North Island Trip Spring 2020

• Domestic travel (flights or bus) to and from Wellington
• Over-night accommodation in Wellington at the beginning and end of trips
• Additional optional activities
• Between-meal snacks
• Breakfast on Day 1, or dinner on Day 15
• WiFi, internet use or laundry costs at holiday parks

• Trip starts in Wellington. We all meet at Hotel Waterloo & Backpackers (formerly known as Downtown Backpackers) which is opposite Wellington Railway Station (between 11.00am and 11.30am).
• Travel north and up through the volcanic plateau and pass NZ’s largest active volcano, Mt Ruapehu.
• Travel on to Taupo. Taupo sits on the edge of a Caldera – a huge volcanic crater more than 100km in circumference and the site of the world’s largest volcanic eruption in the last 5000 years.
• In the evening, we visit Taupo’s de Brett’s outdoor hot springs for a bathe in their luxurious geo-thermal pools.
• Stay over-night in Taupo at the All Seasons Kiwi Holiday Park. Ph: 07-378 4272.

Days 2 and 3: Taupo, Rotorua

• Morning in Taupo town centre. Time for optional activites this morning (bungy jump or Cliffhanger swing).
• Visit the Huka falls. The Huka Falls are a set of waterfalls on the Waikato River that drain Lake Taupo. Huka Falls is New Zealand’s most visited natural attraction.
• Travel on to Rotorua, NZ’s volcanic heartland. Stay two nights in Rotorua at Blue Lake Top 10 Holiday Park.
• Visit Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland reserve en-route to Rotorua. Wai-O-Tapu is New Zealand’s most colourful geothermal attraction, and has been named Named as “One of the 20 Most Surreal Places in the World”.
• Walk through “The Redwoods” in Whakarewarewa Forest.
• Attend an agricultural show at the Agridome and learn about sheep farming in NZ. Pet and cuddle the friendly baby lambs and other animals.
• Ride the gondola and luge on the hills over-looking Lake Rotorua.
• Visit Te Puia Thermal Reserve, see boiling mud pools and the famous Pohutu Geyser.
• Bathe in the natural thermal Polynesian Spa pools on the edge of Lake Rotorua.

Days 4 and 5: Matamata, Tauranga, Waihi, Whitianga

• Visit the real Middle-Earth at the Hobbiton™ Movie Set near Matamata.
• Walk up to an enormous working open gold mine pit at Waihi.
• Travel to Whitianga on the beautiful Coromandel Peninsula. Stay two nights in Whitianga at Mercury Bay Holiday Park. Ph: 07-866 5579.
• Visit Hot Water Beach. Dig in the sand and natural thermal hot spring water will bubble up from deep within the earth allowing you to create your own natural spa pool.
• View spectacular coastal scenery during the walk to Cathedral Cove.

Day 6: Coromandel, Auckland, Orewa

• Visit the old gold town of Coromandel
• Travel on to Auckland. Spend the afternoon in downtown Auckland. Stay overnight at Orewa Top 10 Holiday Park, located right on the pristine Orewa beachfront about 30 minutes drive north of Auckland. Ph: 09-426 5832.

Days 7 and 8: Paihia, Russell, Keri Keri

• Travel on to the beautiful Bay of Islands. Stay two nights in Paihia at Bay of Islands Holiday Park. Ph: 09-402 7646.
• Visit the Treaty House where the historic Treaty of Waitangi was signed by Maori Chiefs and representatives of Queen Victoria of England. The Treaty House is New Zealand’s most-visited historic building.
• Visit the Treaty House where the historic Treaty of Waitangi was signed by Maori Chiefs and representatives of Queen Victoria of England. The Treaty House is New Zealand’s most-visited historic building.
• Take a ferry across the bay to Russell (Korarareka). This was the first European settlement in New Zealand and the original Capital of NZ.
• Visit Kerikeri and its orange groves.
• Visit “The Stone Store”, the oldest stone building in New Zealand.
• There will be opportunities to do optional activities in Paihia. eg. sky diving, jet boat ride to the hole in the Rock, sailing, kayaking in the Bay of Islands or horse-trekking.

