APT Coach tour of New Zealand 20/5/14

I flew from Heathrow to Auckland with Air New Zealand via Los Angeles. It was a comfortable flight and I think this is the quickest way to go. My first day and night was in Auckland where I stayed at the Crowne Plaza, a good, central hotel within 5 minutes’ walk from the harbour. The rooms were large and beds comfortable. Evening dinner there was also excellent. The APT driver, Reece, who met us at the airport was a mind of information. The coach was very clean and comfortable with ample leg room. We did a city tour.

The following morning after a good breakfast we set off in the coach to Rotorua calling at Waitomo Caves to see the Gloworms, with a coffee stop before and a lunch stop afterwards. In the afternoon a highlight was visiting Hobbiton, which was amazing. We stayed for 2 nights in Rotorua at the Millenium Hotel. I had a large lakeside view room. That evening we went to the Tamaki Maori Village where there was a re-enactment of maori life and culture. We had dinner there. On our return a few of us when to the Polyanesian Spa where we bathed in the hot thermal baths, heated to between 32-40C, a wonderful experience. The next morning we had breakfast on a paddle steamer, The Lakeland Maid and then we went to the Agrodome to watch sheep shearing and then to Te Puia to see the geysers and hot thermal springs. We had a steam box lunch, which had been cooked in an underground spring and served in a beautiful marquee. For dinner we were taken to Longlands Farm, an experience that only APT do in an evening. The food was delicious and homemade.

The next morning we flew from Rotorua to Christchurch and toured the city which is still suffering from the after effects of the earthquake. We stayed at the Ridges Latimer in the city. This is a new, very comfortable hotel. We had an excellent dinner and breakfast here. We visited the Antarctic Centre in the city and stopped for shopping at container city before leaving to drive over the Canterbury plains. The scenery was stunning, with beautiful views of the snow-capped Southern Alps. We stopped in Geraldstown for lunch and then drove to Lake Tekapo to see the Church of the Good Shepherd and have afternoon tea a Peppers Hotel. A lovely hotel with lake views.

Our next overnight stop was at the Hermitage Hotel with stunning views of Mount Cook. This hotel was disappointing compared to the other beautiful hotels we stayed in. The rooms we were given were cold and tired but we did see some refurbished ones which were very good. The dinner in the self-service restaurant was also disappointing despite the large choice. In the morning we went to Lake Pukaki and took a MAC boat to see the icebergs and Tasmin Glacier (the biggest in New Zealand) which was amazing.

In the afternoon we drove to Te Anau and stayed at the Distinction Hotel, a beautiful hotel overlooking the lake where we had a delicious tasting menu for dinner. My room with a lake view was large and well equipped. The following morning we drove to Milford Sound where we took a boat trip along the fjord and had a packed lunch on-board. The scenery was stunning.

In the afternoon we drove to Queenstown for 2 nights where we stayed at the Novotel, which was central near the lake and had good sized rooms. We had free time in the afternoon and evening for shopping and dinner. There is an excellent variety of shops and restaurants. We had a pizza. The following morning we did a Lord of the Rings Safari tour and the scenery was breath-taking, despite the rain. In the evening we went up in a Gondola to the Skyline Restaurant where there were spectacular views of the town. We had an excellent buffet dinner with high quality food and plenty of choice. The next morning we did the famous Shotover Jet boat ride, which was exhilarating but cold! The boat went at high speed though the canyon on the Shotover River.

In the afternoon we left Queenstown for our flight to Auckland at then back via Los Angeles to London. This was an amazing trip. Both islands are stunning - volcanic in the north and glacial in the south. APT is a fantastic, high class product which would appeal to the over 55s.