Highlights of New Zealand (non-driving)

On-board your international outbound flight to Auckland.

Start your day with a shared half day tour to explore the city. Your guide will collect you from your city accommodation and take you to the local colonial mansions and One Tree Hill before heading to the west coast where you will explore the temperate rainforest and black sand beaches.

Depart Auckland, this morning, on a coach bus tour that will take you from Auckland’s cityscape to Rotorua’s geothermal centre. Along the way, you will make a stop at the Waitomo glowworm caves before driving to Matamata to take a guided walk through the Hobbiton film set. Spend the afternoon relaxing or exploring Rotorua.

Start the day with a quiet morning around Rotorua, where you can sit back and relax in one of the geothermal pools or explore one of the many attractions of the area on your own. This evening, spend the evening learning about the Māori culture while enjoying a buffet dinner cooked in the traditional Māori way.

This morning, you will be collected from your accommodation and transported to the Rotorua airport in time for your flight to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. Spend two nights in this compact and walkable city.

Spend the day at leisure around Wellington exploring its many attractions. We recommend stopping at the Te Papa National Museum to explore the Māori relics and history, or you can take the famous cable car get a panoramic view of the city and botanical gardens. This evening you’ll make your way to Zealandia, where you will join an expert guide to track the elusive kiwi.

Today you will depart Wellington, on the ferry, and head to the South Island. You will arrive into the small coastal town of Picton, where you will be met by a private driver who will transport you to your Blenheim accommodation. Spend the next two days exploring the Marlborough wine lands and Blenheim township.

A local sommelier will collect you this morning and take you around Blenheim to explore the local vineyards to try plenty of wines and treats of the region.

Spend the morning relaxing or stop by the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre to explore its excellent collection of WWI and WWII aircraft. In the early afternoon, you’ll board the Coastal Pacific train and head south along the Pacific Ocean to the small town of Kaikoura, where you will spend the night.

Kaikoura’s most popular attraction is whale watching and you’ll join a cruise to go explore and spot these gentle giants. In the afternoon, you will re-board the Coastal Pacific train and continue south to Christchurch, where you will stay for the next three nights.

After a couple of active days, we recommend having a day at leisure to explore the city at your own pace. You can explore the revived city or spend some time taking the gondola to get unique views of Christchurch on Lyttelton Harbour.

Adventure out to the Arthur’s Pass National Park on the TranzAlpine, where you will stop for lunch and a short hike in the national park. In the afternoon, your guide will take your small group back to Christchurch by road where you will see the magnificent mountain ranges from a different perspective.

Today, you will fly from Christchurch to Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world, where you will spend the last few nights of your trip. Spend the rest of the day exploring this fun town or relaxing on your balcony taking in the panoramic views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkable Mountains.

Spend the day at leisure exploring the Queenstown gardens, Bob’s Peak or one of its many shops and restaurants. Alternatively, we can book you a biking or wine tour to explore the beautiful mountain vineyards of the area.

This morning you’ll be collected from your Queenstown accommodation and head towards Fiordland National Park for an overnight cruise on the Doubtful Sound. You will spend the next day cruising through different arms and inlets, spying dolphins, penguins and waterfalls. In the evening you’ll have the chance to kayak or swim in the fiord before retiring to your private cabin.

Wake up on the cruise to the peaceful sound of birds and waterfalls while you enjoy breakfast onboard. You’ll begin your journey back to your same Queenstown accommodation, where you will have the rest of the afternoon to relax and enjoy the evening around Queenstown waterfront.

Arrive home today to complete your journey.