Day 9: Cape Reinga, Whatuwhiwhi

• Half-day trip to Cape Reinga, the northern tip of New Zealand. Witness two oceans colliding (the Tasman and Pacific Oceans) and discover the place of leaping, where the Maori believe spirits begin their final journey.
• Stay at Whatuwhiwhi TOP 10 Holiday Park, a beautiful little bay on the Karikari Peninsula of Northland. Ph: 09-408 7202

Day 10: Kauri Coast, Baylys Beach

• Travel through The Kauri Coast en-route to Bayly’s Beach, a dramatic stretch of Kauri forest and picturesque beaches.
• See the famous “Tane Mahuta”, the largest remaining Kauri tree, which began its life about 2000 years ago at the time that Christ was born.
• Continue on to Baylys Beach. Baylys Beach is on the weat coast of Northland, and part of New Zealand’s longest driveable beach, longer than the more famous 90 Mile Beach at North Cape. Stay overnight at Baylys Beach Holiday Park. Ph: +64 9 439 6349.

Day 11: Auckland

• Arrive in Auckland late morning. Lunch at Takapuna Beach on the North Shore of Auckland.
• Free time to explore Auckland central, go shopping on Queen Street, visit the Auckland Domain War Memorial Museum, go up the Sky Tower, or catch the ferry over to Devonport and back (all optional activities).
• Walk to the top of Mt Eden’s volcanic crater for stunning views over Auckland city and the Hauraki Gulf.
• Ten pin bowling in the evening.
• Stay overnight at Orewa Top 10 Holiday Park. Ph: 09-426 5832.

Day 12: Auckland, Waitomo

• Free time at Sylvia Park, New Zealand’s largest shopping centre.
• Travel south for lunch in Hamilton, which is situated on the banks of the Waikato River.
• Visit the Otorohanga Kiwi House and view active kiwi birds and other native New Zealand birds and reptiles.
• Continue on to Waitomo. Stay overnight at Waitomo Top 10 Holiday Park. Ph: 0508 498 666

Day 13: Waitomo, Taupo, Napier

• Visit the Waitomo Gloworm Caves. Explore the stalactite and stalagmites in the natural cave systems, and enjoy a boat ride in near darkness, illuminated only by thousands of magical glowworms above.
• Travel through King Country region to Taupo. Stop here for lunch on the lake front.
• Travel onto Napier. Napier and Hastings are “Art Deco” cities rebuilt in art deco style after being destroyed in the 1931 Earthquake (magnitude 7.9). Time to explore downtown Napier during the afternoon.
• Stay over-night in Napier at Kennedy Park Resort. Ph: 06-843 9126.

Day 14: Hastings, Wellington

• Visit the world’s largest mainland Gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers peninsula in the Hawkes Bay, where you can see up to 5000 nesting Gannet seabirds
• Pass through Hastings town centre. Lunch in Waipukurau.
• Return to Wellington via the Wairarapa and Rimutaka Ranges.
• Stay overnight in Wellington TOP 10 Holiday Park. Ph: 04-568 5913.

Day 15: Wellington

• Visit to Te Papa Museum. Te Papa is New Zealand’s bold and innovative national museum full of interactive and visitor-focused museum experiences.
• Those who don’t want to visit Te Papa Museum can visit the Beehive and Parliament Buildings or have time in Wellington city to shop and have a look around, or go for a walk up Mt Victoria for 360-degree panoramic views of Wellington city.
• Weta Cave Workshop Tour. Weta Workshop is a special effects and prop company who produce award-winning effects for TV and film, such as The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film series.
• Palmerston North and Whanganui-based students are driven back to Palmerston North. Students with connecting flights booked for tonight are taken to the airport. Students may need to consider an overnight stay in Wellington if late flights are not available. ISENZ staff will supervise accommodation that night at Hotel Waterloo and Backpackers. Flights should not be booked prior to 4.00pm on the last day of thh trip.

Payment is best made by electronic transfer direct from your parent’s bank into the ISENZ account. If making payment this way, a bank charge of $20 should be added as BNZ will deduct this at the New Zealand end.

