Begin day 9 delving into Maori heritage at Greymouth’s Pounamu Pathway. Explore interactive exhibits that illuminate the cultural significance of pounamu (greenstone)—from ancestral carving traditions to trade routes and the guardianship of local iwi. Guides and displays reveal how this revered stone shapes identity and craft.

Learn about the geology that formed pounamu in the Southern Alps and the protocols that protect it today. This encounter deepens your connection to Te Waipounamu (the South Island), adding cultural dimension before you cross the island’s spine by rail in the afternoon.

Still on day 9, sit down at Monteith’s Brewery, a West Coast institution dating back to 1868, for a hearty pub-style lunch. Savour classics that pair naturally with the region’s craft beers—there’s time to sample a seasonal ale or cider if you wish.

Amid copper kettles and brewing memorabilia, hear how small-town ingenuity and local ingredients shaped a beloved brand. It’s a tasty interlude of convivial Kiwi culture before the alpine drama of the afternoon’s rail journey.

On day 9, board the TranzAlpine for one of the world’s great train rides. Glide across the Southern Alps through tunnels and over soaring viaducts, with panoramic views of the Waimakariri Gorge, Arthur’s Pass beech forests, braided rivers and tussock plains unfolding beyond wide windows and open-air vestibules.

Your Travel Director highlights peaks and landmarks as they sweep past in cinematic succession. It’s a contemplative finale to the South Island’s varied landscapes, the track itself a thread stitching together coasts, valleys and sky.

Conclude day 9 with a convivial farewell dinner in Christchurch celebrating Canterbury’s regional produce—think tender lamb, alpine salmon, seasonal vegetables and, if you wish, a glass of Waipara Valley pinot noir. It’s a chance to toast new friends and favourite moments from your Southern odyssey.

Stories flow as easily as the conversation—Milford’s mist, mountain passes, emerald lakes, and the laughter of shared discovery. Parting might be near, but the flavours and camaraderie linger long after dessert.

On day 3, dive into Dunedin’s brewing heritage with a guided visit to Speight’s Brewery, founded in 1876. Walk through historic cellars and copper tanks to learn how malt and hops become the city’s signature ales, then sample a tasting paddle to compare styles and notes.

It’s a spirited window into working-class history and local pride, set amid Victorian facades and student energy. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, perfect for those who appreciate craft, character and a good yarn.

Also on day 3, travel the winding roads of the Otago Peninsula to visit Larnach Castle, built in the 1870s by merchant-politician William Larnach. Explore opulent interiors and award-winning gardens with sweeping views over Otago Harbour, hearing tales of ambition, scandal and restoration.

The turreted skyline and meticulously tended grounds speak to a grand era of settlement, balanced by the peninsula’s raw coastal beauty. This visit is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

In the evening on day 4, cross Lake Te Anau by boat to a limestone grotto lit by thousands of glowworms. Drift silently beneath a star-flecked cavern ceiling, then follow boardwalks beside rushing underground streams as your guide explains the fragile ecosystem and the lifecycle of these luminous larvae.

The hush of the caves and the pinpoint constellations overhead create a contemplative counterpoint to Fiordland’s grand vistas. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

On day 6, venture deep into Skippers Canyon on a guided 4WD excursion along a narrow cliff-hugging road carved by 19th-century gold miners. Your expert driver shares the region’s feverish past while you pause for photos and reflection above the Shotover’s jade waters and wind-sculpted schist.

From wild river gorges to relics of the gold era, the scenery feels cinematic and immediate. This adventure is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Also on day 6, swap calm for adrenaline with a high-speed jet boat ride on the Shotover River in Skippers Canyon. Feel the spin of the famous 360s, brush past canyon walls, and surge through rapids as your driver demonstrates precision handling on this legendary stretch.

It’s Queenstown’s thrill factor distilled into minutes of spray and grins, framed by rock strata that tell a much older story. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

On day 7, lift off for sweeping views over Franz Josef Glacier, crevasse fields and the ice-clad Main Divide before a snow landing (weather permitting). Step out into bright alpine air to take in serrated peaks and the glacier’s fractured blue textures from a rare vantage point.

Pilots narrate the forces that shape Westland Tai Poutini National Park, from accumulation zones to rapid retreat. This flightseeing experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

On the morning of day 8, visit the West Coast Wildlife Centre in Franz Josef/Waiau to learn about conservation programmes for the rare rowi and Haast tokoeka kiwi. See kiwi in a nocturnal house and discover hatching and rearing efforts that give these taonga (treasures) a head start.

Interactive exhibits and keeper talks add depth to the coastal rainforest setting outside. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

On day 2, join a guided city tour revealing Christchurch’s layered character. Trace the riverside past the Canterbury Museum, pause at the Bridge of Remembrance and the Christchurch Earthquake Memorial, and admire the creative energy of the revamped city centre with its laneways, markets and street art. Your guide shares how Christchurch continues to evolve, weaving tradition and innovation.

Along the Otakaro/Avon River, hear stories of early settlers and contemporary renewal, then enjoy a free afternoon to explore gardens, cafés, and boutiques. The narrative—heritage, loss, and reinvention—adds depth to the streets you walk, turning landmarks into living chapters of Aotearoa’s second-largest city.

Transition from city to countryside on day 2 with a pause in the farming town of Geraldine. Pop into local boutiques and artisan stores before sampling handcrafted flavours at Talbot Forest Cheese. Expect creamy cheddars and characterful blues, each reflecting the rich pasturelands of inland Canterbury.

With your appetite whetted, enjoy a free moment to browse village cafés or chat with friendly shopkeepers who embody small-town South Island warmth. This gentle interlude introduces New Zealand’s paddock-to-plate ethos and sets the pace for the alpine scenery unfolding ahead.

