• 8 Breakfast (B)
• 5 Dinner (D)

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

• Lake Tekapo: Guided indoor Dark Sky & Astronomy Experience
• Milford Sound: Cruise on the breathtaking Sound
• Queenstown: Cruise across Lake Wakatipu on a historic Steamship
• Franz Josef: See this incredible sight from a panoramic viewpoint
• Christchurch: Journey on the TranzAlpine, through tunnels and over viaducts

Discover the cosmos at Tekapo’s Indoor Dark Sky Astronomy Experience, an immersive journey into the southern heavens within the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.

Interactive storytelling illuminates Maori celestial navigation alongside modern astronomy; trace the Southern Cross, Magellanic Clouds and the Milky Way, guided by passionate specialists in a climate-controlled theatre.

Cruise the fiord on a Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) scenic cruise, gliding beneath sheer cliffs crowned by Mitre Peak. Watch Stirling Falls tumble from hanging valleys while fur seals bask on rocky ledges.

Part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area, this dramatic waterway reveals glacial geology and Fiordland’s wildlife—from penguins to dolphins—amid mist, rainbows and salt-spray.

Walk the preserved streets of Arrowtown, a compact gold-rush settlement where miners’ cottages host cafés and galleries beneath rustling poplars.

Trace 1860s fortunes along the Arrow River and visit the historic Chinese settlement, learning how prospectors from around the world forged a frontier town whose charm endures.

Sail across Lake Wakatipu aboard the vintage TSS Earnslaw, watching stokers feed the coal-fired engines and the mountains mirror on still water.

At Walter Peak High Country Farm, sit down to a lakeside gourmet barbecue dinner and a working farm demonstration before a luminous cruise back beneath alpine stars.

Visit coastal Hokitika to see pounamu (New Zealand greenstone) transformed in artisan studios, as carvers shape lustrous stone into contemporary taonga.

Learn how river-worn boulders are sourced under Ngai Tahu traditions, and watch a carving demonstration that reveals symbolism in forms like the koru and toki.

Admire the sweep of Franz Josef Glacier from a panoramic viewpoint, where temperate rainforest meets blue ice in a striking rainforest-to-ice skyline.

Hear the story of Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere and the glacier’s fast-flowing past within Westland Tai Poutini National Park, a rare environment where ice descends almost to sea level.

Board the TranzAlpine for a transalpine crossing of the Southern Alps, with open-air viewing as braided Waimakariri River valleys give way to alpine viaducts and tunnels.

Roll through Arthur’s Pass and the engineering of Otira Tunnel while commentary points out geology, beech forests and glacial landscapes—prime time for photography from your window seat.

Charge through narrow river canyons on a high-octane jet boat ride, skimming past schist cliffs and spinning in exhilarating 360-degree spins.

This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Born from Kiwi innovation, Queenstown adrenaline comes with expert drivers, safety briefings and plenty of spray.

Explore Kiwi Park, a conservation sanctuary where you can view nocturnal kiwi in purpose-built habitats and meet tuatara and kea in lush bush aviaries.

This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Join an engaging conservation talk to learn how breeding programs and predator control protect Aotearoa’s rare species.

Soar on a glacier scenic flight, sweeping over icefalls, crevasses and neve fields with the thrill of an alpine snow landing when conditions allow.

This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Views may reach Aoraki/Mount Cook and the Tasman Sea; pilots share insights on glaciology as you hover above serrated ice ridgelines.

AAT Kings

Meet your fellow travellers in central Christchurch and meet your Tour Director for a succinct tour briefing and drinks. Learn how the journey unfolds, pick up local tips, and settle into the relaxed Kiwi pace.

Set against the city’s creative revival, this hosted welcome creates a warm first connection and practical overview, so you start the South Island chapter confident and inspired.

Explore the city’s reinvention on a guided orientation, pausing at the Transitional Cathedral (Cardboard Cathedral) and the gold-clad Turanga central library. Street art, clever pop-ups and contemporary design reveal a place writing its new chapter.

Hear how the 2010–11 quakes inspired Shigeru Ban’s cardboard-tube cathedral and Turanga’s Maori design references—an urban story of resilience moving from quake recovery to creative renewal.