If you need flights to or from Wellington and/or extra accommodation in Wellington, there are advantages in getting ISENZ to arrange this as then only one bank fee is paid.

*NZ$20 needs to be added to the trip cost for overseas payments.

Alternatively, your parents can remit payment to your personal NZ bank account if you open one and you can then ask your bank to transfer the amount to the ISENZ account. Banks can also give you a bank cheque made out to ISENZ Ltd.

Some students withdraw cash using a credit card, then pay the cash into the ISENZ account at any BNZ bank in NZ.

Note: Payment by credit card is not an option. Some people use Transferwise (www.transferwise.com) as a way to reduce bank fees. If using this service, make sure you clearly identify the payment with the student’s name (not the parent’s name).

Click here to download the trip Terms and Conditions

Optional activities are an extra cost, and require written Parent Permission. For most activities, students can book/pay on arrival or online (with guidance from ISENZ around dates/times). However, ISENZ will pre-book certain activities in advance, eg. sky diving, bungy jumping, swing. We will email students information about pre-bookings closer to the time.

Prices quoted here are as of July 2020 (NZD$) and are subject to change.

• Bungy jump, AJ Hackett Taupo: $130 – $185 (Adult), $95 – $130 (15 & under)
• Swing, AJ Hackett Taupo: $112 – $160 Adult (15+ years of age)
• Zorbing, Rotorua: $45pp for 1 ride, $85pp for 2 rides. Tandem or Solo options.
• Skyswing, Rotorua: $45 (Adult), $35 (14 and under)
• Zoom Zipline, Rotorua: $43 per ride (Adult or Child)
• Diving, snorkling and scuba diving, Paihia: between $180 – $290 (depending on activity and level of experience)
• Sailing, Paihia: $100 – $150 per person
• Boat cruises with the possibility to view and/or swim with dolphins (if you’re lucky!), Paihia: Half day – $99 – $120 (Adult), $49.50 – $60 (15 & under). Full day from $135 (Adult)
• Skydiving, Bay of Islands: between $299 – $419 (depending on height of jump). Extra costs for photo/video packages
• Kayaking, Paihia: approx $30 – $40 per person (group rate only, price depends on group size)
• Horse-trekking, Paihia: $130 – $150 (2 hours). Only for experienced riders.
• Sand surfing, Cape Reinga: $10 – $15

Optional activities are not limited to what is listed above. You can request other activities to what is listed here, as long as you can do them in Taupo, Rotorua or Paihia in accordance to the trip itinerary. We would need to make enquiries prior to the beginning of trip to make sure the activity is feasible, so let us know well in advance if you’d like to try something that’s not on this list.

Please Note:

• Your organisation may not allow some activities and / or your insurance cover may exclude some things. Please check your policy. See comment on ACC protection cover below.
• Many activities are weather dependent and are sometimes cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Full refunds will be given by the activity operators if this happens.
• Payment options for most activities include cash, eft-pos or credit card.
• Participation in certain optional activities is dependent on time and the impact on other trip activities.

Where possible ISENZ has chosen to use providers (transport, accommodation and activity providers) that also carry the Qualmark accreditation. Our preferred providers hold a Qualmark accreditation and/or another recognised accreditation that requires an independent safety audit and regular review of their safety procedures and systems (eg. AdventureMark, Telarc, OurdoorsMark, Maritime NZ, Adventure Activities Regulations, NZPIA New Zealand Parachute Industry Association, Top 10 Holiday Parks)

ISENZ has obtained safety documentation and certificates from all our providers which we keep on file and update regularly. If you would like to view specific provider’s Health and Safety documents or certificates, you can email info@isenz.com or contact us through our website enquiry form.

ACC Cover

In NZ, all people are covered by ACC (the Accident Compensation Commission), a public and Government funded insurance. It covers hospitalization and medical treatment (in NZ only) in the event of any accident both for New Zealanders and foreigners. If you’re injured while visiting New Zealand, ACC may be able to help you – it doesn’t matter if you’re not a resident. You’ll still need travel insurance for what they don’t cover. Read more here.