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January 24-February 8, 2009, aboard the privately chartered Clipper Odyssey
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General Description - Itinerary - Rates - Map - The Ship - Slide Show (9 Photos)

U.S./Auckland
Saturday-Monday, January 24-26
Depart the U.S. on the recommended group flight, or independently, to Auckland. The day lost crossing the International Date Line will be regained on the return journey. After checking in to our hotel, enjoy time at leisure before a festive welcome reception Monday evening. Rendezvous Hotel  (R)

Auckland (Embark)
Tuesday, January 27
This morning explore Auckland independently or join an optional guided walking tour of the “City of Sails.” After lunch, travel to Mt. Eden for a panoramic view of the city, then visit the poignant War Memorial Galleries and the treasure-filled Maori Galleries at the Auckland Museum. Embark Clipper Odyssey in Auckland harbor in late afternoon and enjoy a welcome dinner on board this evening. Clipper Odyssey (B, L, D)

Bay of Islands/ Waitangi
Wednesday, January 28
The ship arrives this morning in the peaceful Bay of Islands for a special day of touring with expert commentary from top Maori guide Kena Alexander. Explore Kerikeri, the “cradle of the nation,” where the first efforts to cultivate the land began and where New Zealand’s oldest stone and wooden buildings were constructed. View the world’s largest ceremonial Maori canoe; enjoy a traditional welcome at a historic marae (meeting place) built without the use of nails; and marvel at Puketi Forest’s magnificent kauri trees, among the most ancient trees in the world and native only to New Zealand. Also tour the Waitangi Treaty House and Grounds, where in1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by Maori chiefs and the British Crown. Clipper Odyssey (B, L, D)

Tauranga (Rotorua)
Thursday, January 29
After calling at Tauranga, drive to Rotorua, the heartland of New Zealand’s Maori culture. Enjoy a private gathering with Maori elders at a special powhiri (welcome) ceremony, and observe skilled woodcarvers and flax weavers at work at the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute. After a traditional lunch, observe the eerie beauty of the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve, where bubbling mud pools, boiling springs, hissing steam vents, and the soaring Pohutu Geyser provide remarkable evidence of the still-hot magma just beneath the earth’s surface. Clipper Odyssey (B, L, D)

At Sea
Friday, January 30
Enjoy a day at sea, with onboard lectures and time at leisure, as Clipper Odyssey sails along the east coast of the North Island. Clipper Odyssey (B, L, D)

Wellington
Saturday, January 31
Arise this morning in Wellington, New Zealand’s capitol city, where colorful Victorian houses overlook one of the world’s loveliest harbors. Visit the engaging waterfront museum, Te Papa Tongarewa (Maori for “Repository of Things Precious”). Discover how the Maori navigated the Pacific to arrive on these islands and learn about their legends. Later, local environmentalists and ecologists discuss New Zealand’s emergence as a global leader in national parks management and biological conservation. Clipper Odyssey (B, L, D)

Marlborough Sounds
Sunday, February 1
Sail across Cook Straight, between the North and South Islands, and enter a world of pristine natural beauty. Anchor at Ship Cove, where Captain Cook arrived aboard Endeavour in 1770. Explore islands and inlets by Zodiac, and during short walks in the bush, keep an eye out for some of the wildlife that Cook described in his detailed reports. On Motuara Island, watch for rare birds such as the South Island saddleback, the bellbird, and the New Zealand robin. Clipper Odyssey (B, L, D)

Lyttelton (Christchurch)
Monday, February 2
From Lyttelton, transfer to nearby Christchurch, headquarters for “Operation Deep Freeze” and supply point for U.S. bases in the Antarctic. Explore the unique Canterbury Museum and its hall of Antarctic Discovery. A special guest lecture by renowned Antarctic historian Baden Norris sheds light on recent discoveries in Antarctic expeditions. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and time to explore the “English garden city” of Christchurch before reboarding the ship and departing Lyttelton. Clipper Odyssey (B, L, D)

Dunedin
Tuesday, February 3
Embark on a nature lover’s expedition to Taiaroa Head to see the royal albatross, the largest seabird in the world, and the shy little yellow-eyed penguin, the rarest penguin on earth. Special viewing areas have been constructed for observing these birds without destroying their natural activities. Then explore Dunedin, widely regarded as the best-preserved Victorian and Edwardian heritage city in the southern hemisphere. Visit the Southern Land, Southern People Gallery at the Otago Museum, with displays on the origins of New Zealand’s challenging environment and how the land’s resources and extremes shaped the “southern character.” Clipper Odyssey (B, L, D)

Stewart Island (Raikura)
Wednesday, February 4
Cruise this morning to Stewart Island, New Zealand’s southernmost outpost. It is known more commonly by its Maori name Raikura (“Glowing Skies”), perhaps referring to its vantage point for the brilliant Aurora Australis lights. With a population under 500, the island is a quiet, seldom-visited wilderness oasis. Enjoy Zodiac excursions to quaint Oban Village and Ula Island. Ashore, naturalists lead walks in search of native birds such as the yellow-eyed penguin and the kiwi. Clipper Odyssey (B, L, D)

Doubtful and Dusky Sounds
Thursday, February 5
When the glaciers covering Fiordland retreated 14,000 years ago, they left behind a serrated coastline of plunging fiords and deep branching lakes, thickly covered with beech forests and veiled in mist. This is New Zealand’s wildest, most remote region, Observe its rugged topography and protected waters while traveling through the many islands of Fiordland National Park. From motorized Zodiacs, be on the lookout for New Zealand fur seals, rare Fiordland penguins, and albatross. Ashore, take a guided walk to scenic Astronomer’s Point. Clipper Odyssey (B, L, D)

Milford Sound (Disembark)/ Queenstown
Friday, February 6
Clipper Odyssey enters Milford Sound in the early-morning stillness, navigating between soaring vertical cliffs punctuated with showering waterfalls and cascading greenery. Disembark and transfer to a smaller vessel for a close-up look at the fiord’s pristine beauty, then continue by coach through the rugged mountains of Fiordland National Park to Queenstown. On arrival, check in to the hotel; the evening is at leisure. Crowne Plaza Hotel (B, L)

Queenstown
Saturday, February 7
Embark on a scenic cruise abroad the vintage steamship Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm, located on the shores of beautiful Lake Wakatipu. Learn about the traditional farming techniques of rural New Zealand, watch sheep dogs in action, and enjoy a barbecue lunch. Back in Queenstown, attend a guest lecture with a government minister for insights onto New Zealand politics, conservation policies, and U.S. relations, followed by a festive farewell dinner. Crowne Plaza Hotel (B, L, D)

Queenstown/ U.S.
Sunday, February 8
Enjoy a final morning at leisure in Queenstown before an early-afternoon transfer to the airport for the return flights to the U.S. via Auckland. Regain the day lost on the inbound journey.

Optional Extension to Sydney, Australia
February 8-11
Extend your trip with three nights at the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel, overlooking the Sydney Harbor. Activities include a tour of the Botanical Gardens, an introduction to aboriginal art during an exclusive tour of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and a private tour of the renowned Sydney Opera House. Prices and additional details will be provided to confirmed participants.

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Lucky are those who travel with you!
FS
Old Greenwich, CT