Active New Zealand
From North to South
Active Family North to South
For the active family wishing to go beyond the ordinary and connect with New Zealand in a way that most visitors do not manage with special experiences both North and South.
Starting in Auckland you’ll spend a night at a luxurious waterfront hotel providing the perfect base to explore all that this fascinating city has to offer with its superb cuisine, world class wines and numerous activities.
Float down an underground river with glowworm displays above and jump in cascading waterfalls before ending in laid back luxury perched high above Lake Taupo. Four-wheel drive out to Tamau Pa and share the magic of the magnificent wilderness surrounded by native flora and fauna in a sub-Alpine forest as you hunt, gather, cook and hike with your specialist tracker, Maōri chef and custodian of the land.
After a day in the wilderness relax on the shores of Lake Rotorua with its magnificent views canoeing, fishing, and playing tennis. For nature lovers and thrill seekers zipline through ancient forest. Combine spectacular scenery and great rapids for an awesome whitewater rafting adventure. You’ll then journey to your accommodation hidden in the heart of Te Anau, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its native beech forests, towering mountains, and crystal-clear lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. Explore New Zealand’s back country with special access to a wilderness sanctuary.
You will love
- Outdoor adventure & activities
- Scenery more dramatic than a Hobbit filmset
- Exclusive access & one-off experiences
- Native flora & fauna
- Cultural interactions
Let us design your perfect itinerary.
11 UNFORGETTABLE DAYS
PLEASE NOTE:
This itinerary provides the perfect framework for a spectacular journey but it is an example only. All journeys will be individually designed and quoted on a case by case basis.
DAY 1 | AUCKLAND | 1 NIGHT
Arrive in Auckland and spend time exploring the city. Explore all that this fantastic city has to offer with world class wines, superb cuisine and numerous leisure activities on your doorstep.
DAY 2 | LAKE TAUPO | 1 NIGHT
Explore a stunning underworld with your experienced guide as you float down an underground river in a rubber tube while admiring the glow worm displays above and jump in cascading waterfalls before ending in laid back luxury perched high above Lake Taupo.
DAY 3 | TAMAU PA | 1 NIGHT
Journey to Mount Titiraupenga where you will be received by a Maōri welcome/powhiri, followed by a ‘sharing session’ in a mystical and totally private setting. Four-wheel drive out to the Tamau Pa where you will spend the night on Maōri Trust land with a Maōri chef and custodian of the land with exclusive access to magnificent wilderness boasting native flora and fauna.
DAY 4-5 | LAKE ROTORUA | 2 NIGHTS
Spend the day with your experienced Maōri chef, outdoorsman, search and rescue specialist (tracker) as you share the magic of the New Zealand bush and his deep knowledge about Maōri relationships with the land. Hunt, gather, cultivate, prepare, cook and hike across a 5,000-acre block of Maōri land up in the Kaimanawa Ranges before leaving the wilderness behind you to relax on the shores of Lake Rotorua.
Here you’ll have two adventures beginning with the Rotorua Canopy Tour as you get up close and personal with one of New Zealand’s most intact native ecosystems, the ancient forest in Rotorua. Experience and learn about the history and conservation efforts surrounding native New Zealand forests while you zipline through them with your knowledgeable Kiwi guide. This is the ultimate interactive adventure for nature lovers and thrill seekers alike. Combine spectacular scenery and great rapids for an awesome whitewater rafting adventure. From the buzz of ‘Geoff’s Joy’, a torrent of Whitewater, to stunning native and plantation forest, the Rangitaiki River has it all!
DAY 6-7 | TE ANAU | 2 NIGHTS
Meet your guides for a special back country experience. Ride a water taxi across the lake, hike narrow trails surrounded by pristine bush, hop in a hidden tinnie as you scan the shores for deer, watch trout dart in the clear water below as you float through a scene more dramatic than a Hobbit filmset. Stop. Let the peace sink in.
