• 5 Dinner (D)
• 9 Breakfast (B)
• 2 Lunch (L)

• Medium level of fitness required.

• Day 1: Flights to arrive by 4.00pm into Auckland AirportDay 10: Flights to depart anytime from Christchurch Airport Airport to Hotel transfers are available to purchase on request. Flights to and from your tour are not included in the tour price.   Internal-holiday flight IncludedPlease note that prices include land and internal-holiday airfare, which AAT Kings will book to fulfil the holiday itinerary:  Day 4: Auckland to Queenstown

• Comfortable walking shoes Warm layers Sunglasses, sunscreen and hat Water bottle Camera

AAT Kings

Meet your fellow travellers over dinner at The Grill in Auckland, with a menu celebrating produce from across Aotearoa New Zealand. Choose from dishes featuring grass-fed beef from New Zealand suppliers and sustainably line-caught fish.

It is a chance to discover the ingredients shaping contemporary New Zealand dining while getting to know the people you will travel with. The shared meal brings the country’s food culture into focus from the outset.

Join an Auckland sightseeing tour taking in views of Mission Bay and a stop at Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial. Walk among the memorial’s landscaped gardens and sunken pool, with sweeping views across Waitemata Harbour towards the North Shore.

The memorial honours New Zealand’s first Labour prime minister. Its elevated coastal setting offers a perspective on Auckland’s relationship with the harbour that has long shaped the city.

Walk through the Hobbiton Movie Set on a guided tour of the 12-acre setting near Matamata. See the hobbit holes and the Mill, with opportunities to photograph the details that bring the Shire to life.

Created for the screen adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories, the set sits amid the rolling green farmland of the Waikato region. A guide reveals how this working landscape became one of New Zealand’s most recognisable film locations.

Visit the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa with conservationists who explain the work involved in protecting New Zealand’s iconic native bird. This guided MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience offers insight into kiwi breeding and conservation efforts.

Kiwi are flightless, largely nocturnal birds whose survival depends on active protection. Hearing directly from the people involved makes this a chance to understand the challenges facing a national symbol, rather than simply seeing its image.

Cruise Milford Sound/Piopiotahi with commentary from a naturalist guide, travelling beneath steep fiord walls and looking out for Bowen Falls. Keep watch for fur seals and dolphins, which may appear along the water’s edge; a picnic lunch is included.

The journey into UNESCO-listed Fiordland National Park also reveals alpine scenery around Mirror Lakes and the Cleddau Valley. Glaciers carved this immense landscape, while waterfalls and wildlife give every sailing a different character.

Explore the Highlands Motorsport Museum at Highlands Motorsport Park and see rare vehicles from New Zealand’s motoring and racing history. Among the headline exhibits described for this visit are Michael Schumacher’s Benetton Formula 1 car and an Aston Martin Vulcan.

The collection gives motorsport enthusiasts a close look at engineering, design and competition machines seldom encountered on the road. It is a distinctive contrast to Central Otago’s orchards and mountain landscapes.

Discover Christchurch on a guided city tour focused on its evolving urban landscape. See landmarks including the Transitional Cathedral, constructed largely with cardboard tubes, and Turanga, the distinctive central library.

Both buildings speak to the city’s response to the devastating 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. The tour offers a perspective on how architecture and public spaces have helped Christchurch rebuild while preserving its sense of place.

Taste wine at Waipara Springs Winery and enjoy a platter-style lunch among the vines in North Canterbury. The family-owned vineyard setting invites you to slow down and explore the local wine scene through what is grown and poured here.

Waipara is one of the South Island’s established wine-growing areas, with vineyards set between the Canterbury plains and surrounding hills. Pairing a tasting with lunch makes this an opportunity to savour the region’s produce in its landscape.

Feel the rush of a jet boat ride during your time in Queenstown, where fast-moving waterways form part of the town’s adventure-sports identity. The speed and spray make this a choice for travellers seeking a more active way to experience the alpine setting.

Jet boating has strong roots in New Zealand, where the craft was developed to travel through shallow rivers. This optional activity is at additional cost and bookable on tour; the specific route depends on the available excursion.

Cross Lake Wakatipu aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm. Enjoy the lake and mountain views en route, followed by a guided farm tour and morning or afternoon tea in an alpine setting.

The vintage steamship and working-farm visit offer a gentler perspective on Queenstown and its surrounding high country. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, subject to availability.

Explore the interactive All Blacks Experience in Auckland and discover why rugby holds such a prominent place in New Zealand life. Immersive displays introduce the national game and the team whose black jersey is recognised around the world.

Learn how rugby connects communities across Aotearoa, from local playing fields to international competition. The experience offers an accessible introduction whether you follow every match or have never watched one.

Stop at a local orchard stall in Central Otago to get a taste of the region’s stone fruit. Browse produce grown in a landscape known for its cherries as well as its pinot noir grapes.

Central Otago’s sunny days and cool nights help shape its distinctive growing conditions. This short, produce-focused visit offers a direct connection to the farms behind a region often celebrated for its vineyards.

Join an expert-led astronomy tour near Lake Tekapo, viewing the night sky from a purpose-built observation crater in the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. Look upwards with guides who help identify the features visible on the night.

Low light pollution gives this part of the South Island exceptionally dark skies. The experience draws attention to the Southern Hemisphere’s celestial landscape, with the precise view shaped by the weather and conditions overhead.

Meet the Bamford family at Hurunui Hills in North Canterbury for a hosted farm visit and morning tea. Meet farm animals, learn about daily life on the land and see a sheepdog demonstration against a backdrop of rolling hill country.

Six generations of the family have farmed here since 1884, raising Merino sheep and Angus cattle. This Be My Guest experience offers a personal introduction to the people, skills and traditions behind New Zealand’s pastoral landscapes.

Experience Maori performance at Te Puia in Rotorua, inside the carved meeting house Te Aronui a Rua. View Pohutu Geyser in the geothermal valley and enjoy a buffet dinner featuring hangi-inspired cuisine.

The evening brings together living cultural expression, food and the steaming landscape for which Rotorua is known. Seeing the geyser’s activity alongside the performance offers a vivid introduction to the region’s natural and cultural heritage.