CHURCH COLLEGE OF NEW ZEALAND – 50^th ANNIVERSARY

 

 

 

 

PARTNER PROGRAMMES

DAILY TOURS

 

 

 

 

24 – 26 APRIL 2008

 

 

 

THURSDAY, 24 APRIL 2008

 

HAMILTON – WAITOMO

HALF DAY TOUR

 

 

1300 hrs          Depart Hamilton to Waitomo

 

1400 hrs          Arrive in Waitomo – coach to drop you at Spellbound

 

                        Group is split into smaller groups

 

With just your group and guide, be prepared for a glowing sensation. Before boarding our inflatable boat (one of the specialties of the tour), you will see all the life cycle stages of NZ glowworms, watch them move, see their eggs, and get a close up photograph.

 

Little is seen at first in the cave’s dark interior, then during the raft ride (flat water) your night vision begins to work and you will feast your eyes on hundreds of square metres of glowworm lights, until they deliver a gentle wash of light over everything. You will journey back to daylight, totally Spellbound.

 

A scenic gorge walk brings you to the impressive natural entrance of Te Ana o te Atua, a cave known to the Ngati Kinohaku people who have resided in this area for centuries. In 1849, Ngati Kinohaku showed the Spirit Cave to Dr A.S Thomson of the British Regiment. Soft lighting and gently sweeping paths lead you into the cave for rare views of the region’s ancient and more recent past.

 

1700 hr            s           Spellbound tour returns

 

1705 hrs          Depart Waitomo to Hamilton

 

1800 hrs          Arrive in Hamilton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THURSDAY, 24 APRIL 2008

 

HAMILTON – MATAMATA

HALF DAY TOUR

 

 

1300 hrs          Depart Hamilton to Matamata

 

1355 hrs          Arrive in Matamata – make your way to the Matamata Information Centre. This                      is where tours depart for Hobbiton Movie Set and Farm Tour

 

1400 hrs          Hobbiton Movie Set and Farm Tour departs

 

Your tour starts with a drive through a picturesque working sheep farm with spectacular views across to the Kaimai Ranges. It is this farm that hosted the Hobbiton village. You will be able to see the remnants of the original Hobbiton village set from The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

 

The Hobbiton movie set has been returned to its natural state, however hobbit holes and some structures from the film set are still present. Your tour guide will escort you through the 10 acres site recounting fascinating details on how the Hobbiton set was created.

 

1630 hrs          Afternoon Tea

 

1700 hrs          Depart Matamata to Hamilton

 

1800 hrs          Arrive in Hamilton

 

 

Note:

* Afternoon tea consists of scones (with jam and cream), sausage rolls, tea and coffee

 

 

 

                                      

 

 

FRIDAY, 25 APRIL 2008

 

HAMILTON – ROTORUA

FULL DAY TOUR

 

 

0830 hrs          Depart Hamilton to Rotorua

 

0955 hrs          Arrive in Rotorua – make your way to Whakarewarewa Thermal Village

 

1000 hrs          Arrive at Whakarewarewa Thermal Village

Set amidst a landscape of geothermal wonders is The Living Village of Whakarewarewa. Here you can experience the unique lifestyle of the Maori in a natural, village setting. You will be welcomed by a guide near the memorial archway and then taken on a journey through time covering 300 years of village life.

 

Group will be split into 2 groups.

 

1015 hrs          Group 1 – Hands on activities (create a treasure out of traditional flax)

                        Group 2 – Exclusive guide and special tour through the living village

1115 hrs          Groups come together – ½ hr cultural performance

 

(Reserved seating for the group)

 

At Whakarewarewa you will also be able to feel the warmth of the Maori people; they will entertain you with the cultural performance which includes a mixture of song and dance.

 

 

1145 hrs          Group 1 – Exclusive guide and special tour through the living village

                        Group 2 – Hands on activities (create a treasure out of traditional flax)

Note: On your journey through the village you will be able to view bubbling mud pools and mineral springs where the villagers have bathed for generations. You can also see food being cooked in natural steam vents and can sample these treats. Your journey is not complete until you stand in front of the ancestral Meeting House, Wahiao. Here you will be told stories and legends that are engraved in the carvings that adorn the walls of the sacred house.

 

 

 

 

 

1245 hrs          Hangi meal – hosts to eat, interact and entertain with the group

 

1400 hrs          Each member to be presented with a taonga (gift) by their host and farewelled         

 

1405 hrs          Depart Whakarewarewa Thermal Village for the Agrodome

 

1420 hrs          Arrive at the Agrodome

1430 hrs          Agrodome Sheep Show

 

The AGRODOME is a world famous, world class agricultural theme park. It is also  a 160 hectare working sheep and cattle farm with 1,200 sheep and 120 beef cattle. Enjoy an hour-long live show which includes a display of NZ’s 19 most popular sheep breeds, working sheep dogs, sheep shearing and cow milking demonstration. There's also a chance to feed baby lambs and take part in a NZ sheep auction. 

