CHRISTMAS
WITH KARL
23 December 2024 - 2 January 2025
Join Karl, Marian, and Grant for a wonderful Christmas trip for an 11-day odyssey of the South Island. We enjoy numerous special events to celebrate Christmas and a Scottish New Year with other wonderful musical concerts and experiences like Mount Cook, Lake Tekapo and Oamaru.
$6445 per person twin share
Single Room Supplement Add $1720
Initial Deposit On Booking $1000
Second Deposit Due: 26 June 2024 $2000
Final Balance Due: 4 September 2024
Days
11 Days
Highlights
Special Christmas dinner, Scottish New Year complete with piper and haggis, star-gazing, lakes, mountains, Victorian Oamaru, penguins
Group Size
32 Travellers
Meals
All Breakfasts
6 Lunches
10 Dinners
2 Afternoon Teas
Plus Haggis!
Mobility
Easy Tour
SPECIAL FEATURES
• Numerous special events to celebrate Christmas, New Year and simply being together with Karl Perigo, Marian Burns and Grant Winterburn.
• 11-day tour of the lower South Island including: Christchurch (3 nights), Lake Tekapo (3 nights), Oamaru (2 nights) and Dunedin (2 nights) includes a visit to Mount Cook.
• Welcome dinner with a concert Razzle Dazzle. Let’s get this party started in style!
• Carols by Candlelight is a celebration of family, Christmas and community spirit. This iconic concert features the Salvation Army Band, guest performers, a combined Christchurch choir and a few twists to help us celebrate. For those who wish to, Karl will take you to celebrate Midnight Mass.
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas! We bring you tidings of great joy with a very special Christmas Day planned for you all!
• Happy New Year - Auld Lang Syne! With all the trimmings of our own Operatunity New Year’s Eve dine and dance! Scottish theme this evening in our own Edinburgh of the South with music, traditional piper and of course Robbie Burns’ Address to a Haggis!
• Other music events include a Royal Variety Gala, Love and Laughter - an irreverent look at love, Luck of the Irish and Melodies and Memories, a concert in The Church of the Good Shepherd overlooking Lake Tekapo!
• Numerous activities and tours including Kate Sheppard House, star gazing at Lake Tekapo, tour to Mount Cook, Riverstone Castle with private tour, historic tour of Oamaru, tours of Olveston and Larnach Castle and much more.
TRIP ITINERARY
Experience the Exceptional:
MONDAY 23 DECEMBER 2024 (AT, D)
Christchurch Sudima Hotel (3 nights)
Christchurch Sudima Hotel is a brand new 5-star boutique hotel, ideally located on Victoria Street, amidst an array of cafes, restaurants and bars, and is only a stone’s throw from beautiful Hagley Park and Christchurch’s CBD.
Highlights Include:
• Greet at the airport and transfer to the hotel.
• Tour of Kate Sheppard House, with afternoon tea, to celebrate our most famous suffragette.
• Welcome dinner with concert Razzle Dazzle! Let’s get this party started in style!
TUESDAY 24 DECEMBER 2024 (B, D)
Highlights Include:
• A city coach tour of Christchurch pointing out the sights.
• Free time for lunch and wander the shops today to soak up the atmosphere of Christmas Eve and pick up something for your secret Santa tomorrow as part of our Christmas party.
• Following dinner this evening, we are off to enjoy a very special Christmas Eve in Victoria Park. Since 1948 Carols by Candlelight has been a unique event in Christchurch, that encourages people to get together and celebrate family and Christmas in a traditional and magical manner. Bringing together all faiths, age groups and cultures, Carols by Candlelight is a true celebration of family, of Christmas and of community spirit.
• Carols by Candlelight starts at 9pm and features the Salvation Army Band, guest performers, a combined Christchurch choir and a few twists to help us celebrate.
• For those who wish to, Karl will take you to celebrate Midnight Mass. Everyone else we will transfer back to the hotel.