Later on day 2, arrive at Lake Tekapo, its striking turquoise colour created by fine glacial “flour.” Pause for photos and reflection by the storied Church of the Good Shepherd, a 1930s stone chapel framing the lake and Southern Alps beyond. The high-country air is crisp, the light crystalline—perfect for contemplating this serene corner of Aotearoa.

Hear how Tekapo’s skies are protected as part of an International Dark Sky Reserve, and learn why this simple lakeside church has become an emblem of Mackenzie Country. The setting’s quiet grandeur gives a sense of scale and timelessness to your South Island journey.

On day 2, step into the lakeside home of Angie and Stan Taylor for a Trafalgar Be My Guest experience. In a warm country kitchen, watch Angie prepare a classic Pavlova—the beloved meringue dessert topped with whipped cream and fruit—then settle in for afternoon tea with stories from a lifetime in high-country farming.

As Lake Tekapo glints outside the window, the conversation turns to rural traditions, changing seasons, and community life. This intimate visit adds flavour and friendship to your route through the Mackenzie Basin, celebrating Kiwi hospitality as much as the region’s alpine beauty.

Arriving in Fiordland on day 4, board a purpose-built vessel for a jet boat adventure on the Waiau River, skimming past beech forest and gravel shallows toward Lake Manapouri. Between exhilarating bursts, your guide points out native birdlife and shimmering trout, and shares insight into the river’s cinematic and natural history.

This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER experience supports the Pomona Island Charitable Trust, helping restore New Zealand’s largest inland island as a predator-free sanctuary. The rush of water, the scent of river stones, and the conservation stories together create a powerful connection to Fiordland’s living landscapes.

On day 5, traverse Fiordland National Park past Mirror Lakes and through the Homer Tunnel before boarding a vessel to cruise the tranquil waters of Milford Sound/Piopiotahi. Watch the sheer face of Mitre Peak rise from the fiord and feel the cool spray beneath Bowen and Stirling Falls as they tumble from hanging valleys.

Your skipper shares Maori legends and geology that shaped this dramatic landscape. Keep an eye out for New Zealand fur seals on glistening rocks and shags drying their wings. It’s an elemental encounter with sound, wind and sea—a natural symphony etched into the memory of your South Island journey.

As evening falls on day 6, step aboard the vintage TSS Earnslaw, a 1912 steamship, and cruise Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak. At the Colonel’s Homestead, savour a gourmet barbecue dinner featuring South Island produce, then enjoy an after-dinner farm show with sheepdogs and shearing that brings high-country life into focus.

The return sailing offers music, starlight, and reflections of the Remarkables on the lake’s surface. Between coal-fired heritage, generous hospitality, and mountain silhouettes, this evening distils Queenstown’s spirit of adventure and charm.

Day 7 begins in the restored gold-rush settlement of Arrowtown. Stroll Buckingham Street past weatherboard cottages and miners’ storefronts as your Travel Director shares tales of the 1860s Otago strike and the diverse communities that followed the gold. Pop into galleries and cafés that preserve the town’s frontier charm.

Continue to Cromwell on Lake Dunstan for a stop at the Jones Family fruit stall to sample seasonal stone fruit—apricots, nectarines and peaches that thrive in Central Otago’s hot summers and cool nights. Heritage and harvest meet, revealing a region shaped by river, rock and resourcefulness.

Arriving on day 7, follow easy valley tracks to view Franz Josef Glacier/Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere from safe lookouts within Westland Tai Poutini National Park. Hear how the ice once advanced close to rainforest—a rare climatic meeting of glacier and temperate bush—and how kaitiakitanga (guardianship) guides protection today.

From riverbed boulders to ice-sculpted peaks, the scene tells a story of geology and time. Your Travel Director points out prime photo vantage points and explains the glacier’s Maori name—“the tears of Hine Hukatere”—adding cultural resonance to the valley’s stark beauty.

On day 8, follow the coastal path at Punakaiki to marvel at the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes, layered limestone sculpted over millions of years. When the Tasman swells roll in, sea spray thunders through caverns and chimneys, offering dramatic bursts that echo across the headland.

Interpretive signs explain the science behind the “pancakes,” while nikau palms and coastal forest frame views across Paparoa National Park. Pause for photos and reflection as wind and surf create a sensory soundtrack to this West Coast icon.

Settle in on day 8 at Scenic Hotel Punakaiki, an environmentally sensitive retreat nestled between rainforest and the Tasman Sea. Rooms embrace the elements—salt-laced breezes, surf rhythms, and sunset hues washing over the coastline—so you can soak in the coastal atmosphere from dawn to dusk.

Designed in harmony with local ecology, the property offers insight into coastal conservation and life on the wild West Coast. Dinner showcases regional flavours as waves roll outside—an immersive sense of place that’s as restorative as it is scenic.

• 9 Breakfast (B)
• 7 Dinner (D)
• 1 Lunch (L)

• Walter Peak: Get up close to sheep and working dogs with a farm show at Walter Peak on the shores of Lake Wakatipu in the New Zealand high country.

AAT Kings

Arrive and meet your Travel Director for relaxed welcome drinks in the heart of Christchurch on day 1. Your hotel sits near Cathedral Square, an ideal spot to enjoy a free evening and get your bearings beside the gentle flow of the Otakaro/Avon River. Your Travel Director will outline the days ahead and share local tips for dining and strolling the compact city centre.

Take a short orientation wander to see how the city’s stories are written into its streets—historic stone facades standing alongside imaginative new architecture born from resilience after 2011. This first gathering sets the tone: warm Kiwi hospitality, practical insights, and time to savour the atmosphere at your own pace.