Begin day 4 with a guided visit to the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa in Rotorua. Step into softly lit nursery rooms to watch kiwi eggs being incubated and, when timing allows, glimpse newly hatched kiwi chicks under the care of expert rangers. Hear how their sensitive bills and whiskers help them forage at night.

Your hosts explain conservation in action, from Operation Nest Egg to predator management, and how chicks are raised to a safe weight before release to protected habitats. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER experience connects your visit directly to safeguarding New Zealand’s national bird.

On day 6, trade lakeside bustle for the gold-rush charm of Arrowtown and sit down to dinner at the historic Postmasters Cottage, built in 1907. Candlelit rooms and verdant verandas set a relaxed mood as you savour seasonal dishes paired with Central Otago wines.

Your hosts share the cottage’s rescue by the local community and tales from the Arrow River diggings, where miners’ cottages and leafy avenues still echo with frontier days. It’s a cosy evening of classic Kiwi hospitality in one of the region’s most treasured heritage buildings.

On day 9, meet the Bamford family at Hurunui Hills, a hill-country station where Merino sheep and Angus cattle graze among tussock slopes. Walk the yards, hear about six generations on the land, and understand how fine merino wool and premium beef are raised in North Canterbury.

Continue to Waipara Springs Winery for a relaxed wine tasting and platter-style lunch among the vines. Learn why Waipara’s cool climate produces expressive Pinot Noir and aromatic whites, then toast your journey with fresh regional flavours before a celebratory dinner in Christchurch.

On day 5, travel from Queenstown along Lake Wakatipu’s Devil’s Staircase to Te Anau, pausing at the Mirror Lakes and driving through the hand-hewn Homer Tunnel as granite peaks close in. The road to Fiordland sets a dramatic stage for your arrival at Milford Sound/Piopiotahi.

Board your vessel for a scenic cruise with lunch beneath towering cliffs carved by ice. Glide past Mitre Peak and the thunder of Lady Bowen Falls, scanning for dusky dolphins, New Zealand fur seals and, in season, Fiordland crested penguins. Guides share the area’s geology and Maori lore as sea spray and birdsong surround you before the return to Queenstown.

Day 7 begins with a flavoursome stop in Cromwell at the Jones Family fruit stall to sample sun-ripe Central Otago stone fruit — apricots, nectarines and peaches bursting with fragrance. The turquoise sweep of Lake Dunstan and schist hills frame this fertile valley.

Then delve into speed and style at the Highlands Motorsport Museum, where rare machines — from an Aston Martin Vulcan to Michael Schumacher’s Benetton F1 car — showcase New Zealand’s motorsport passions. Engaging displays and expert stories bring the engineering and racing legends to life.

Arriving at Lake Tekapo on day 7, visit the lakeside Church of the Good Shepherd, a 1935 stone chapel built to honour the Mackenzie Country’s pioneer families. Its altar window frames the turquoise lake and snow-dusted Southern Alps.

Nearby, pause at the beloved bronze sheepdog statue, a tribute to the working collies that opened this high-country landscape. There’s time to pause for photos and reflection along the shore before evening.

After dusk on day 7, join expert guides for stargazing in the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. From a purpose-built observation crater, look through powerful telescopes as the air cools and the mountains silhouette against a vault of stars.

Trace the Southern Cross, sweep across the Magellanic Clouds and follow the silvery band of the Milky Way while learning why this alpine basin protects some of the world’s clearest night skies. It’s a serene, contemplative encounter with the southern heavens.

On day 8, discover the Garden City’s renewal on a guided tour, starting at the Transitional “Cardboard” Cathedral — Shigeru Ban’s striking structure of cardboard tubes and glass that serves as a beacon of resilience.

Continue past the Canterbury Museum, the reflective Earthquake Memorial, and the Bridge of Remembrance over the Avon River. Stories of adaptation and creative urban design reveal how Christchurch has reshaped itself while keeping its leafy parks and river pathways at the heart of daily life.

Make the most of your free time on day 6 with an optional Central Otago boutique wine tour, visiting three cellar doors in landscapes of golden schist and river terraces. Sample elegant Pinot Noir alongside vibrant whites as hosts share vineyard stories and the region’s extreme climate.

This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. It’s an easygoing afternoon that pairs sweeping views with expert tastings, timed so you can rejoin the group in Arrowtown for the evening’s dinner.

Also on day 6, choose an optional Shotover Jet boat ride through sculpted canyon walls, skimming mere centimetres from rock faces. Hold tight for 360-degree spins as your driver threads the river’s braided shallows in a Queenstown icon that’s pure adrenaline.

This adventure is at additional cost and bookable on tour, with professional guides, safety gear and departure times designed to fit your free afternoon. Expect spray on your cheeks, canyon echoes in your ears and a grin that lasts all evening.

On day 2, step inside the All Blacks Experience, an immersive introduction to Aotearoa’s national game. Feel the energy of a haka, test your skills through interactive exhibits, and explore how rugby shapes community pride from grassroots clubs to the world stage.

Afterwards, join a guided panoramic tour of Auckland’s highlights — the sweep of Mission Bay, the clifftop outlook at Bastion Point, and the tranquil gardens of the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial with views across Waitemata Harbour and the North Shore. You’ll also pass the Auckland War Memorial Museum on Pukekawa, a dormant volcanic cone layered with history. Conclude with time to enjoy a free afternoon along Queen Street or the Viaduct.

On day 3, travel into Waikato’s rolling hills for a guided tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set, wandering the 12-acre site past hobbit holes, kitchen gardens and the Party Tree. Your guide reveals filmmaking secrets as you pause for photos at a charming, interactive hobbit hole designed for playful snapshots.

Crafted for Sir Peter Jackson’s trilogies, these storybook facades sit within real working farmland, where the smell of cut grass and bleating sheep carry across emerald ridgelines. End your visit with time by the lakeside mill and the Green Dragon Inn surroundings, a reminder of how New Zealand’s countryside became Middle-earth on screen.

Settle into the City of Sails on day 1 and meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers over a welcome dinner at The Grill in Auckland’s vibrant SkyCity precinct. As the Sky Tower lights rise above and the breeze drifts in from Waitemata Harbour, raise a glass to the journey ahead and get practical tips for the days to come.

Your first evening blends warm Kiwi hospitality with a taste of the country’s famed produce — prime beef, South Pacific seafood and bright New Zealand wines. Hear how Auckland grew from a Maori portage between two seas to today’s harbour city, then enjoy time to compare notes with your group and ease into the rhythm of Aotearoa.

As evening falls on day 3 in Rotorua, join the Te Po Maori Experience at Te Puia. Be welcomed into the carved meeting house Te Aronui a Rua for a moving performance of waiata and haka, then learn the stories held within intricate whakairo carving and weaving traditions.

Guides lead you to view the Pohutu Geyser in the Whakarewarewa geothermal valley, its steam drifting through manuka-scented air. The night culminates with a dinner of hangi-inspired cuisine, sharing the flavours and hospitality of Te Arawa. This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER experience supports cultural guardianship and community knowledge.

AAT Kings

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

• Auckland: An immersive and emotive state-of-the-art guided journey that showcases the All Blacks though exceptional innovation and technology.