WEDNESDAY 25 DECEMBER 2024 (B, L, D)
Highlights Include:
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas! We bring you tidings of great joy with a very special day planned for you all!
• A very special lunch and dinner at our hotel are planned to celebrate Christmas. We have all sorts of plans including gifts for everyone, the appearance of Santa Elvis, a special Christmas cracker which reveals special song requests, games and general festivities and more than a few laughs as well. And you can be sure that Karl has plenty of mischief and surprises up his sleeve!
THURSDAY 26 DECEMBER 2024 (B, L, D)
Lake Tekapo, Peppers Bluewater (3 nights)
Highlights Include:
• A beautiful drive through the McKenzie Country to Lake Tekapo.
• Stop for lunch at the Barkers famous food store and eatery.
• Dinner at hotel this evening on arrival.
FRIDAY 27 DECEMBER 2024 (B, D)
Highlights Include:
• A sensory experience inside the Dark Sky Project Base, the Dark Sky Experience brings science, Maori Heritage and multi-media installations together in a “Big Bang” of awe and inspiration.
• One of the highlights of the trip: a recital at the famous Church of the Good Shepherd, with its views of the lake, Melodies and Memories!
• Casual dinner at the hotel this evening.
SATURDAY 28 DECEMBER 2024 (B, L, D)
Highlights Include:
• Driving tour to Mount Cook, through the magnificent mountains beside lakes and surrounded by incredible scenery.
• Lunch at Mt Cook and a chance to wander through the Sir Edmund Hillary Centre.
• Dinner this evening with our concert featuring jokes, fun, frolicking, Irish songs and fiddle playing: Luck of the Irish!
SUNDAY 29 DECEMBER 2024 (B, L, D)
Brydone Hotel, Oamaru (2 nights)
Step inside the enchanting Brydone Hotel, Oamaru and we will find ourselves in a gentler more gracious era with its sweeping staircase, grand chandeliers and ornate interiors. Built of Oamaru limestone in 1881 it is the perfect place in its central location to delve into the Victorian age.
Highlights Include:
• Drive to Oamaru today stopping at Waimate along the way.
• Waimate, the cutest historic town where one of Karl’s friends owns the pub!
• Then Karl’s mate, Sam will jump on the bus with us and guide us around Waimate including a stop at Waimate Zoo. Waimate township is stunning and rich in history. Before leaving, we stop off at the historic Waimate Cemetery where labour prime minister ‘Big Norm’ presides over the cemetery.
• Relaxing dinner at the hotel this evening.
MONDAY 30 DECEMBER 2024 (B, L, D)
Highlights Include:
• An easy-paced walking tour around the Historic Precinct to learn about Oamaru’s rich heritage, including Harbour Street, perhaps New Zealand’s most consistently “old” street, with seemingly every building dating back to the late 1800s.
• Tour of the famous Riverstone Castle by the Queen of Oamaru’s distinctive stone castle, Dot, with a personal talk and tour. Be inspired by this incredible lady and her dream of living in a castle. Tour the castle and hear her story!
• Lunch at the famous Riverstone Cafe today.
• Dinner in the parlour of our hotel with Love and Laughter, an irreverent look at love!
TUESDAY 31 DECEMBER 2024 (B, L, D)
Distinction Dunedin Hotel (2 nights)
The 1937 former Chief Post Office in Dunedin has been transformed into an elegant 4 1/2 star luxury hotel, located in the rejuvenated and vibrant Warehouse Precinct in the heart of the city. Distinction Dunedin is a 2019 Travellers Choice Winner, ranked 3rd out of all hotels in New Zealand on TripAdvisor.
Highlights Include:
• We head south today towards Dunedin ready to celebrate the New Year in this most Scottish of cities.
• Stop off at Moeraki Boulders: Moeraki is now most famous for its boulders; mysteriously spherical stones scattered across a beach. Each boulder weighs several tonnes and is up to two metres high.
