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New for 2009!

New Zealand is an adventure-travel mecca, but if adrenaline- seeking isn’t your thing, you’ll adore our new cultural exploration. We’ve designed this trip around Sobek co-founder Richard Bangs’ book and public television series Adventures with Purpose: Quest for Kaitiakitanga to explore Island heritage and the fascinating culture of the Maori people. We’ll set sail with the Kati Kuri people, eat from the fields of the Whanau tribe, and participate in an ancient hakiri, where food is cooked underground atop heated rocks. From forest to mountaintop, from the Tasman Sea to the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand is much more than an adrenaline rush. Come lose yourself in the land, water, and history of this incomparable island paradise.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Visits with Maori elders and observe tradition customs and handicrafts
• Dine on the world’s freshest seafood and drink from New Zealand’s up-and-coming vineyards
• Enjoy a traditional Hakiri ceremony—singing, dancing, and in-ground cooking with hot rocks.
• Whale-watching excursions aboard traditional Maori boats
• Experience the unique grandeur of this earth and sea wonderland

Check your local TV listings for airings of the PBS series Adventures with Purpose, featuring none other than Mountain Travel Sobek co-founder Richard Bangs! “Egypt: Quest for the Lord of the Nile” is currently airing, and “New Zealand: Quest for Kaitiakitanga”! Also see our Egypt: Spirit of the Pharaohs and Switzerland: Quest for the Sublime trips, based on Richard's latest adventures.

The companion book, Richard Bangs' Adventures with Purpose, was recently awarded first place for best travel book in the 2007 North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) journalism awards competition, and is available at Menasha Ridge Press.

Visit www.newzealand.com to learn more about Richard's recent adventure though New Zealand to uncover the meaning of "Kaitiakitanga" (an ancient Maori concept promoting guardianship of the earth).

Also, check out Laura Hubber's (Richard's partner) recent BBC World Service report and the corresponding slideshow of photographs from her recent Whale Watching adventure out of Kaikoura.

Day 1 ~ Arrive in Auckland, New Zealand. Take a short flight to Christchurch, and an explore some of the ancient Maori sites.

Day 2 ~ Whale watching at Kaikoura and wine-tasting in the Waipara valley.

Day 3 ~ Tour a non-profit tree-planting operation and tour more mouth-watering vineyards.

Day 4 ~ Fly to the North Island and explore the geysers, mudpools, and calderas of Rotorua.

Day 5 ~ Head south to the lakeside resort of Taupo, where we’ll participate in a traditional Hakiri dinner and dancing celebration.

Day 6 ~ We’ll descend into the famed limestone caverns of Waitomo and then enjoy the bohemian, gourmet village of Puhoi.

Day 7 ~ Today we cross from the Tasman Sea to the Pacific Ocean and then enjoy the beauty and hospitality of the Carrington Estate eco-lodge.

Day 8 ~ Leisurely beachcombing followed by a visit to Karikari, one of the northernmost spots in New Zealand.

Day 9 ~ Today we’ll visit several modern Maori homes and learn more about this unique bi-cultural society.

Day 10 ~ Take to the sea for a scenic cruise, then make our way back to Auckland, stopping at Ruapekapeka Pa, the last stronghold of the native warriors during the Northern Wars.

Day 11 ~ Time for a little last-minute shopping in Auckland, and then transfer to the airport for flights home.

Photo Credits
©MTS Photo File