Day 1: Arrive Auckland
On arrival be met and transferred to your hotel. Then, choose a sightseeing activity from a range of options including: 

 

 

Hotel: Overnight at Rendezvous Hotel, Auckland

 

Day 2: Auckland - The Overlander – Rotorua
Board The Overlander train and journey to Otorohanga. Continue by coach to the Waitomo Caves and be guided into a labyrinth of limestone to see the thousands of glow-worms that call these caverns home. Continue to the geothermal wonderland of Rotorua by coach. This evening, enjoy a Maori Hangi feast and cultural performance. (B,D)

 

Hotel: Two nights at Heritage Hotel, Rotorua

 

Day 3: Rotorua, Freedom of Choice Touring
Rotorua is New Zealand’s oldest and best known thermal resort, where generations of visitors have enjoyed its waters and learnt of its proud Maori heritage. (B)

 

Today you have a choice of the following tours:

 

• Rotorua Icons
  The ultimate sightseeing adventure. Visit Te Puia Thermal Reserve and then enjoy the Agrodome Farmshow. OR
• Kiwi Encounter
  Explore Rainbow Springs Nature Park, a refreshingly natural New Zealand experience and also home to Kiwi Encounter - a working nursery and hatchery. OR
• Eco - thermal Tour
  Drive through forestry and farmland to New Zealand's largest boiling mudpool and a series of colourful hot springs at Wai - O - Tapu, including Lady Knox Geyser, OR
• Rotorua Museum
  Visit the award - winning Rotorua Museum of art and history and discover the essence of Rotorua - its people, culture and volcanic landscape, OR
• Polynesian Spa
  Indulge in a relaxing 30 - minute spa treatment utilising the therapeutic mud from the geothermal region surrounding Rotorua, OR
• 4WD Bush Safari
  Manoeuvre your 4WD over and through an extreme off-road trail set in beautiful native rainforest. Negotiate a variety of challenges!

 

Hotel: Overnight at County Homestay option available tonight

 

 

Day 4: Rotorua - The Overlander - Tongariro National Park
This morning you will travel to Te Kuiti by coach and join The Overlander train for a tour through the heart of the North Island. Travel over the world-famous Raurimu Spiral before spending the night in World Heritage-listed Tongariro National Park, nestled at the base of the majestic Mt Ruapehu.  (B)

 

Hotel: Overnight at Chateau Tongariro, Tongariro National Park

 

 

Day 5: TranzMetro Train, Wellington
This morning head south to Featherston. Travel through Taihape, renowned as the gumboot capital of New Zealand. Every year a festival is held here to celebrate this essential item of rural kiwi footwear. Continue through the Manawatu Gorge and the Wairarapa region to Featherston. On arrival in Featherston, visit the Fell Engine Museum before boarding the TranzMetro train. Journey to Wellington via the Rimutaka Tunnel. (B)

 

Hotel: Two nights at the Duxton Hotel, Wellington

 

 

Day 6: Wellington, Freedom of Choice Touring
Today choose from the following selection of activities: 

 

• Zealinda - wildlife sanctuary
• Carter Observatory

 

For dinner, choose from one of the many restaurants in this fabulous city (own expense). (B)

 

 

Day 7: Wellington - TranzCoastal Train - Christchurch
Join a cruise for a journey between the North and South islands. Travel across Cook Strait and through the picturesque Marlborough Sounds and Queen Charlotte Sound to Picton. On arrival join the TranzCoastal train for a scenic journey between mountains and sea. Continue to Christchurch, known as the Garden City. (B)

 

Hotel: Overnight at Rydges Christchurch, Christchurch

 

 

Day 8: Christchurch - TranzAlpine Train - Franz Josef
Board the award-winning TranzAlpine train, voted one of the top rail journeys in the world. Travel through breathtaking gorges, river valleys and across the Southern Alps. Disembark at Greymouth and head to Franz Josef. (B)

 

Hotel: Overnight at Franz Josef Glacier Hotel

 

 

Day 9: Franz Josef – Queenstown
Enjoy incredible scenery leaving this World Heritage-listed area. See spectacular mountain ranges, native forests, lakes and glaciers. Journey along the shores of beautiful lakes Wanaka and Hawea to the alpine resort of Queenstown, with the Remarkables mountain range nearby. Tonight choose from four unique dining experiences with our Dine Around Dinner options. Settle into your accommodation for a two night stay in this beautiful region. (B)

 

Hotel: Two nights at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, Queenstown

 

 