• Happy New Year - Auld Lang Syne! With all the trimmings of our own Operatunity New Year’s Eve dine and dance. Scottish theme this evening in our own Edinburgh of the South with music, traditional piper and of course Robbie Burns’ Address to a Haggis!
• Dancing and singing from our team as we celebrate the end of 2024 and see in the new year of 2025!
WEDNESDAY 1 JANUARY 2025 (B, High Tea, D)
Highlights Include:
• A sleep in today after our big night.
• Driving tour of Dunedin, pointing out many of its famous historic sites.
• Tour of Olveston House.
• Tour of Larnach Castle with lunch.
• Final night extravaganza with dinner and entertainment from our artists: Royal Variety Gala!
THURSDAY 2 JANUARY 2025 (B)
Time to go our separate ways today, ready to face the new year with renewed hope and energy having been invigorated by the fun, antics, camaraderie and sheer joy of spending this very special season with Karl, Marian, Grant and a whole group of new friends!
This Trip Includes:
• A 10-night, 11-day celebration tour which includes Christchurch Sudima Hotel (3 nights), Peppers Bluewater, Lake Tekapo (3 nights), Brydone Hotel Oamaru (2 nights) and Distinction Dunedin Hotel (2 nights).
• Numerous special events to celebrate Christmas, New Year and just being together escorted by Karl Perigo, Marian Burns and Grant Winterburn.
• Welcome dinner with a concert Razzle Dazzle. Let’s get this party started in style!
• Carols by Candlelight is a true celebration of family, of Christmas and of community spirit. Carols by Candlelight features the Salvation Army Band, guest performers, a combined Christchurch choir and a few twists to help us celebrate. For those who wish to, Karl will take you to celebrate Midnight Mass.
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas! We bring you tidings of great joy with a very special Christmas Day planned for you all!
• Happy New Year - Auld Lang Syne! With all the trimmings of our own Operatunity New Year’s Eve dine and dance! Scottish theme this evening in our own Edinburgh of the South with music, traditional piper and of course Robbie Burns’ Address to a Haggis!
• Other music events include a Royal Variety Gala, Love and Laughter - love, fun, marriage and song, Luck of the Irish and Melodies and Memories, a special concert in The Church of the Good Shepherd overlooking Lake Tekapo!
• Numerous activities and special tours including Kate Sheppard House, Dark Sky Experience, tour to Mount Cook, Riverstone Castle with private tour, historic tour of Oamaru, tours of Olveston and Larnach Castle and much more.
• Hosted by Karl Perigo, Marian Burns and Grant Winterburn.
• All breakfasts, 6 lunches and 2 afternoon teas, 10 dinners, plus haggis are included!
• All transfers, tips, tours are included as listed in the itinerary.
• PLEASE NOTE: As our travellers are coming from all over NZ, airfares are not included.
Important Information
• All itinerary details are subject to change, but changes will be replaced with a comparable or better option.
• Initial & Second deposits are fully refundable up until final balance due date, minus an administration fee of up to $500 plus any non-recoverable costs.
• All monies are non-refundable at final balance due date. This becomes an insurance claim.
• Bank transfer payments incur no surcharge. Credit card payments incur surcharge of 1.5%.
• Travellers need to be independently mobile and fit to travel.
• Bookings will only be accepted with initial deposit & booking form.
• All travellers must obtain comprehensive travel insurance for international travel and insurance for domestic travel is recommended.
• Please refer to our terms and conditions on booking form.
Mobility - Easy Tour
This tour will suit people with a stick, but not a walker or in a wheelchair. You will be required to walk to get from place to place and stand in museums and gardens, but it is designed to be an easy tour with lots of time to rest, travel on a coach and walk easy leisurely distances. You will need to be able to get on and off a bus with ease. If you are unsure, please ring the office to discuss your suitability for our tours.