Upon arrival at the airport in Auckland, you will be met by your guide, who will then drive you south through picturesque farmland and coastal scenery to the beautiful, historic Coromandel Peninsula, a two-and-a-half-hour drive. Along the way, stop at the old gold mining town of Thames, the gateway to Coromandel, where the streets are lined with wooden houses and pubs dating from the 19th century.

After, drive over steep mountains, clad with dense rainforest, as you head to the Pacific coast of the peninsula with stops for photos along the way. From here, it is a short ride to the quiet coastal town nestled beside a crystal clear harbor and a lovely beach with many islands just off the coast. Upon arrival, get settled into your hotel, which is where you will stay for the next 2 nights.

Begin your exciting day with a walk through the rainforest. Follow forgotten paths to the incredibly scenic Puketui Valley, where you can visit goldmines, see glowworms in the old caves, and even visit an underground jail! Then follow the coast with its stunning views and white sandy beaches to Cooks Beach, named after Captain Cook, where he observed the transit of Mercury in 1769.

Your guides know and have loved this region since childhood, and will share their vast knowledge with you. A delightful lunch will be at a local restaurant. Tide permitting, you will stroll to the unique “Hotwater Beach,” where you can dip your toes in the hot springs before returning to your hotel.

Depart Coromandel in an ever-changing panorama of forests, mountains, beaches, and islands, and enter the Bay of Plenty, home to plantations of kiwi fruit, citrus, avocados, flowers, and deer farms. You will see the “mural town” of Katikati, featuring open-air art depicting the area’s history, and visit a private working orchard growing kiwi fruit, avocados, and export flowers. After a delightful lunch at a local restaurant, pass the lakes to Rotorua, a city built in the crater of a huge volcano. Once in Rotura, you’ll visit the Government Gardens, Lakefront, and Kuirau. Your guide will give you an overview of this fascinating region before arriving at your hotel for the night.

Optional: Ancestral Footprints half-day tour. Join a descendant of the Tuhourangi people as she takes you on a journey to experience their unique lifestyle and history. Learn about aspects of the Māori culture first hand, experience Māori kai for lunch, see how a family lives amongst the bubbling hot pools, then see volcanic Mount Tarawera and enjoy bathing in the geothermal waters. This half-day experience will leave you enthralled and inspired while you walk in the footsteps of the Tuhourangi people.

Your morning is free to explore Rotorua before flying south to Christchurch, the “Garden City.” Enjoy a two-hour sightseeing tour of this urban center before being transferred to your bed & breakfast. Sit back and enjoy the ambiance of this city founded by English settlers in 1850. Christchurch became a city by Royal Charter in 1856, which makes it the oldest officially-established city in New Zealand. It is sometimes said to be “more English than England.”

Today is a day to explore on your own. The peace, the open spaces, the lush colors and rich textures of a city where a leisurely pace still prevails, never fail to capture the imagination.

Located on the east coast of the South Island, Christchurch is a city of contrasts. Officially known as the “Garden City,” Christchurch has over 3,000 hectares of parklands, which include Hagley Park and the famous Botanical Gardens. Located next to these gardens is the Christchurch Arts Centre, which is the hub of Christchurch art and the headquarters of many arts, craft, and recreation associations and groups.

Christchurch is perfect for exploring on foot because it is attractive, fascinating, and flat! The central city is a particularly dynamic place, offering numerous opportunities to shop, sightsee, and socialize. And it’s surprisingly easy to get about. You can hop aboard one of the beautifully restored vintage trams, hire a bicycle, enjoy a punt on the Avon River, or simply stroll about on foot. The great variety of cafes and bars offer an excellent street-side vantage point from which to enjoy a glass or two of local wine, freshly brewed coffee, or an amazing array of international cuisine. There are also many fine restaurants to experience, perhaps as a prelude to a night’s entertainment at the theatre.

Optional: Full day Banks Peninsula & Akaroa tour including a nature cruise. A day tour to Akaroa, the only settlement attempted by the French in New Zealand, passes through the beautiful landscapes of the Banks Peninsula. This region was formed following violent eruptions of volcanoes over 6 million years ago and the picturesque town of Akaroa itself sits in an ancient volcanic crater. You will travel to Akaroa NZ over the beautiful Banks Peninsula on a high summit route which gives glorious views of farmlands, the Canterbury Plains and the distant Southern Alps as well as remote bays indenting the coastline. From the main wharf in Akaroa boats depart for a Nature Cruise on the harbor. See Hectors Dolphins, little blue penguins, NZ fur seals, and local birdlife. Learn more about the local history from your boat skipper and be awed by the volcanic cliffs that act as sentinels to the harbor entrance. You will have an opportunity to wander around the charming 175-year-old French harborside village of Akaroa with its museum of settlers’ history, art and craft shops, and studios before enjoying lunch at an award-winning cafe. On the journey back to Christchurch we visit the Cheese Factory at Barry’s Bay, the only one remaining on the peninsula from a bygone era, the Little River Art gallery, and if time permits Vince’s Gem Stone Museum.

This morning you’ll be transferred from your hotel to the Christchurch train station. Take in the South Island’s stunning mountains and the vast Canterbury Plains aboard the TranzAlpine. New Zealand’s finest inland rail journey. Travelling west crossing the Canterbury Plains, the train slowly ascends through spectacular gorges and river valleys of the Waimakariri River towards the Southern Alps to the alpine village of Arthur’s Pass.

Arthur’s Pass National Park itself is a landscape of two halves. On the eastern side you’ll see wide, shingle-filled riverbeds and vast swathes of beech forest. Descend the western side and you venture through dense rainforest alongside and over deeply gorged rivers. You’ll probably spot New Zealand’s inquisitive and comical alpine parrot, the kea, along the way.

