• 16 Breakfast (B)
• 7 Dinner (D)

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

• Christchurch: Journey on the TranzAlpine, through tunnels and over viaducts
• Queenstown: Cruise across Lake Wakatipu on a historic Steamship
• Lake Tekapo: Guided indoor Dark Sky & Astronomy Experience
• Rotorua: Guided tour and Glowworm cruise at Waitomo Caves & Indigenous experience at Te Puia
• Bay of Islands: Guided tour and cultural performance at Waitangi Treaty Grounds

Discover the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve through an immersive, weather-proof presentation led by passionate guides. Learn to trace the Southern Cross, navigate by the Milky Way and connect celestial patterns with ancient Maori star lore and seasonal storytelling.

In a region famed for crystal-clear skies, this indoor experience brings constellations, planets and cosmic scale into sharp focus with expert narration and visual technology—perfect preparation for appreciating Tekapo’s nightscape beyond the theatre.

Sail through the Marlborough Sounds from Picton via the tranquil Tory Channel before you cross the Cook Strait toward Wellington Harbour/Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Find a deck vantage to watch forested hills, turquoise inlets and seabirds unfolding like a moving panorama.

Often called one of the world’s most beautiful ferry rides, this voyage links South and North Islands with a blend of coastal serenity and open-ocean energy, setting the stage for the culture-rich capital ahead.

Join a guided panoramic tour of New Zealand’s capital to see Parliament’s Beehive, the heritage-lined waterfront and hillside villas. When conditions allow, ascend to Mount Victoria Lookout for sweeping views over the harbour and Cook Strait.

Compact, windswept and creative, Wellington blends political heartbeat with a thriving café and film culture. This orientation maps out neighbourhoods, laneways and viewpoints so you can make the most of the city’s walkable core.

Venture underground with a local guide to admire limestone chambers before you glide by boat beneath a galaxy of glowworms. In hushed darkness, the cavern roof shimmers as thousands of tiny larvae illuminate the Glowworm Grotto like a star-filled sky.

Layered over millions of years, Waitomo’s formations reveal the artistry of water and time. Learn how the native Arachnocampa luminosa creates its light and why this fragile ecosystem is carefully protected.

Stand at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds where the nation’s founding document was signed in 1840. Step inside Te Whare Runanga meeting house to view carvings that unite iwi, and see the colossal Ngatokimatawhaorua war canoe resting above the bay.

Guides share pivotal stories of partnership and challenge as you explore lawns overlooking the islands. A kapa haka performance brings haka, waiata and poi to life, deepening your understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand’s bicultural journey.

Take in panoramic harbour views from the Auckland Domain near the Auckland War Memorial Museum, then follow your Travel Director’s highlights drive through the central city. Skyscrapers, leafy parks and marinas tell the story of the City of Sails at a glance.

Framed by the Waitemata and Manukau harbours, Auckland’s volcanic cones and the Sky Tower punctuate a sparkling skyline. This orientation helps you navigate neighbourhoods and waterfronts for your own urban exploring later on.

Meet your Travel Director and travelling companions over relaxed introductions and welcome drinks. Get the low-down on the journey ahead, local etiquette and insider recommendations tailored to your interests.

This hosted kick-off builds easy camaraderie and a shared sense of adventure so you start the tour informed, connected and ready for the South Island’s alpine drama and the North Island’s cultural heart.

Lift off over the Southern Alps for towering views of crevassed ice and rainforested valleys before touching down on the glacier for photos on an ancient snowfield. From above, the scale of Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere/Franz Josef Glacier becomes thrillingly clear.

This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Flights operate weather-permitting and deliver a spectacular perspective on one of New Zealand’s most dynamic alpine landscapes.

Skim inches from canyon walls and spin through braided shallows on a high-octane jet boat ride. Expert drivers thread narrow gorges and open reaches with heart-pounding speed, spray and mountain scenery in every direction.

This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. It’s Queenstown’s signature adrenaline hit—fast, fun and photogenic—set against lakeside peaks and schist canyons carved by glacier and river.

Meet New Zealand’s shy icon and other native species at a conservation-focused sanctuary in the heart of Queenstown. Guided talks introduce kiwi, kea and tuatara, while boardwalks weave through regenerating forest.

This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Your visit supports breeding and rehabilitation programmes that safeguard Aotearoa’s unique wildlife for future generations.

Explore New Zealand’s only castle, a baronial 1870s mansion with lavish interiors and a tower offering far-reaching harbour views. Stroll the Victorian-themed gardens and hear the compelling Larnach family story.

This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Perched on the Otago Peninsula, the castle blends colonial ambition, craftsmanship and dramatic coastal scenery in one atmospheric visit.

Venture to the Otago Peninsula in search of coastal wildlife. Scan beaches and headlands for fur seals, little penguins and—season-depending—albatross wheeling over the southern swells. Guides share ecology, behaviour and conservation challenges.