Day 10: Queenstown, Freedom of Choice Touring
Queenstown is an exhilarating year-round alpine resort, perfect for adventurers and leisure-seekers alike. Nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, overlooked by the majestic Southern Alps, the town was named because ‘it was fit for a Queen’. (B)

 

Here is a selection of activities for you get to choose from: 

 

• Wine Tour
  This Queenstown wine tour offers a fun, friendly personalised sightseeing experience of wineries in New Zealand's foremost wine region, OR
• Double Decker Explorer
  What a fun way to explore the streets of Queenstown and Arrowtown, a gold - mining settlement, riding a Double Decker bus, OR
• Skippers Canyon
  Enjoy an exhilarating adventure following the Shotover River Valley, viewing sheer cliffsides and breathtaking river gorges, OR
• Lakeshore Forest and Bird Walk
  Taken at a leisurely pace, this walk is a unique experience through native Beech forests with morning tea on the lakeshore, OR
• Safari of the Scenes
  Take a look at the diversity of the scenery in this region. This tour is based around several specific sites where the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy was filmed, OR
• Shotover Jetboat Ride
  Experience the thrill of a lifetime as you journey deep into river canyons. Let out a 'whoop' of excitement as the driver spins the boat around!, OR
• Relax with a massage at Sofitel Spa OR 
• Garden Tour

 

 

Day 11: Milford Sound, Te Anau
Today journey into beautiful Fiordland National Park to Milford Sound. On arrival, embark on a cruise of the full length of this magnificent, glacier-carved fiord. Afterwards, return to your coach and travel to the delightful lakeside town of Te Anau. (B)

 

Hotel: Overnight at Distinction Te Anau Hotel and Villas, Te Anau

 

 

Day 12: Dunedin, Freedom of Choice Touring
This morning after breakfast, travel to the charming city of Dunedin, widely referred to as the Edinburgh of the South.  (B)

 

Here, enjoy a choice of sightseeing activities such as:

 

• Speight's Brewery
  Enjoy a tour of the historic Speight's Brewery starting with the antiquity of beer from Babylonian times and ending with a tasting of Speight's distinctive brews, OR
• Otago Peninsula - Albatross Colony
  There is nothing more spectacular than the sight of a soaring Albatross. See these amazing sea birds on the Otago Peninsula, OR
• Otago Peninsula - Penguin Place
  See the rare Yellow - eyed Penguin (the Hoiho) up close, OR
• Otago Peninsula - Nature's Wonders
  Settle back and enjoy the spectacular drive over the Peninsula's high road offering amazing views of beautiful Otago Harbour, OR
• Larnach Castle
  With its exciting, sometimes scandalous, sometimes tragic history, New Zealand's only castle offers you a vision of the past and present, OR
• Olveston House
  Enjoy a guided tour through the grandeur of this historic house. Built in 1904, the Jacobean - style home contains an extensive collection of art, OR
• Taieri Gorge Railway
  Depart from Dunedin's beautiful Railway Station and journey into rugged surrounding countryside, which allows access to scenery not seen by road.

 

Hotel: Overnight at Dunedin City Hotel, Dunedin

 

 

Day 13: Dunedin - Seasider Train, Mt Cook - Freedom of Choice Touring
This morning board the Seasider Train at Dunedin, and journey north along the east coast. Then travel into World Heritage-listed Mt Cook National Park, home to Australasia’s highest mountain, Mt Cook. (B)
On arrival, join your selected Freedom of Choice Touring activity: 

 

• The Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre
  Visit this new centre, which features a 3D movie, the Hillary Gallery and a full-dome digital Planetarium and Museum, showing the very best of the Mt Cook region. OR
• Guided Nature Walk
  On this guided nature walk, you'll discover the native wildlife, flora and beautiful scenery of the dramatic Mt Cook landscape on foot OR
• Glacier Cruise
  Step aboard a MAC boat for an up-close amazing encounter with icebergs on the Tasman Glacier Terminal Lake. (summer months only)

 

Hotel: Overnight at the Hermitage Hotel, Mt Cook

 

Day 14: Lake Tekapo - Christchurch
Today, visit Lake Tekapo and view the tiny Church of the Good Shepherd, built from locally gathered stone and oak in tribute to the hard-working early pioneers of the land. Dwarfed by the surrounding mountains, the church is a definite photographic highlight. After stopping to enjoy some of the country’s freshest air, continue through Burkes Pass to the Garden City of Christchurch, with its distinctive English feel. Your tour concludes on arrival in Christchurch and a departure transfer to the airport is included. (B)