You’ll be met at the station in Arthurs Pass and transferred to your hotel.

This is your chance to explore and learn from people with an intimate local knowledge of the Southern Alps. These daily guided nature trips are relaxed and fun. Every day there are two complementary activities. These change daily and are not too physically demanding. Normally about 1.5 hours duration, they will introduce you to landscapes and wildlife of the mountains and to life on real working sheep farm. Half and full-day guided activities are offered at an additional charge. These are a fantastic opportunity to explore further afield with a small group. Hike in the National Park, search for rare wildlife and kayak upon spectacular mountain lakes.

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred back to the train station for your scenic ride to Greymouth. Travel through the Arthur’s Pass National Park and depart Canterbury province for Westland (“The West Coast”). Originally used by the Maori to move greenstone from the west coast, and later as a link to the gold rush fields, this route reveals great mountain valleys. Follow rivers that flow to the West Coast and observe the changes to the rainforest, including the many varieties of ferns that contribute to their character.

Waiting at the station will be the Intercity coach you’ll take to Franz Josef. Heading farther south, see the West Coast bush and further evidence of the last Ice Age in the kettle lakes created by the melting ice sheets. The road between Greymouth and Franz Josef provides great views of the wild west coast. Later, arrive at Fox Glacier, a truly amazing natural wonder!

Today you will explore the glaciated landscape of the Fox Glacier region on your own.

Optional Tours:
Franz Josef Glacier Valley walk with expert guide, including hot pools admission (small group tour)

Franz Josef Glacier heli-hike with expert guide, 2hrs on ice, including helicopter flights and hot pools admission

Scenic helicopter flight including 20-minute glacier landing, no hiking

Few places in the world can match the unique natural setting of Lake Moeraki. Today,  you will travel by Intercity coach to this nature lover’s paradise, with untouched lowland rainforests spread between pristine lakes and rivers that drain the snow-capped Southern Alps. (Bus stop is in front of the lodge.) This special place is home to breeding colonies of the rare Fiordland Crested penguin (seasonal), the Hectors dolphins, and numerous native birds.

Visits can be made to wild and remote beaches, and activities include guided walks to get close to the wildlife, to learn about the forest, and to experience amazing scenery. Or, if you prefer, take a canoe or kayak out on the tranquil lake or just relax in the lodge.

Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki is surrounded by lakes, rivers, rainforest and seacoast in the heart of Te Wahipounamu, the Southwest New Zealand World Heritage Area.  This is a paradise for nature lovers, active travelers and wilderness seekers.

Today you will be able to explore rainforest trails, hike spectacular seacoast & enjoy tranquil lake kayaking. Learn New Zealand’s fascinating natural history and see penguins, seals, and other wildlife.

Say goodbye to Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge and head out for Queenstown. Along the way enjoy stops at Ship Creek (where there is a good chance of seeing the rare Hectors dolphin playing beyond the surf), a swamp forest with ancient “dinosaur” trees, a coastal lagoon, and a remote beach where you can search for greenstone.

Continue east, following the Haast Highway, and observe how the landscape again changes dramatically as the road climbs over the Haast Pass from the dense rainforest of the west coast to the drier tussock lands of Otago. On the way, there are short walks to see waterfalls, and if there has been recent rainfall, the Haast River passing through the gorge (known as the Gates of Haast) can be truly spectacular.

Shortly after the Haast Pass, the road skirts along the banks of the headwaters of Lake Wanaka makes a slight turn and rises over a ridge, and voila—Lake Hawea is before you. The road follows the shoreline of this lake until you reach Wanaka, a quiet mountain resort on the shores of Lake Wanaka. From here, head over the rugged and remote Crown Range, the site of gold diggings in the 1860s. Arrive in Arrowtown and visit the old Chinese gold miners’ settlement. It is then a short drive to your Queenstown accommodation.

Today is a free day to experience some of the many activities that Queenstown has to offer. Your guide will be available to advise and assist with transfers to the venues and activities of your choice.

Optional Tours:

• Try an exhilarating jetboat trip through the Shotover Canyon.
• Bungee jump at the Kawarau Bridge, the first bungee jumping site in the world.
• Take a ride up the gondola, with spectacular views of the mountains known as the Remarkables.
• Enjoy a steamboat cruise at Lake Wakatipu.

This morning get ready for an amazing day with your private driver-guide. Immerse yourself in the vast and untouched wilderness of Doubtful Sound, the second largest fiord in Fiordland National Park. With its rugged peaks, verdant rainforest and twisting, hidden inlets, Doubtful Sound will take your breath away. Home to abundant wildlife you may see bottlenose dolphins and fur seals at play, or catch a glimpse of a rare Fiordland Crested Penguin. Getting to Doubtful Sound is an adventure in itself. With no direct road access, the only way you can to get to Doubtful Sound is by a cruise across Lake Manapouri and a coach trip over Wilmot Pass. This isolation makes the fiord a very special, private place, a place only those in the know get to see. When you visit Doubtful Sound, it’s unchanged, pristine nature is striking. You are witnessing the same spectacular scene that greeted early Maori and European visitors – the years have changed little, if anything, in this magnificent place.

The mood of the fiord is dominated by the weather – glorious and sparkling on a sunny day, tranquil and mysterious in the mist or dramatic and exciting in the wet as hundreds of waterfalls thunder into the sea.

This is an awesome place where you’ll experience the raw power of nature. The sheer scale and beauty of the fiord makes for a profound experience for any holiday itinerary.

After breakfast, you will have time for some last-minute shopping or to experience that final adventure before you bid farewell to New Zealand. Not ready to go home? Consider an extension to see other parts of New Zealand, or a visit to Sydney, Australia.