This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Wild encounters vary with weather and season, but the peninsula’s rugged cliffs, windswept dunes and changing light make every outing memorable.

Sink into mineral-rich pools on Rotorua’s lakefront, where geothermal waters meet contemporary Maori-inspired wellness design. Gentle steam, cedar scents and warm stone create a soothing counterpoint to days of active exploring.

This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Sessions typically include access to bathing rituals and relaxation spaces—an unrushed way to restore body and mind in Aotearoa’s spa capital.

Step onto Middle-earth among green hills, hedgerows and storybook facades on a guided walk through the Hobbiton Movie Set. Peek at Bag End, cross the double-arched bridge and toast with a ginger beer inside the Green Dragon Inn.

This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Even non-fans appreciate the craftsmanship, pastoral landscapes and cinematic detail woven into this working Waikato farm.

Journey to Te Rerenga Wairua/Cape Reinga, the northern tip of Aotearoa where oceans meet. Travel the vast sands of Ninety Mile Beach, climb the Te Paki dunes and walk to the lighthouse overlooking turbulent waters.

This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Guides share the site’s deep Maori significance—the departing place of spirits—adding cultural resonance to striking coastal scenery.

Cruise the Bay of Islands across turquoise channels to Cape Brett and Motukokako/Hole in the Rock. Depending on conditions, your skipper may navigate the wave-carved tunnel while you watch for dolphins, seabirds and rugged sea cliffs.

This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Salty air, island-studded horizons and shifting light make for sublime photography and an easy-going maritime outing.

Explore Russell/Kororareka’s waterfront streets and hillside lookouts with a local guide. Hear tales of whalers, missionaries and early traders, then visit landmarks such as Christ Church and flagstaff sites that shaped the town’s colourful past.

This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Russell’s wooden villas, verandas and sea views evoke a bygone era, balanced today by artsy cafés and a relaxed village rhythm.

Experience New Zealand’s most celebrated fiord as you cruise Milford Sound/Piopiotahi beneath sheer cliffs and the skyline of Mitre Peak. Watch rain-fed torrents plunge from hanging valleys and feel the spray of waterfalls while keeping an eye out for dolphins, fur seals and birdlife riding the updrafts.

Part of the Te Wahipounamu UNESCO World Heritage Area, this glacially carved waterway blends primeval rainforest, towering granite and moody light. Your cruise reveals the fiord’s scale from water level—an elemental encounter with Aotearoa’s wild heart.

Cruise Lake Wakatipu aboard the TSS Earnslaw, a 1912 twin-screw steamship known as the “Lady of the Lake.” Watch stokers feed the boilers, soak up alpine views, then disembark at Walter Peak High Country Farm for a lakeside gourmet barbecue dinner showcasing South Island produce.

This living maritime icon connects Queenstown’s gold-rush heritage with today’s alpine glamour. The return sailing glows at dusk, with mountain silhouettes and reflections shimmering across the water for a quintessential Queenstown evening.

AAT Kings

Ride one of the world’s great rail journeys as you board the TranzAlpine and cross the patchwork Canterbury Plains into Arthur’s Pass National Park. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame braided rivers, deep viaducts and the Southern Alps, while commentary brings the landscape to life above the Waimakariri River gorges.

Opened as a scenic service in 1987, the route follows the historic Midland Line through tunnels and over sweeping steel bridges. Settle in for cinematic vistas, changing light and alpine scenery that reveal the South Island’s dramatic geological story.

Explore Christchurch on a guided city orientation, tracing the Avon River and green boulevards to the innovative Transitional (Cardboard) Cathedral. Continue to Turanga, the gold-clad central library whose contemporary design anchors the city’s creative resurgence.

Hear how Christchurch reimagined itself following the 2010–2011 earthquakes, blending heritage facades with bold new architecture and vibrant street art. This uplifting tour reveals resilience, ingenuity and the energy of a city in confident renewal.

Experience a powerful Maori cultural performance inside Te Aronui a Rua, then walk the geothermal valley to witness the Pohutu Geyser erupting into the night air. Cap the evening with a hangi-inspired dinner drawing on traditional flavours and local ingredients.

Set within Te Puia—home to the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute—this hosted evening reveals kapa haka artistry, earth-heated landscapes and stories of manaakitanga (hospitality), connecting culture and cuisine in a place of living tradition.

Visit a dedicated conservation centre to learn about korora/little blue penguins, their nesting habitats and the pressures they face. Walk through the nesting area and engage with an on-site educator about protection, research and responsible viewing practices.

This educational experience supports habitat restoration and community-led stewardship along Oamaru’s limestone coast. Your visit contributes to ongoing conservation initiatives that help these charismatic seabirds thrive.