DAY 8-10 | GIBBSTON | 3 NIGHTS
Drive through unspoiled mountain scenery and rainforest-carpeted valleys to kayak through the crystal clear waters of Milford Sound finishing in the Valley of the Vines to soak up the pioneering history and romance of a working vineyard. The next two days are yours to hike or borrow a bike and explore Lake Wakatipu and the charming historic Arrowtown, a New Zealand treasure.
DAY 11 | DEPARTURE
You will make your way to Queenstown where your journey will end.
NEED TO KNOW
Start: Auckland, New Zealand
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Finish: Queenstown, New Zealand
This itinerary provides the perfect framework for a spectacular journey but it is an example only. All journeys will be individually designed and quoted on a case by case basis.
An absolutely fantastic travel company - every one of the many trips they have organised for us over 22 years have been faultless and fabulous.
Judith & Roger Williams
Would do it all again and not change a moment. Best holiday ever!
The McGowan Tribe
It certainly was the best trip we have EVER had. The experiences were mind blowing. We want everyone we know to experience Africa - the animals, the people - magical.
Jo-anne & Dean Mifsud
The Classic Safari Company is the best I have dealt with. Extremely knowledgeable & professional, friendly, patient & understanding of first timers to Africa.
Annette Whiley
Classic Safari Company were brilliant - 10/10
Di & Kingsley Yates
Classic Safari is the place to go to for "top end" adventure travel.
Ron & Alison Guthrie
If you want the most sensational experience in Africa let Julia and the staff at Classic Safari Co plan it for you! Their knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm for their job means your every wish will be fulfilled.
Miriam & Joseph Harrison
Their experience and knowledge of Africa is evident and we couldn't have been happier with the total package. This has given us a taste for Africa - now we are ready for more.
Andrew & Pip Stevens
Classic Safari Company has done it again! A unique experience that ticked all the boxes - wildlife, culture and dining experience. A dream come true!
Ros Wheeler
Absolutely everything was first class & so well organised.
Simon & Jackie Adams
The trip of a lifetime, couldn't have dreamt of a better adventure if I tried.
Emma Jeffcoat
You can't improve on perfection. I had my best birthday and holiday with my family celebrating my 80th birthday in Africa. Everything that Julia organised was perfect and the whole trip was a highlight!
Buckingham Family
Everything was perfect! Advice and information on destinations and activities hit everything I had hoped to experience. I contacted the Classic Safari Company upon recommendation and have now, in turn, recommended to others.
Tim Bradley
Very knowledgeable and patient. Our trip was all that we hoped for. Wonderful!
Jane & Robert Happell
Thank you for making our trip to Africa so spectacular. The attention to detail really made it special. It really was the trip of a lifetime.
Paul Cozzi
An amazing experience - the best family holiday we have ever had. We were extremely impressed by the meticulous attention to our itinerary. I can't speak highly enough of all the elements of this exciting journey!
Sheryl & Robert Taylor
We loved it all. Our son wants to go back tomorrow. We would ALL go back again!
Laurence & Remi Cunningham
Classic Safari are the people who genuinely know other culture and offer incredible insight to perfectly meet your expectations.
Melanie McMillan & Iain Jones
The trip exceeded my expectations and was the best family holiday I have ever had. Our children simply loved it and now I know more about African wildlife than they do about our own farm animals.
Rowntree family
We are so happy we put our trust in CSC, we had an amazing adventure and would recommend them to anyone.
Kim & Brad Balance
Julia you did a fantastic job - everything was first class. Well organised, efficient and stress free. We all agreed it was the best holiday we've ever had. Cant wait to travel with CSC again.
Milford family
We wanted the opportunity to see as many wildlife parks as possible and the Classic Safari Company provided an action-packed itinerary that included six, with 11 tiger sightings and nine leopard. This was overlaid with an introduction to Jaisalmer, Jaipur and the 'real' India. Pench and Panna were the hidden gems of a really great trip, very well organised, seamless and enjoyable. As a solo traveller I felt incredibly safe at all times. I want to go back!
Mark Taylor
Exellent and wonderful, reaching way above expectations.
Elizabeth Mackintosh
Thank you for putting together the ancestral adventure of a lifetime. I cannot speak highly enough of the trip.
Jenny Kidd
