Great Sights

Infobox Company
name = Great Sights New Zealand

type =
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foundation =
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location_city = Auckland
location_country = New Zealand
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industry = Transport & Tourism
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parent = InterCity Group (NZ) Ltd
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owner = InterCity Holdings Ltd
slogan = Memorable Journeys into New Zealand
homepage = http://www.greatsights.co.nz
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Great Sights is New Zealand's premier daily sightseeing operator in New Zealand.

History

Great Sights was formed in October 1987 following the acquisition of the coach assets of Fourways Coachlines by joint venture between Newmans Tours, Horizon Holidays and Newmans Coach Lines. This joint venture was subsequently taken over by Corporate Investments Limited (CIL).

Great Sights pioneered a new concept in coach travel around New Zealand by offering a daily departing seat-in-coach network to key tourist destinations. Coaches were toilet equipped and drivers provided full commentary. Many of the tours included entrance to iconic visitor attractions such as the Waitomo Glowworm Caves and the Maori Arts & Crafts Institute (now Te Puia).

In 1993 The Helicopter Line - later to become Tourism Holdings Limited (THL) - purchased Great Sights from CIL. Under THL ownership Great Sights reduced the size of its route network to focus only on mainstream visitor destinations while also introducing innovative features such as glass roof coaches and multilingual commentary systems. Glass roof double-decker Volvo B12 coaches were introduced onto the Milford Sound route in 1996.

In 1998 THL purchased a number of assets from Mount Cook Group and included in this were the rights to the Gray Line New Zealand franchise. Great Sights operated the Gray Line franchise until 2006.

In 2000 Great Sights opened a visitor information centre at 180 Quay Street, Auckland. Initially known as The Sightseeing Centre, the centre is now known as Discover New Zealand. It is the departure point for all Great Sights day tours from Auckland.

From 2000 to 2008 Great Sights enjoyed strong growth in line with rising visitor arrivals into New Zealand. A number of new routes and tour options were added to the network.

In December 2007 a joint venture was formed between THL and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercity_(New_Zealand) InterCity Group] , owners of Great Sights main competitor Newmans Coach Lines. As a result of the joint venture, in April 2008 the Newmans Coach Lines brand gradually began to be removed from routes that were already operated by Great Sights.

Today Great Sights operates day tours and sightseeing experiences from Auckland, Rotorua, Christchurch and Queenstown. The destinations visited include the Bay of Islands, Auckland, the Waitomo Caves, Rotorua, Kaikoura, Christchurch, Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, Queenstown, Te Anau and Milford Sound.

Routes

Great Sights New Zealand operates the following tourist sightseeing routes:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_islands Bay of Islands] Return day tours from Auckland to Paihia. Several day tour options are offered including scenic cruises, dolphin swimming, fast boat jetboat rides and a guided tour of historic Russell. Passengers may also break their journey and overnight in the Bay of Islands before returning to Auckland.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auckland Auckland] Several half and full day sightseeing options are offered around Auckland. In addition to the sights and key features of the city, tour options include visits to Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Encounter and Underwater World, Auckland Zoo, SkyTower as well as harbour cruises with Pride of Auckland and Fullers Auckland. In 2008 a new tour was introduced featuring a cruise across the Waitemata Harbour to Waiheke Island followed by a winery tour of the island.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waitomo_Caves Waitomo Caves] Return day tours to Waitomo from either Auckland or Rotorua. Great Sights offers the option of visiting either the Waitomo Glowworm Cave or the newly re-opened Ruakuri Cave. In the afternoon passengers are returned to their departure point or travel on to either Rotorua or Auckland.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotorua Rotorua] Several half and full day sightseeing options are offered around Rotorua. These include admissions and guided tours of well known visitor attractions including Te Puia, Rainbow Springs, the Agrodome, the Buried Village and Rotorua Museum. In 2008 a new tour was introduced featuring a cruise across Lake Rotorua and a guided walking tour of Mokoia Island.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt_Cook Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park] Return day tours to Aoraki/Mount Cook from either Christchurch or Queenstown. A sightseeing and lunch stop is made at Mount Cook Village including the option to take a scenic flight of the region. In the afternoon passengers return to their departure point or travel on to either Christchurch or Queenstown.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milford_sound Milford Sound] Return day tours to Milford Sound from either Queenstown or Te Anau. At Milford Sound a scenic cruise is included with Milford Sound Red Boats. Scenic flights are available for the return leg from Milford Sound back to Queenstown.

Brands

Great Sights New Zealand Great Sights Bay of Islands

References

External links

* [http://www.intercity.co.nz InterCity Coachlines website]
* [http://www.dolphincruises.co.nz Great Sights Bay of Islands website]
* [http://www.travelpass.co.nz Travelpass website]
* [http://www.flexipass.co.nz Flexi-Pass website]
* [http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0810/S00034.htm Scoop Business, media release]