4 Days/3 Nights

Day 1  Arrive Auckland

The remainder of day free to rest (sightseeing by private car and driver can be arranged).

Set in an historic villa, originally built in the 1870s Mollies is a luxury boutique hotel, which offers individual fully self-contained apartments within a private hotel environment. Mollies retains the spaciousness and opulence of that era with antique furnishings that blend comfortably with modern amenities and fittings. It has just 12 suites and is located in St Mary's Bay overlooking the Harbour Bridge and inner Waitemata Harbour. It is an easy walk to the popular Ponsonby Road shopping and dining area, and a short drive to downtown Auckland. Premiere villa suite.

Dinner available by arrangement (not included).

Mollie's on Tweed - 3 nights

Spend today exploring Auckland from a Maori perspective on a small group tour, with a local Potiki Adventures Maori guide. First visit Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill), originally the site of a Maori fortified village and see the panoramic views of the Hauraki Gulf, Auckland City and Rangitoto Island. You will learn the significance of this place to Maori and about the controversial history of more recent times. Next you will travel out to a boutique village where you can buy your lunch at a funky café, enjoy mixing with the locals and view some authentic Maori/NZ made arts and crafts then continue on to the west coast for a bush walk set beside a fresh water stream. Here you will be able to walk amongst the plants and trees and learn some of the ancestral knowledge of the traditional Maori medicinal and practical uses for them. Learn about the Maori Creation stories and Tane Mahuta - God of the Forest. The day finishes by exploring the realm of Tangaroa, God of the Sea, with a walk along the velvety sands of one of Auckland's famous black sand surf beaches.

An early start. Transfer to Auckland Airport by private car and driver for a 7.30 am flight by light plane over the sparkling waters of the Hauraki Gulf to majestic Great Barrier Island (30 minutes). On arrival enjoy breakfast at a local café followed by an easy half hour walk with your Bush and Beach guide on gravelled tracks and boardwalks past giant Nikau palms and rare native flora and fauna over unique wetlands to the Kaitoke natural thermal springs. The adventure continues as we drive past native bush and rugged peaks to the secluded natural harbour at Port Fitzroy where we have a relaxed kiwi style picnic lunch. A short drive takes us to a sweeping, often deserted stretch of pristine white sand. There is time here for a swim or a meander along the beach to visit the graves of those drowned in one of New Zealand's worst shipwrecks. Visit the only working cattle and sheep farm on the island where relics of the past remain. Here the world's largest population of Brown Teal can be found, a friendly little duck on the verge of extinction. At a nearby stream, monster eels come when called and can be fed - if you dare! This unforgettable day is rounded off with a climb to the top of Windy Canyon, a spectacular short walk. The path winds around rocky outcrops and past sheer cliffs coated with rata vines and takes in breathtaking views of the island and beyond. The flight back returns you to Auckland Airport at 5.30pm.

Then transfer to Auckland Airport by private car and driver and check in for your flight.

Contact us for a quotation or to tailor make this program.