Press Digest 19th March 2007

Want to be a castaway? You won’t need exceptional survival skills, be able to endure physical hardships or face emotional challenges, but you will be able to take a sneaky peak at life on New Zealand’s Great Barrier Island, the location chosen for BBC One’s reality show – Castaway. Long-haul specialist Quest Travel incorporates a 2-night stay at Earthsong Lodge on Great Barrier Island, into its 12-night North Island self-drive holiday. London Heathrow departures are available from 8th April to 15th June 07 – book by 16th April.

Arrive in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, packed with charm - the Skytower and glimmering harbour are just two great reasons why it’s worth spending a few days in the City of Sails. Drive to Northland, a finger of subtropical forest with mile upon mile of deserted sandy beaches and surf pointing out into the Pacific. The crowning glory of this region is the magnificent Bay of Islands, 140 subtropical gems slumbering in the sultry waters of the Pacific.
Time to really get-away-from-it-all next and head for Great Barrier Island via a short air transfer from Auckland. The island is stunning with sandy beaches surrounded by the deep blue ocean, green hills and winding streams. While it’s back-to-basics for BBC One’s castaways as they build their shelters and eke out their meagre rations, there’s no such deprivation for Quest Travel’s castaways. The luxurious surroundings of Earthsong Lodge are a prelude to dinner - a lovingly prepared gourmet extravaganza!
Return to the mainland for a complete contrast in the centre of North Island - characterised by volcanoes and valleys, forests and fruit orchards, geysers and grasslands, bubbling mud pools and blue mountains. Get all steamed up in Rotorua, the country’s geothermal capital, where geysers spout and mud pools boil before departing home from Auckland.

The holiday costs £1,449 p/p including scheduled international flights, return flights & transfers between Great Barrier Island Airport and Earthsong Lodge, 12 nights 4 and 5* hotel accommodation (breakfast in Rotorua and half board on Great Barrier Island) and 8 days car hire.