Day 01
ARRIVE AUCKLAND
- On arrival in Auckland, 'The City of Sails', you will be met by our local representative and transfer to
your hotel. Rest of the day is free at leisure to explore on own.
Auckland is New Zealand's largest city, set between two harbours with gentle sandy shores on the east
and black sand, wild surf beaches on the west. Home to sheltered, sparkling blue waters dotted with
beautiful emerald islands, we recommend getting out on the water when you are here.
Overnight at your hotel in Auckland.
Day 02
AUCKLAND – WAITOMO – HOBBITON - ROTORUA
- After breakfast the self-drive passengers will collect their rental car from car hire company.
Today journey through the rolling green hills of Waitomo and enjoy a tour through an underground
wonderland of caves decorated with galaxies of glowworms. Continue to Matamata for a charming tour
of unique, character Hobbit homes, gardens and the watering hole just as you see in the movies.
Finishing off a visually fulfilling day, continue Rotorua, a bubbling and steaming destination like nowhere
else.
Overnight at your hotel in Rotorua.
Day 03
ROTORUA
- After breakfast at the hotel.
Today you'll visit one of the local geothermal attractions before a sensory evening display in the forest.
Rotorua is surrounded by a fascinating geothermal landscape with its unique steam vents, spouting
geysers and bubbling mud pool set alongside freshwater lakes and majestic native forests. It is also a
region immersed in fascinating Maori myths and legends.
Overnight stay in Rotorua.
Day 04
ROTORUA TO CHRISTCHURCH
- Have breakfast at the hotel and depart for your flight to Christchurch.
Christchurch is set between the deep blue Pacific Ocean and the mighty snow-capped Southern Alps.
This is a vibrant, ever-changing city with inner city parks and gardens delightfully interwoven by the
meandering Avon River.
Overnight at your hotel in Christchurch.
Day 05
CHRISTCHURCH TO GLACIER REGION
- Have breakfast at the hotel.
Depart across the Canterbury Plains, a fertile patchwork made with every shade of green, through the
spectacular scenery of Arthurs Pass National Park and on to the West Coast. New Zealand’s rugged
West Coast is a wild and untamed place known for its rivers, rainforests, glaciers and geological
treasures. Here, mighty rivers of solid white ice, relics of the world’s last ice-age, tumble down the
rocky valleys.
Overnight at your hotel Glacier Region.
Day 06
GLACIER REGION
- Breakfast at the hotel.
A temperate climate at a low altitude makes Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers among the most convenient
to visit in the world. Steep valleys bear scars from where glaciers have retreated and advanced over
millennia and here, the ice age is still underway.
Today is a free day to add your preferred activity. Make a visit to Punakaki's Pancake Rocks or, for an
absolute bucket list experience, take to the air on a scenic flight with a glacier landing and a thrilling
hike across the icy wonderland.
Overnight stay at hotel in Glacier Region.
Day 07
GLACIER REGION TO QUEENSTOWN
- Breakfast at the hotel.
Today travel to Queenstown. Travel through wilderness towns, waterfalls and river scenery on today’s
scenic journey to Queenstown. We recommend stopping for a break, and to stretch the legs, at
Makarora’s Blue Pools.
Overnight stay at hotel in Queenstown.
Day 08
QUEENSTOWN
- Breakfast at the hotel. This is completely a free day for you to pursue your own activities.
Magnificent vistas and majestic mountains dominate this compact alpine resort town and with such an
expansive natural physical environment it is not surprising that Queenstown has been described as the
Adventure Capital of the World. Today is a free day to add some of the endless optional activities on
offer.
Overnight at your hotel in Queenstown.
Day 09
MILFORD SOUND CRUISE
- Breakfast at the hotel.
Fiordland is one of the world’s last great wildernesses. Today's stunning journey takes you past mirror
lakes, spectacular waterfalls and water-sculpted rocks. Venture into Milford Sound, a New Zealand
treasure carved by ice age glaciers and famously described as the eighth wonder of the world. After a
big day out, reflect on memories of a lifetime on your return to Queenstown.
Overnight at your hotel in Queenstown.
Day 10
QUEENSTOWN TO TEKAPO / MT COOK
- Breakfast at the hotel.
Today proceed from Queenstwon to Tekapo / Mt Cook. Today’s journey takes you to a scenic
wonderland with golden tussocks, snow-capped mountains and turquoise lakes. Hug the shores of
beautiful Lake Pukaki to a rugged land of ice and rock, home to Aoraki Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest
mountain.
Overnight at your hotel in Tekapo or Mt Cook.
Day 11
TEKAPO / MT COOK TO CHRISTCHURCH
- Breakfast at the hotel.
Proceed from Tekapo or Mt cook to Christchurch. Be sure to stop for a while at Lake Tekapo where the
‘Church of the Good Shepherd’ takes pride of place against the backdrop of a vivid blue glacier-fed
lake. Then continue north east where braided rivers and familiar plains will signal your arrival back
into Christchurch.
Overnight at your hotel in Christchurch.
Day 12
DEPART CHRISTCHURCH
- Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the airport is included for your departure flight. (Self-drive passengers return your car directly
at the airport).