New Zealand Highlights

Once you have arrived at Auckland International Airport, a private transfer takes you to your accommodation in the city centre.

Auckland is New Zealand's largest metropolitan area, set between the Waitemata and Manukau harbours and known as the City of Sails for its huge number of boats per capita. The rest of the day is yours to settle in, with the Sky Tower dominating the skyline and Queen Street running almost three kilometres from the harbour through the commercial heart of the city.

Please note: Your driver will wait up to 60 minutes after your arrival.

This morning is yours to spend as you choose in Auckland. The volcanic cone of One Tree Hill in Cornwall Park offers sweeping views across the city, and the Auckland Domain and the historic Parnell precinct make for an easy walk from the centre if you would like to explore a little further.

A coach collects you from your hotel this morning for the journey south towards Waitomo, through the farmland of the Waikato and King Country regions, with your driver-guide sharing commentary along the way.

At Waitomo, a guide leads you on a 45-minute tour through the Waitomo Glow-worm Caves, limestone caverns formed over more than 30 million years, finishing with a boat ride through the glow-worm-lit Glowworm Grotto. A picnic lunch is included as you continue on towards Matamata.

In the afternoon, you take a guided tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set, set within a 1,250-acre working sheep and beef farm and built as the filming location for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. You see sights including the Hobbit holes along Bagshot Row, the Mill and the Green Dragon Inn, with time to step inside one of the Hobbit holes.

From here, you continue on to Rotorua, arriving in the evening.

Please note: If the Waitomo Caves tour is unable to operate, a complimentary upgrade to the Ruakuri Cave will be offered, subject to availability; in this case the Waitomo portion becomes non-refundable.

Please note: Comfortable walking shoes are recommended for this tour.

Today, Rotorua's geothermal attractions are yours to discover independently. The city is known for bubbling mud pools and geysers, including the Pohutu Geyser at nearby Whakarewarewa, while the Government Gardens and historic Blue Baths near the city centre make for a relaxed way to spend the rest of the day.

A private transfer collects you from your accommodation this morning for the journey to Rotorua Airport, where you take a short flight to Wellington, departing at 8:30 am and arriving at 9:45 am.

On arrival, a private transfer takes you to your accommodation in the city centre. The rest of the day is free to settle into New Zealand's capital, nestled between the Wellington Harbour and the surrounding green hills.

Please note: Your driver will wait up to 60 minutes at pickup.

You can spend today exploring Wellington's compact city centre independently. The Parliament Buildings in the historic suburb of Thorndon are the city's best-known landmark, made up of three distinctive buildings including the modern Beehive, while Te Papa Museum and the cafes of Courtenay Place are also close by.

This morning, a private transfer takes you to Wellington Airport for your flight to Christchurch, departing at 1:05 pm and arriving at 2:10 pm.

On arrival, a private transfer takes you to your accommodation. The rest of the day is free to explore the South Island's largest city, from the Cardboard Cathedral, built within easy walk of the original Cathedral Square, to the Botanic Gardens nearby.

Please note: Your driver will wait up to 60 minutes at pickup.

Today is free to continue exploring Christchurch. The Gothic Revival stonework of the Arts Centre, best appreciated from Worcester Boulevard and Hereford Street, and the Canterbury Museum's Maori and natural history collections and Antarctic exploration displays are both close to the city centre.

This morning, a small, carbon-neutral group tour departs Christchurch for the Mackenzie District, with bottled water and snacks provided and your guide sharing commentary on the city and the braided rivers and patchwork farmland of the Canterbury Plains as you travel south across the Rakaia Bridge.

You stop in the farming township of Fairlie for a Fairlie Bakehouse pie, before continuing to Lake Tekapo, where panoramic views open up across the Southern Alps and the Mackenzie District's tussock landscape. Here, you visit the Church of the Good Shepherd, one of New Zealand's most photographed buildings, on the lake's shore.

From here, the road continues past Lake Pukaki, its glacier-fed waters shifting between ice and deep blue depending on the weather, before arriving in Aoraki Mt Cook National Park. Established in 1953 and roughly 40 percent covered by glaciers, including Haupapa, the park's longest glacier at around 23 kilometres, the park is home to 19 mountains over 3000 metres, among them Aoraki itself, New Zealand's highest peak at 3724 metres and first climbed in 1894, held sacred as an ancestral mountain by the local Nga Tahu iwi.

You have around two to two and a half hours here, with the choice to walk the Tasman Glacier Viewpoint Track for views over the glacier and Tasman Lake, or to explore Mt Cook Village, including the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre. A scenic flight over the mountains can be arranged separately, at an additional cost.

The tour then returns you to Lake Tekapo for the night.

Please note: The time available in Aoraki Mt Cook National Park can vary depending on road conditions and delays, and your guide will confirm the return departure time on the day.

A small group tour departs Lake Tekapo this morning for Queenstown, travelling back through the Mackenzie Basin with further views over Lake Pukaki and a return stop at Aoraki Mt Cook National Park, where you have time to revisit Mt Cook Village or the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre. You can also visit a local salmon farm if time allows.

Continuing south, you stop at the , geological formations shaped by ancient glacial movement, before crossing the tussock-covered valleys of the Lindis Pass. The road passes through the lakeside town of Wanaka on its way towards Queenstown via the Crown Range, New Zealand's highest main road, with sweeping views over Queenstown and the Remarkables.

A short stop is made at the historic Cardrona Hotel, a well-known Central Otago landmark, before you arrive into Queenstown, the adventure capital of the South Island.

Today you are collected in Queenstown and travel along the southern shores of Lake Wakatipu towards Te Anau, with commentary from your driver on the history, geology and wildlife of the region along the way.

After a short break in Te Anau, the journey continues into Fiordland National Park and the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area, taking in the Mirror Lakes, the Divide and Monkey Creek, before passing through the Homer Tunnel and descending into Milford Sound.

Once there, you board a cruise vessel with spacious indoor and outdoor viewing decks for around one and a half to two hours, guided by onboard commentary as you pass Mitre Peak rising 1692 metres straight from the water, Lady Bowen Falls tumbling 162 metres into the fiord, and Copper Point, the fiord's narrowest and often windiest point.

Weather permitting, the cruise also ventures towards the Tasman Sea, with a chance to spot New Zealand fur seals at Seal Rock and feel the spray of Stirling Falls, which drops 146 metres between Elephant and Lion Mountains. A picnic lunch is included on board.

You then return to Queenstown by road, with a scenic flight available on request as an alternative way back.

Please note: It's recommended to pack layers, a waterproof jacket and insect repellent, as weather in Milford Sound can change quickly.

On your final morning, a private transfer collects you from your accommodation at 6 am for the journey to the airport, bringing your New Zealand tour to a close.

Please note: Your driver will wait up to 60 minutes at pickup.