Tour participants are asked to please meet, 15 minutes prior notified departure time for each tour, at the MBE 2005 / Genetics registration desk, Aotea Centre. Tours will depart on time.
The registration page includes a section on the partners programme - please indicate on the registration page which tours you are interested in.
Sunday 19 June
Tour A: Waiheke Island – music, artists, olive oil and wine tasting and walk on a beach
0745 hours to 1745 hoursYou will be transferred to the Auckland ferry building where you will board the ferry bound for Waiheke Island. Waiheke Island is home to thousands of people (1200 of whom travel to Auckland each day to work), many well known New Zealand artists, over 30 vineyards, olive tree plantations and is always 3 degrees centigrade warmer than Auckland. The harbour and ocean views from all parts of the island are out of this world. During the tour of Waiheke Island be amazed and awed by the presentation at Whittakers Musical Experience showroom, visit Artworx gallery, visit artists in their studios, walk on Onetangi Beach, taste delicious award winning olive oils and locally produced wines and choose your own restaurant/café in Oneroa for an independent lunch. Like a lot of visitors to Waiheke Island you may not want to leave...
Price per person: NZD 165.00 / USD 120.00
Price includes tour escort, transport to and from Auckland ferry terminal, return ferry tickets, transport on Waiheke Island, driver/guide, Whittakers Musical Experience, olive oil and wine tasting charges, art studio charges and New Zealand Goods and Services Tax at 12.5%.
Minimum number 15
Monday 20 June
Tour B: Wilderness experience
1230 hours to 1730 hoursTravel to the bush clad suburb of Titirangi where you can purchase your own lunch. Then travel on to the Arataki Centre perched high on the ridge of the Waitakere Ranges and enjoy breathtaking panoramic views from the Tasman Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Learn about and admire the magnificent Maori carvings. Continue on to the lush rainforest where you can walk the easy bush tracks amongst New Zealand’s famous kauri trees and giant tree ferns. Unwind by spectacular cascading waterfalls. Then move on to a wild and rugged Wet Coast beach. Feel the black sand beneath your feet as you stroll along some of the most awe-inspiring beaches in the world.
Price per person: NZD 85.00 / USD 60.00
Price includes transport, driver/guide, refreshments and New Zealand Goods and Services Tax at 12.5%.
No minimum number
Monday 20 June
Tour C: The North Auckland adventure tour
0930 hours to 1530 hoursDiscover North Auckland’s picturesque Matakana boutique burgeoning wine region and enjoy stunning Pacific Coast scenery. The predominant varietals planted in this region are Bordeaux blends for red wines as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. Highlights today will include sampling indigenous honeys and sample honey products at New Zealand’s most comprehensive honey centre; tasting wines at two small family-owned wineries; admiring hand-made ceramics and pottery at Morris & James exclusive outlet and taking a tour of the studio; visiting a shop that sells exquisite fine Egyptian Cotton linen; and lunch at a superb vineyard winery restaurant in the heart of green rural wine country.
Price per person: NZD 185.00 / USD 130.00
Price includes coach, driver / guide, wine tasting charges, wine tasting notes, lunch and Goods and Services Tax at 12.5%.
Minimum number 10
Tuesday 21 June
Tour D: Shop, shop shop! Dust those wallets off!
0900 hours to 1630 hoursYou will be very impressed with the high quality internationally acclaimed crafts people in the west Auckland native forest suburb of Titirangi. Admire the postcard views to be had from this area and marvel at the high quality products you will view in the workshop/galleries. Visit a jeweller who is described as “an artist of rare distinction”. All of her jewellery is personally handmade and no two pieces are the same. If you want to be tempted then view the jeweller's webpage at www.goldsmith.co.nz. Visit an artist who designs exquisite tapestries, needlepoint creations, woollen rugs and illustrates to children’s books her husband writes. Visit Lopdell House and view outstanding creations and art work by talented New Zealand artists. Enjoy an independent lunch en-route. Visit a gallery that features hand crafted woollen rugs designed by leading New Zealand artists. These fine works of art are either limited editions or one offs and are highly sought after. Check out some of the rugs at www.dilana.co.nz. Then visit the New Zealand Mint - an experience to treasure. Here at the New Zealand Mint you can hold a pure gold bar in your own bare hands. See molten gold being poured into bars and learn how it is used in the making of coins and the casting of precious metal jewellery. This visit will be one of the highlights of the day. Then travel on to Newmarket shopping area – the most concentrated shopping area in New Zealand. Shops include internationally acclaimed fashion designers such as Trelise Cooper, antique rug and tapestry galleries, home décor, shoes and much more. The day will fly buy!
Price per person: NZD 80.00 / USD 55.00
Price includes shopping tour escort, luxury mini coach transport, entry charges to various workshops/galleries and New Zealand Goods and Services Tax at 12.5%.
Minimum 10 participants
Saturday 18 (E1), Sunday 19 (E2), Monday 20 (E3), Tuesday 21 (E4), Thursday 23 (E5) and Friday 24 (E6) June
Tour E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6: Waitomo Glow Worm Caves and Rotorua day trip
Approximately 0715 hours to 2030 hoursThis scheduled coach tour incorporates two of New Zealand’s most famous attractions. Join a guided tour through the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves and drift silently in a boat through a cavern lit up by thousands of tiny Glow Worm lights. Rotorua captures the very essence of things New Zealand – Agrodome Farm Tour where you can learn about sheep, lambs, deer, emu, ostrich, beef cattle and a kiwifruit orchard with opportunities to hand feed some of the animals and watch a sheep being shorn; Rainbow Springs trout and wildlife sanctuary where you can view a Kiwi bird, thousands of trout and other wildlife; Lake Rotorua foreshore park and historic Government Gardens; Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve which gives the city its famous sulphur smell emanating from thermal springs, boiling mud pools and geysers; the Maori Arts and Crafts Centre with its wood carving, weaving and displays of Maori heritage.
Price per person: NZD 275.00 / USD 180.00
Price for this scheduled tour includes coach transport, driver, escort, morning tea, light lunch, evening snack, entrance fees and New Zealand Goods and Services Tax at 12.5%.
Please note sturdy shoes and casual clothes are recommended for this tour.
No minimum and no maximum number of participants.