on a 2011 tour before August 31, 2010 and secure the 2010 price!

Starts Ends
2 June 8 June
16 June* 19 June
30 June 6 July
5 July 11 July
30 July* 5 August
7 August 13 August
13 August 19 August 
9 September 15 September
12 September* 18 September
27 September 3 October
12 October 18 October
26 October* 1 November
11 November 17 November
5 December 11 December
9 December* 15 December
18 December 24 December
23 December 29 December
18 January 2011* 24 January 2011
19 January 25 January
27 January 2 February
14 February* 20 February
21 February 27 February
7 March* 13 March
21 March 27 March
26 March 1 April
20 April* 26 April
28 April 4 May
31 May 6 June

* = Reverse route, i.e. departs from Wellington, ends in Auckland 

Click 'Book Online' to check availability and prices, and secure your seat with a 5% deposit!

Day 1 - Free Day Auckland

Kia Ora and welcome to Auckland!

It is unsurprising that a quarter of New Zealand’s population live in the region when you consider the warm coastal climate, beautiful beaches and perfect holiday spots only an hour away. The city itself is perched between two harbours, hence the nickname ‘City of Sails’. It has been previously named one of the best cities in the world for quality of lifestyle.

Your North Island adventure begins on day 1 at 8am when you join your tour guide for a brief meeting and introduction (nothing cheesy we promise)! After breakfast your guide will show you around the city’s highlights. Alternatively, there are some truly wicked activity options available to be booked for this first day!

Canyoning down waterfalls at Piha beach
Bungy jumping or climbing the Harbour Bridge
Sail an America’s Cup Yacht
Learn to Scuba Dive at Goat Island Marine Reserve
Shark Diving at Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium

Check out our Discounted Activities section for more details! N.B. All additional activities such as the above are not included within the basic tour price!

The great thing about touring with Haka Tours is that regardless of what activities you book, there is always absolutely heaps to do and see for little or no cost and your Tour Guide will be on hand to take you places and give suggestions.

In the evening we have dinner at one of our favourite restaurants and you are welcome to explore the city’s nightlife afterwards!

Auckland Optional activities 
Shark Diving | Learn to Surf (Full Day) | Canyoning | Discover Scuba (summer only) | Sail An America's Cup Yacht

Auckland City

Day 2 - Auckland to Coromandel

Most mornings we depart sometime between 8.30am and 9.30am, giving you plenty of time for breakfast and to get your things together!

Today we escape the big city and set off for the Coromandel peninsula. Now you will begin to see the real New Zealand! There is never a drive that feels too long because your Tour Guide will break up each journey with special stops along the way. These off-the-beaten-track locations are what will really give you an inside look to our country, and are also what many other tour companies forget to include!

The landscape between the Coromandel and Auckland is notably characterised by volcanic activity from many years ago. Remnants of this can be found in the form of natural hot pools and one of the best known tourist attractions of the peninsula is Hot Water Beach. At low tide you can dig in the sand and make your own hot tub! We will make a stop here, conditions permitting.

In the early afternoon we reach the gorgeous Mercury Bay and Whitianga. As usual, your guide will begin with an orientation around the small town before checking in to your accommodation. Included this afternoon is the chance to carve your own ‘tiki’ pendant from bone – a wicked souvenir that many of our tour members choose to wear for the rest of their trip!

The evening is for your own leisure time, but more often than not a group will stick together! The hostel offers cheap spaghetti bolognaise and there is a bar, pool table and TV area. Whitianga is a quiet town but if you want to venture out, your guide will be able to point you in the right direction!

Coromandel Optional Activities:
Sea Kayaking (summer)

Waitomo to Rotorua

Day 3 – Coromandel to Rotorua

You can start your morning with a beautiful walk along the cliff tops to Cathedral Cove. This bay was made famous by several films like The Chornicles of Narnia, and is often featured on picture postcards! Take your camera! Snorkelling is also available at Hahei in the summer.

Afterwards we make the short drive south towards the Bay of Plenty and Rotorua, one of the longest standing tourist destinations in New Zealand. We break for lunch and if there is time we stop for some local wine tasting at Purangi.

There are a few additional activities on offer this afternoon! One that comes highly recommended is Zorbing – tumbling down a hill whilst cushioned inside a giant translucent ball! This mad sport has more recently spread all over the world, but New Zealand is its original location! Across the road is the Agrodome, where you can watch sheep shearing, dog shows and a variety of other farm-related goings-on.

Geothermal activity first attracted tourists to Rotorua in the 19th century. Surrounding you are geysers, hot springs, mud pools and colourful cliffs and slopes, all evidence of simmering geothermal activity. The town is accompanied by the distinctive smell of sulphur.

The therapeutic qualities of these springs were recognised early on by early settlers, and so the city is also steeped in Maori culture and history. This evening we are all invited to a traditional “marae” (meeting ground) for a Maori cultural performance and “hangi” feast!

Rotorua Optional Activities
Zorbing

Waitomo to Rotorua

Day 4 – Rotorua to Waitomo Caves

It's day 4 of your North Island adventure holiday already! This morning you can choose to go white-water rafting or sledging on the Kaituna River, not far from Rotorua town centre. The rafting trip includes the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world – the 7 metre Tutua Falls! This is an epic adrenalin rush!

If you would rather keep dry, your tour guide will show you around Rotorua and its lake, or you can take some time to yourselves and explore should you wish! There are also a number of geothermal baths and therapy spas.

If time permits, we take a ride on the Rotorua gondola to see the stunning panoramic view and have heaps of fun riding down on the luge - small engineless go-karts suitable for all! By late afternoon we must depart for new pastures and drive east to Waitomo.