 

 

1530 hrs          Sheep Show Concludes

 

Browse on your own in the Sheep Shearing Museum and Woollen Mill. Have afternoon tea (at your own expense) at the Barking Dog Café and purchase souvenirs at the Sheepskin Souvenir Shop.

 

1600 hrs          Depart the Agrodome for Hamilton

 

1730 hrs          Arrive in Hamilton

 

 

 

 

SATURDAY, 26 APRIL 2008

 

HAMILTON – AUCKLAND

FULL DAY TOUR

 

 

08.30 hrs         Depart Hamilton to Auckland

 

10.00 hrs         Arrive at the Otara Markets

 

With a large Polynesian population, South Auckland is strongly Pacific oriented. Samoan, Tongan, Fijian and Cook Islands cultures intermingle in this area. For a taste of the Pacific be sure to visit the Otara Markets - a South Auckland celebration of Pacific Island food, art and culture.

The Saturday morning open-air market at Otara is already bustling as the sun comes up. Stallholders sell everything from fresh fruit and vegetables, to island music CDs and arts and crafts. With a decidedly South Pacific flavour, the Otara Market draws thousands of shoppers looking for bargains and exotic clothing and foods such as raw fish marinated in coconut milk or pineapple fritters.

 

 

12.00 hrs         Lunch at the Otara Markets – at own expense

 

12.30 hrs         Depart the Otara Markets to SKYCITY Auckland

12.50 hrs         Arrive at SKYCITY Auckland – Sky Tower

 

The Sky Tower is one of New Zealand’s most exhilarating and spectacular tourist attractions. At 328 meters the Sky Tower is the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere, offering breath-taking views for more than 80 kilometres in every direction. The tower offers unparalleled, breathtaking views from above central Auckland.

 

The Sky Tower experience is a vertical ride to total amazement. Explore the main Observation Deck and the Sky Deck at your own pace.

 

14.00 hrs         Depart SKYCITY Auckland to Kelly Tarlton’s

 

 

 

14.10 hrs         Arrive at Kelly Tarlton’s

 

Plunge under Auckland’s waterfront and you’ll discover spectacular secrets of the Southern Ocean and see the magic of an Antarctic fantasyland. The Antarctic Encounter is where you will be taken back in time to the life-sized replica hut of intrepid South Pole explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott. Come out of the hut and into an Antarctic snowcat, where you are transported to a magical world of snow and ice.

 

Frolicking in the white wilderness is a colony of sub-Antarctic Penguins. From your snowcat, you’ll get a fantastic fish eye view of the birds as they swim underwater. Continue on to the Amazon tank where you will view deadly Piranha. Step onto the moving walkway in the Underwater World, where you will come face-to-face with a Broadnosed Sevengill Shark. You travel in a clear tunnel, surrounded by two million litres of ocean water and the hundreds of amazing sea creatures within it - you're just centimetres away from a Bronze Whaler and wide Stingray!

 

15.30 hrs         Depart Auckland to Hamilton

 

17.00 hrs         Arrive in Hamilton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COST

 

18 – 33 PEOPLE:

 

Tour (including transport)	Adult	Child (5 – 14 yrs)
Waitomo	$85.00	$56.00
Matamata	$95.00	$70.00
Rotorua	$190.00	$122.00
Auckland	$93.00	$68.00

 

34 – 49 PEOPLE:

 

Tour (including transport)	Adult	Child (5 – 14 yrs)
Waitomo	$70.00	$41.00
Matamata	$80.00	$55.00
Rotorua	$172.00	$104.00
Auckland	$75.00	$50.00

 

 

 

NOTE

 

 

 

• All rates quoted above include GST (12.5%) unless otherwise stated

 

• Rates quoted are NZ Dollars (NZ$)

 

• There is no fee for The Organiser’s service

 

• Rates are subject to availability at the time of booking

 

• All rates are subject to change as they are based on current 2007 pricing (valid until 30 September 2007)

 

• Prices are subject to change pending on final numbers confirmed

 

• Minimum of 18 people required for the tour to go ahead

 

• Registrations close and full payment is due by the 10^th March 2008

 

• All correspondence will be via email unless otherwise stated

 

• You will be advised in advance how many people are on the tour so you know which of the above rates apply

 

 

 

 

For further information and bookings please contact:

 

Daniela Entwisle

THE ORGANISER

Private Bag 3007, Rotorua, New Zealand

Phone: (+64) 7 343 1731

Fax: (+64) 7 343 1740

Email: Daniela@rotoruaNZ.com