• 7 Breakfast (B)

• Deluxe coach travel
• 3-star stays
• Selected hotel dinners

• Auckland: Sightseeing tour of the waterfront out to Mission Bay, Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial
• A guided tour of the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa the leader in kiwi husbandry, and visit to a Pounamu workshop to discover the art of Jade carving
• Queenstown: Orientation tour of the ‘adventure capital of the world’
• Cromwell: Taste the delicious stone fruit at a stall belonging to a local orchard
• Lake Tekapo: See the Church of the Good Shepherd, the rugged hills, snowcapped mountains and the bronze statue of a collie dog

• Auckland: Sightseeing tour of the waterfront out to Mission Bay, Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial.
• Rotorua: A guided tour of the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa the leader in kiwi husbandry, and visit to a Pounamu workshop to discover the art of Jade carving.
• Queenstown: Orientation tour of the ‘adventure capital of the world’
• Cromwell: Taste the delicious stone fruit at a stall belonging to a local orchard
• Lake Tekapo: See the Church of the Good Shepherd, the rugged hills, snowcapped mountains and the bronze statue of a collie dog

AAT Kings

Explore Auckland on a city sightseeing tour that follows the waterfront towards Mission Bay. Stop at Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial for views across the Waitemata Harbour to the North Shore.

The harbour has shaped the identity of this City of Sails, from its Maori heritage to its modern maritime life. A welcome drink with your Travel Director offers a chance to meet fellow travellers and hear more about the journey.

Join a guided tour of the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa in Rotorua to learn how specialists protect New Zealand’s vulnerable national bird. See where kiwi eggs are incubated and, if chicks are present, catch a glimpse of newly hatched birds.

This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience brings conservation work into focus. Kiwi are largely nocturnal and difficult to spot in the wild, making the hatchery a distinctive opportunity to understand their life cycle and the efforts to help them survive.

Visit a traditional pounamu carving workshop in Rotorua and watch skilled artisans shape New Zealand greenstone. Learn about the care and craftsmanship involved in turning this treasured material into carved objects and jewellery.

Pounamu holds deep significance in Maori culture, with pieces often carrying family stories and passed between generations. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience connects a living craft with the traditions and meaning behind the stone.

Get to know Queenstown on an orientation tour of the South Island’s adventure hub. Take in its setting beside Lake Wakatipu, with the surrounding mountain ranges forming a dramatic backdrop to the town.

The tour helps you find your bearings and appreciate why Queenstown draws visitors for its outdoor activities, food and wine. Its lakeside streets offer a compact introduction to a destination shaped as much by alpine scenery as by adventure.

Taste locally grown stone fruit at a stall belonging to a Cromwell orchard. This small food experience offers a direct flavour of Central Otago’s fruit-growing country.

Cromwell’s warm, dry summers and cold winters help produce the cherries, apricots and other stone fruit for which the area is known. Sampling fruit at a local orchard stall makes the region’s agricultural landscape tangible, with varieties depending on the season.

Take in the mountain-framed waters of Lake Tekapo and see the stone-built Church of the Good Shepherd on its lakeshore. Nearby, view the bronze collie statue that honours the sheepdogs of the Mackenzie Country.

These modest landmarks speak to the pastoral history of a region known for its expansive high-country scenery. The church’s setting, against rugged hills and snow-capped peaks, makes this a particularly memorable place to pause and photograph the landscape.

Cruise Auckland Harbour on a 90-minute scenic trip, viewing the city from the water and enjoying its connection to the Hauraki Gulf. Watch the waterfront recede as boats and coastal scenery give the City of Sails its distinctive perspective.

The harbour has long been central to life in Auckland, and a cruise offers a different way to appreciate its maritime character. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore what it takes to train and play like an All Black at an interactive Auckland rugby experience. Try hands-on challenges that test your skills and give you a feel for the athletic demands of the game.

Rugby occupies a prominent place in New Zealand’s sporting culture, and this experience makes that passion accessible even if you have never played. It is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Explore Rotorua’s geothermal landscape on an optional excursion focused on the natural forces beneath the region. Discover scenery shaped by geothermal activity and experience the distinctive atmosphere of this volcanic part of New Zealand.