Waitomo sits upon a distinctive limestone region where surface water and underground streams have dissolved the rock over tens of thousands of years. This has created an immense underground tunnel and cave system. We are able to explore the caves tomorrow so for now we check in and have dinner at the local pub! Watch out for the local sheep farmers who like to challenge you to a game of pool or two! There are also kitchen facilities available at the hostel if you prefer!

Optional Activities
White Water Rafting or White Water Sledging

Rotorua to Taupo

Day 5 – Waitomo Caves to Taupo

This morning you have the option of visiting the glow-worm caves, which have attracted people to Waitomo for over 100 years. The moment you enter this subterranean wonderland you'll discover an ancient underground labyrinth of limestone caves and grottos, with its amazing stalactites and stalagmites - mother nature's decorations.

There are various ways experience the limestone caves – our particular favourites are black-water rafting on inflatable tubes and a four hour caving trip which starts with a 100m abseil! Both these activities are available to be booked alongside your tour but you will only have time for one!

Your Tour Guide will take you on a walk around some of the caves if you are not conducting an activity, and then he will take you all to watch the Angorian rabbit shearing shed – a sight many don’t believe!

After lunch we drive to Taupo, which is situated in the centre of the North Island. On the way we may make a couple of stops, firstly at Otorohonga Bird Park and secondly at Orakei Korako, an extraordinary geyserland and thermal park (entrance included in tour). It is a great chance to see some examples of the thermal activity in the North Island so don’t forget your camera – there are stunning ranges of kaleidoscope colours to be found!

With a whole day to explore Taupo tomorrow, we relax at the hostel in the evening, or you can head out on the town to some of the local bars!

Waitomo Optional Activities
Lost World 4 Hour Caving Adventure or Black Water Rafting

Auckland to Waitomo

Day 6 – Taupo

Taupo free day The world’s largest volcanic eruption in 5000 years left the North Island with Lake Taupo a few thousand years ago. The eruption was so dramatic that records indicate the sun became hazy in China. The lake is fresh-water, and measures the size of Singapore.

Feeling adventurous? We challenge you to start off the day with a skydive! Once you fall out of the plane from 12,000 or so feet you will forget your fear! Look down at the lake and on a clear day you can see both the west and east coast of the North Island. Skydiving is the ultimate thrill and a great many travellers choose to do it!

You can also walk the Tongariro Crossing today – it’s one of the most beautiful walks in the world and takes roughly 6 hours. Transport is included and you are allocated a guide in the winter. For many of our tour members this is a definite highlight for their tour! We recommend you be reasonably fit!

There are many other activities that your guide can suggest on the day, for example quad biking, golf, an indoor climbing wall, mountain biking, or bungy over New Zealand’s longest river! In the afternoon it may be possible to take a cruise on The Barbary sailing boat to see Maori rock carvings at Mine Bay. Or you can take yourself for an exploration, indulge in some souvenir shopping, or enjoy good food and drink at one of the many restaurants or cafes.

In the evening your guide will treat you to a soak in some naturally-heated thermal rock pools situated in a local park. It will keep you warm for hours!

Optional Activities
Skydiving | Bungy Jump | Tongariro Crossing (full day)



Day 7 – Taupo to Wellington

You have a choice today - you can continue to Wellington with your tour group or you can catch a coach back to Auckland. Your tour ends this evening no matter what you chose to do.
 
If continuing to Wellington, we will leave relatively early – there are to be a few stops along the way! We drive around the lake and come into view of the majestic Mt Ruapehu, Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe (the volcano known as Mt Doom in Lord of the Rings).

From the lake we join the Desert Road. On your right you have the mountain range, and on the left is the lesser noticed Kaimanawas, home to a breed of wild horses that are seen on lucky occasions! This whole area belongs to the Rangipo Desert, an area with poor vegetation because of bad soil conditions and drying winds. In winter it is not unusual to see snow.

Upon request we make a stop at Mokai Gravity Canyon, an extreme adventure park that includes the world’s most extreme flying fox and New Zealand’s second largest bungy. Tour members are welcome to do the bungy, flying fox or canyon swing and do not have pre-book.

After this we pass through the towns of Bulls and Levin, before briefly touching upon the west coastline. In the summertime we like to pause along the Kapiti Coast and have a BBQ on one of the beaches in front of the dying sun. Unfortunately in the winter the weather is usually too cold or the sun has already set. Either way, we reach Wellington by early evening.

This is unfortunately where your tour comes to an end! If you are around in the evening our guides like to have a farewell party to say goodbye!

Auckland to Waitomo

After your tour!

So what now? As the tour finishes this evening, if you wish to explore Wellington (or Auckland) tomorrow you need to purchase extra nights’ accommodation, which we offer from just $29 NZD (quad share dorm).

Alternatively, in summer you can complete your North Island travels by jumping on one of our 6 day Bay of Islands tours that depart from Auckland. These have been designed and are run by our Head Tour Manager Steve, who knows the “Winterless North” like the back of his hand.

Should you wish to travel further South, on forward routes you can extend your tour to Christchurch for $359 NZD. This involves an extra 2 days on the road and includes one night in Wellington and another in Kaikoura before reaching Christchurch in the late afternoon of day 9. Price includes ferry crossing, 2 nights’ accommodation, same tour guide and breakfast.

Whether you choose to stay on, return home or continue travelling overseas, we promise to have given you a New Zealand experience not just to remember, but to value as one of the best trips of your life!

Auckland to Waitomo

 


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