New Zealand Scenic Sites Tour

13 days/12 nights - Christchurch to Auckland

Travel north from Christchurch to Auckland on this amazing journey from the South Island to the North Island. Along the way, discover remarkable scenery as you travel to Mt Cook, the highest mountain in Australasia. Stay aboard the Milford Mariner overnight then wake in the morning to the beauty of this magnificent fiord. Enjoy time in Dunedin, ‘Edinburgh of the South’, where the Scottish heritage is still apparent today. Queenstown is always a highlight, and with a day at leisure, you have time to explore this beautiful town nestled on the shores of Lake Wakatipu.

Take the opportunity to tailor-make your sightseeing in Dunedin and Rotorua with our Exclusive Experiences, where you can choose from a range of activities and we will include it, at no extra cost to you. Your vacation will be complete as you return to Auckland, the vibrant ‘City of Sails’.

Day 1: Arrive Christchurch, Exclusive Experiences
You will be met and transferred to your hotel. This afternoon you choose the activity and we will include it!
Accommodation: Christchurch, Holiday Inn City Centre.

Day 2: Christchurch, Mt Cook, Twizel (BD)
Depart Christchurch and travel across the Canterbury Plains, then stop at the beautiful glacier-fed lake of Tekapo and see the tiny Church of the Good Shepherd. Enter Mt Cook National Park, a World Heritage-listed area and view Mt Cook. Head to the heart of MacKenzie Country and the township of Twizel for our overnight stay.
Accommodation: Twizel, MacKenzie Country Inn.

Day 3: Twizel, Dunedin, Exclusive Experiences (BD)
Travel past the hydro-electric lakes of Benmore and Aviemore and through the Waitaki Valley before reaching Oamaru. Arrive in Dunedin, a city influenced by the Scottish. This afternoon you choose the activity and we will include it.
Accommodation: Dunedin, Dunedin City Hotel.

Day 4: Dunedin, Milford Sound Theme Dinner (BD)
Departing Dunedin we travel to Te Anau. Continue our drive through the stunning mountain scenery of World Heritage-listed Fiordland National Park to emerge into magnificent Milford Sound. Cruise past spectacular sheer cliffs and the grandeur of mile-high Mitre Peak, viewing a multitude of waterfalls. Anchor in Harrison’s Cove for our overnight stay.
Accommodation: Milford Sound, Milford Mariner.

Day 5: Milford Sound, Queenstown Dine About (BD)
Departing Milford Sound, we travel back through the township of Te Anau before following the Remarkables Mountain Range and skirting the shores of Lake Wakitipu to the action-packed ‘Alpine Resort’ of Queenstown. Tonight enjoy your Dine About dinner in Queenstown, where you get to choose from one of four restaurants
Accommodation: Two Night Stay: Queenstown, Aurum Hotel.

Day 6: Queenstown, Exclusive Experiences (B)
Today make your own selection from an almost endless array of activities and we will include it! Adventure Options are also available.

Day 7: Queenstown, Franz Josef (BD)
Travel along the picturesque shores of Lakes Hawea and Wanaka, then enter the World Heritage-listed area of South West New Zealand to the rugged West Coast and spectacular Franz Josef Glacier.
Accommodation: Franz Josef, Franz Josef Glacier Hotel.

 Day 8: Franz Josef, Christchurch (BD)
Travel along the wild and untamed west coast to Hokitika to view native Pounamu (Jade), then cross the Southern Alps to Christchurch, the pretty ‘Garden City’.
Day 8 TranzAlpine Option; Return to Christchurch from Greymouth aboard the world-renowned TranzAlpine Train. Must be advised at time of booking. USD$85 pp
Accommodation: Christchurch, Holiday Inn City Centre.

Day 9: Christchurch, TranzCoastal, Wellington (BD)
This morning we board the TranzCoastal Train and view magnificent seascapes as we make our way along the rugged Kaikoura coastline to the seaside port of Picton. Here we board our Interislander cruise for our scenic crossing from Picton to Wellington, New Zealand’s vibrant capital city.
Accommodation: Wellington, James Cook Grand Chancellor.

Day 10: Wellington, Rotorua Theme Dinner (BD)
Travel through the Rimutaka Ranges then journey north across the central plateau to Lake Taupo. View thunderous Huka Falls then continue to thermal Rotorua where tonight you experience a Maori Hangi (feast) and cultural performance.
Accommodation: Two Night Stay: Rotorua, Park Heritage Hotel.

Day 11: Rotorua, Exclusive Experiences (BD)
Today you have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of activities in geothermal Rotorua and we will include it. Perhaps visit Te Puia Thermal Reserve, to view boiling mud pools and exploding geysers. Adventure Options are also available.
Accommodation: Choose to stay in a Country Homestay tonight!

Day 12: Rotorua, Waitomo, Auckland (BD)
Today we journey to the world-renowned Waitomo Caves where we experience a guided tour of the lime-stone caverns then glide silently by boat through the fairy tale glow-worm grotto. Continue across Waikato farmland to Auckland.
Accommodation: Auckland, Sky City Hotel.

Day 13: Depart Auckland, Exclusive Experiences (B)
Today you choose the activity and we will include it! Perhaps journey to the top of the Sky Tower or visit Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World and Antarctic Centre. The choice is yours! Adventure Options are also available. Your tour concludes after your sightseeing experience and a departure transfer to the airport is included.