Catching Up With Kiwi on New Zealand Farm

A New Zealand tour especially tailored for mature travelers is being offered for two departure dates this fall, Sept. 6 and 20.

The 18-day tour begins in Auckland and proceeds to the Rotorua thermal area by way of Waitomo and the glowworm caves. The night is spent with a farm family to better acquaint the traveler with the kiwis, as the local people sometimes are called.

The tour also visits the capital city of Wellington, then goes by ferry to South Island, where a train is boarded for a trip to historic Christchurch.

Then it’s through the Southern Alps via the Tranz Alpine Express, with a day viewing glaciers and taking a lake cruise, plus a visit to Milford Sound.

Two free days for relaxation and exploring are next at Queenstown, where one may visit the national parks and the plentiful lakes and fiords. The trip ends at the handsome Victorian city of Dunedin.

The tour is priced at $2,330 per person, which includes round-trip air from California via Air New Zealand, baggage assistance and transfers. Meals are not included, except for the farm-stay dinner and lunch on the Milford Sound cruise. The trip is planned for seniors over age 55 or members of AARP.

For a complete itinerary, call toll-free (800) 228-8727 or (818) 707-0184. Or write to Baird Reynolds Ltd., 30315 Canwood St., No. 10, Agoura Hills, Calif. 91301.

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Poole Tours is offering four trips for the senior adult during the holiday season.

“Thanksgiving in the Valley of the Sun” departs Nov. 20. It’s a four-night, five-day tour to the Phoenix area, including stops in Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Rawhide.

Travel is via Greyhound bus. The tour includes accommodations and four breakfasts and four dinners, including Thanksgiving dinner at the elegant Arizona Biltmore Hotel. Tour price is $519 per person.

“Christmas in Victoria” departs Dec. 21, with two days in Vancouver, including a city tour and an evening tour with dinner. Then it’s by ferry to Victoria for four days of sightseeing via motor coach and a festive Christmas dinner.

All breakfasts and dinners in Victoria are included, as well as hotel accommodations. The price of $1,459 per person includes round-trip air transportation from Southern California and all sightseeing.

“Christmas Luminarias” is the traditional festival of the lights in Albuquerque, N.M. The eight-day trip, which departs Dec. 21, includes Greyhound motor coach, welcome party, Christmas dinner and all accommodations and sightseeing. Stops on the itinerary include Sedona, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Las Cruces and the Petrified Forest. The per-person price is $689.

A “San Antonio Christmas” takes you to that Texas city by air. Then you’ll cruise the famed Riverwalk and tour the city. The package includes seven nights at the Hilton Palacio del Rio, plus two lunches and four dinners, including a Christmas dinner. Tour price is $1,049 per person, complete.

For more comprehensive itinerary descriptions and other information, write to Poole Tours, P.O. Box 990, Temple City, Calif. 91780, or call (213) 283-3412, (818) 285-9775 or (714) 855-4918.

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Another popular senior group offering a variety of trips is Golden Tours, based in Alhambra. They offer a continuing program of travel, from one-day local theater or visitor attraction tours to regional trips in Southern California, plus trips to Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia, and voyages by cruise ship.

Day-trips usually include motor-coach transportation, sightseeing and lunch, dinner, the theater, shopping or local attractions in nearby places such as Santa Barbara, San Diego, Newport Beach, Lake Arrowhead, Marina del Rey, Ojai Valley, the Channel Islands, Catalina, Long Beach and the Queen Mary, Lawrence Welk Village in Escondido and Tijuana.

Regional trips may run from one to four nights and include such popular destinations as Las Vegas, Laughlin, Reno, Yosemite, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Phoenix, Tucson and Lake Tahoe.

For those looking for deluxe tours and cruises to distant destinations, a large selection is offered, including air and motor-coach tours to Canada, the Ozarks, Florida, fall foliage tours in the northeastern United States or eastern Canada, plus Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand, or cruises to the Mediterranean and the Mexican Riviera.

Holiday tours are also available for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.

Golden Tours is a nonprofit membership corporation for travelers over the age of 50. It issues a monthly eight-page bulletin filled with listings of all available tours, including 30 or more day-tours and three pages of national and international tours and cruises.

For day trips, free parking is available at two parking lots in Alhambra and Pasadena, where buses are boarded.

Membership is $5. Contact Golden Tours, Box 1070, Alhambra 91802, (213) 283-7876 or (818) 289-6271.

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A seasonal discount fare for mature travelers is being offered by Air Canada under the name “Freedom Flyer.” Travelers from Los Angeles can fly non-stop to Toronto or Calgary, and from those cities connect with 26 major cities across Canada.

Travelers must be at least 62 years old, and may bring a companion of any age for the same fare, providing they go to the same destination.

There are three Freedom Flyer fares for flights that originate in the United States: $499, which allows stopovers at four destinations; $599 for one trip with 5 to 8 destinations and $699 for one trip with nine to 12 destinations.

Travel must occur between Sept. 12 and Dec. 12.

For information and reservations, contact a travel agent or call Air Canada toll-free at (800) 422-6232.

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Due to an error in editing, a recent item in this column on hotel discounts in Honolulu incorrectly referred to the Ala Moana Hotel. The hotel’s correct name is the Moana Hotel. For information, call toll-free (800) 325-3535.