Rotorua sits within an active geothermal area, where heat from below the earth’s surface has influenced both the landscape and local life. Specific sites and activities depend on the excursion available. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Tour the Hobbiton Movie Set and walk through the green pastures of the Shire. Explore the 12-acre setting, passing Hobbit Holes and the Mill before visiting the Green Dragon Inn for a Hobbit South-farthing beverage.

Created for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, the set brings Middle-earth craftsmanship into a real Waikato landscape. Its carefully tended gardens and richly detailed buildings reward a closer look. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Unwind with a two-hour restorative experience at Wai Ariki Spa in Rotorua. Set aside time for a slower-paced activity in a destination long associated with geothermal warmth and wellness.

The spa experience offers a contrast to Rotorua’s more active excursions, with its focus on rest and rejuvenation. The precise treatments and facilities available depend on the option offered on tour. This is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Fly through the trees with Rotorua Canopy Tours for a forest adventure viewed from above the ground. Experience the movement and perspective of travelling through the canopy while taking in the native bush around you.

This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience pairs outdoor adventure with an appreciation of New Zealand’s forest environment. It offers a different view of Rotorua from its geothermal attractions. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Explore the scenery around Glenorchy on a tour highlighting Lord of the Rings filming locations. See the landscapes that helped bring Middle-earth to the screen while enjoying the mountain and lakeside setting beyond Queenstown.

Glenorchy’s dramatic terrain has made it a sought-after filming area, but its appeal extends well beyond cinema: broad valleys and alpine peaks define the journey. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Visit four vineyards on a boutique wine tour from Queenstown, tasting Central Otago Pinot Noir and other regional wines. Compare styles while learning more about the people and places behind the pours.

Central Otago is known for cool-climate winemaking and vineyards set among striking inland landscapes. This tasting-led outing offers a closer look at a region celebrated particularly for its Pinot Noir. It is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Cruise across Lake Wakatipu by high-speed catamaran to Walter Peak Station. At the Colonel’s Homestead, enjoy a BBQ dinner and farm show in a lakeside setting away from central Queenstown.

The combination of lake crossing, shared meal and station life offers a taste of the area’s pastoral character alongside its mountain scenery. This hosted evening is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Join a day trip into Fiordland National Park and cruise Milford Sound, taking in the steep-sided landscape from the water. Look out across the fiord at towering peaks and the dramatic scenery that makes this one of the South Island’s best-known natural sights.

Carved by glaciers and opening towards the Tasman Sea, Milford Sound offers a powerful sense of Fiordland’s scale. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Visit Kiwi Park in Queenstown to discover a wildlife sanctuary home to more than 20 species of native New Zealand animals. Spend time observing wildlife and learning about species you are unlikely to encounter on an ordinary walk through town.

New Zealand’s long isolation produced distinctive birdlife and other native species, making a sanctuary visit a rewarding introduction to the country’s natural heritage. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Choose a jet-boat ride on the Kawarau or Shotover River for a fast-paced encounter with Queenstown’s river scenery. The Shotover option features the well-known 360-degree Shotover Jet Turn.

Jet boating was developed in New Zealand to navigate shallow rivers, and the experience has become closely associated with Queenstown’s adventure culture. Routes and features vary by operator and river. These are optional experiences at additional cost, bookable on tour.

Soar over Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park on a scenic flight taking in New Zealand’s highest peak and views towards the Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. See the scale and shape of the Southern Alps from an aerial perspective.

The flight reveals alpine terrain that is difficult to appreciate from the road, from high ridgelines to glacier country on the mountains’ western side. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; flights depend on suitable weather conditions.

View the night sky with a local astronomy guide in the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve around Lake Tekapo. Search for southern-sky constellations, including the Southern Cross, away from the glare of larger cities.

The reserve is recognised for its exceptionally dark skies and efforts to protect them. Guided viewing adds context to the stars overhead and the region’s connection to astronomy. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; visibility depends on weather and sky conditions.

Spend an evening at Te Puia’s Te Po Indigenous Experience in Rotorua. Watch a Maori cultural performance and enjoy hangi-inspired cuisine as part of an experience centred on local culture and hospitality.

Performance and food provide a way to engage with Maori traditions in a region where they remain a vital part of community life. This hosted evening is an optional experience at additional cost, bookable on tour.