Trip Overview
New Zealand is a spectacular country of striking contrasts. Isolated from other land masses by the swells of the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean, it is a world unto itself. Its dramatic glacial fiords, bubbling mud pots, tidy English gardens, tattooed Maori elders, and white-suited lawn bowlers offer incomparable variety. Sometimes called “God’s own country,” New Zealand offers refuge to some of the planet’s rarest animal species. Cruising aboard the all-suite expedition ship Caledonian Sky, enjoy up-close access to the towering granite cliffs and tumbling waterfalls of Doubtful and Milford Sounds and remote Stewart Island.
Schedule by Day
- Jan 27–28: Depart U.S.
- Jan 29: Queenstown, New Zealand
- Jan 30: Queenstown
- Jan 31: Milford Sound / Embark Caledonian Sky
- Feb 1: Doubtful & Dusky Sounds
- Feb 2: Stewart Island
- Feb 3: Dunedin
- Feb 4: Akaroa (Christchurch)
- Feb 5: Marlborough Sounds
- Feb 6: Wellington
- Feb 7: At Sea
- Feb 8: Rotorua
- Feb 9: Auckland / Depart flights home
Pricing
Per person, double occupancy:
- Category A: $6,990
- Category B: $8,490
- Category C: $9,990
- Category D: $10,490
- Category E: $10,990
- Category F: $11,990
- Category G: $12,990
Single Occupancy:
- Category B: $8,490 (very limited availability at this rate)
- Category B: $9,990 (very limited availability at this rate)
Accommodations
- Two nights at the Crowne Plaza in Queenstown
- Nine nights aboard Caledonian Sky
Extensions
Optional Pre-Extension: Queenstown
January 26–29, 2020
Fly into Queenstown two days early for the chance to journey through the dramatic Lord of the Rings landscapes of Central Otago and meet wine makers from the world’s southernmost winemaking region. Queenstown is the gateway to over 200 vineyards producing some of the world’s best wines, which you’ll enjoy during wine tastings and a lunch in this picturesque region. The following day, travel to Glenorchy to take a wilderness jet boat trip up the glacier-fed, turquoise water Dart River to witness the stunning scenery of the World Heritage Area of Mount Aspiring National Park, the flora and fauna of which has become the world’s best example of ancient Gondwana Land.
Optional Post-Extension: Sydney, Australia
February 9–12, 2020
Extend your trip with three nights in cosmopolitan Sydney. Activities include a private tour of the iconic Sydney Opera House; a walking tour of the Rocks District, Sydney’s historic center that has been sensitively revitalized; a viewing of the aboriginal art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales; and a visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens, plus time for independent exploration.
What to Expect
Temperatures will range from the low 50s to the mid-70s °F. Rough seas are always a possibility, and intermittent rain showers are common year-round. Walking tours can be as long as three hours, covering up to two miles, and will range from walks in town to a few relatively strenuous nature walks over uneven, sometimes muddy and hilly terrain where handrails are not available. During the cruise, shore excursions range from a half day to all day, with the balance of the time spent onboard cruising to the next destination. Participants will need to climb into and out of Zodiacs for some shore excursions. Travel on land will be by air-conditioned motor coach, with most drives no more than an hour each way. There is one longer bus ride of about four hours when traveling from Queenstown to Milford Sound, with a stop en route for lunch.
Mode of Travel
For More Information
Please email haatravels@harvard.edu or call our office at 800-422-1636 or 617-496-0806
.