New Zealand's cuisine combines English and Scottish influences with indigenous Maori dishes. The British touch is evident in the fact that the national dish is rack of lamb with mint sauce. New Zealand lamb is considered to be the best in the world, so not a bad dish to try if you are visiting. The Maori influences can be seen in other well loved dishes including Baked Kumaras, which are sweet potatoes baked in their skins and served with sizzling pork and apple, or with lamb. Kumaras may also be boiled, roasted, fried, or scalloped (sliced, seasoned, and slowly cooked in milk). Another gastronomic tradition is the "Hangi", pronounced "hungee". It is a traditional Maori feast of meat and vegetables steamed in a clay oven and nowadays offered as a tourist attraction along with a performance of Maori songs and dances.

Twenty years ago, nobody could have imagined that a tiny country in the South Pacific, more famous for wool production than wine, could have made wines great enough to challenge the famed wines of Pouilly Fume or Sancerre at international wine competitions. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is one of the biggest success stories of the twentieth century. Wines such as Cloudy Bay's Sauv Blanc have become mythical and roll off the tongue of wine connoisseurs everywhere. The best-regarded wine regions include Marlborough, Otago and Nelson on the South Island and Hawke's Bay, Waikato and Gisborne from the North Island. The grape of the 21st century is considered to be Pinot Noir, with examples of Kiwi Pinot giving the Burgundians a run for their money.

10 days • Queenstown/Auckland
from $2185 land only (TC-55)

Travel through Fjordland National Park, where lush rainforests meet snowcapped mountains. Journey to the southernmost coast of New Zealand and view the process of turning Paua shell into stunning jewelery. Travel north along the coast to view the fascinating Moeraki Beach Boulders. and more...

9 days • Christchurch
from $1566 land only (TC 55)

Journey across the mighty Southern Alps on the TranzAlpine Train. Journey into Fjordland National Park. Travel across the South Island through small farming communities to Dunedin. Travel into breathtaking Mount Cook National Park.

14 days • Air & Land
12 days • Auckland /Christchurch
from $5395 land only (TC 55)

14 days • Christchurch/Auckland
from $1830 land only (TC 55)

Sightseeing program including: Mt. Cook National Park; Larnach Castle; Milford Sound; Queenstown; Blenheim; Winery visit, Cruise Marlborough Sounds; Tongariro National Park; Rotorua’s thermal reserve; Maori Arts and Crafts Centre; Rainbow Springs; Waitomo Glow Worm Caves

13 days • Christchurch/Auckland
from $2198 land only (TC 55)

Sightseeing program including: Mount Cook National Park; Moeraki Beach Boulders; Milford Sound cruise and overnight; Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers; TranzCoastal Train; Cook Strait ferry; Lake Taupo; Huka Falls; choice of sightseeing in Dunedin and Rotorua; Waitomo Glow Worm Caves

14 days • Auckland/Christchurch
from $2375 land only (TC 55)

Travel to Waitomo and take a guided tour of the fascinating Glow Worm Caves. You may choose a leisurely soak in a natural thermal mineral pool, try your hand at trout fishing, enjoy a 4WD excursion or be entertained and educated by a sheep show and shearing display.

15 days • Auckland/Christchurch
from $2920 land only (TC 55)

Journey alongside the Waikato River and pass by Taupiri Mountain, the sacred burial ground of the Maori. Continue to Rotorua. On arrival, visit Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve to view boiling mud pools, soaring geysers and steaming hot springs.

17 days • Auckland/Christchurch
from $2885 land only

18 days • Auckland/Christchurch
from $3625 land only (TC 55)

Visit the Matakohe Pioneer Museum, home to the world’s largest collection of Kauri gum. Continue to the majestic Waipoua Kauri Forest Reserve where you’ll view the giant Kauri tree “Tane Mahuta” (Lord of the Forest). View magnificent Hokianga Harbour before traveling across country to the subtropical Bay of Islands, a beautiful unspoiled paradise, rich in history and culture. On arrival, take a guided visit to the Waitangi Treaty House, Maori Meeting House and War Canoe.