Day 1: Arrive Auckland

Meet & Greet at Auckland Airport and private car transfer to your city hotel.

Day 2: Auckland to Rotorua via Matamata 

Pick up your rental car from the central city depot.
Travel south through farmland to Matamata, home of “Hobbiton”. Experience the real Middle-earth with a visit to the Hobbiton Movie Set, the bucolic setting for The Shire that featured in the Peter Jackson-directed films, The Lord of the Rings and the 'Hobbit' Trilogies. Continue your drive through forests and Lakelands to Rotorua.

Day 3: Rotorua

Rotorua is the centre of an extensive thermal region. Geysers, bubbling mud pools and steaming, sulphurous lakes give evidence of nature's frightening yet fascinating power. Rotorua and the surrounding lakes provide some of the world's best trout fishing. The Maori culture contributes greatly to the attractions of this holiday city.
Enjoy the culture and entertainment of our native Maori people and partake in a cultural experience and Hangi dinner at Tamaki Maori Village tonight.

Day 4: Rotorua to Napier 

Travel south via Lake Taupo and take in the panoramic views of Mount Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro in the distance. From Taupo head in a southeasterly direction and after passing through part of the vast Kaingaroa Forest into the Kaimanawa Range, the road descends to the fertile Hawkes Bay Province and the city of Napier, known for its gourmet food and world-class wines.

Day 5: Napier to Wellington 

Head south today climbing out of Hawkes Bay and into the rolling sheep and cattle farmland that characterises much of your journey today. Just south of Eketahuna is the Mt Bruce National Wildlife
Centre, is a worthwhile stop on your journey. The road eventually converges on the rugged Rimutaka Ranges before joining the motorway system into Wellington, New Zealand's Capital - a truly energetic, cosmopolitan city set around the shores of a pretty harbour.

Day 6: Wellington to Picton (ferry) to Nelson 

Drop off your rental car at the Interislander ferry terminal in Wellington and board your ferry for the journey across Cook Strait. Depart Wellington and arrive at Picton harbour. The 92-kilometre voyage takes approximately three hours and is described as one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world. On arrival in Picton, pick up your rental car for the South Island portion of your travels. Leave Picton and drive via Blenheim, the chief town of the Marlborough sheep farming and grain growing region, until you cross the Wairau River and rise steadily to the Rai Saddle. From Pelorus Bridge, with its beautiful bush setting, the road is hilly and sweeps up and over the Rai Saddle and Whangamoa Hill before running down to Tasman Bay. As you follow the coast to the city you may see in the distance a boulder bank, Nelson's natural breakwater.

Day 7: Nelson & Abel Tasman National Park 

Take a day trip to the Abel Tasman National Park. Your itinerary includes an open day pass that allows you to organise the tour most suitable for you. Choose from a full-day cruise or take the shorter cruise with time for a leisurely walk along part of the walking track from Torrent Bay to Bark Bay. Board your vessel and cruise into the beautiful Abel Tasman National Park where you will see spectacular
stretches of coastline which are not always visible from the walking track. The vessel’s shallow draughts allow it to be taken close to the shore, giving an excellent view of dozens of sandy coves as your guide shares the history of the area and highlights points of interest.

Day 8: Nelson to Hokitika

Continue your journey south into the fertile farmlands of pine-forested hills around Murchison. Pass through the mighty Buller Gorge which is the gateway to the West Coast and from there, it is on to the incredible drive down the coast. The mighty rollers from the Tasman Sea crash and thunder endlessly onto the rocky shore. We pause to view the geographical oddities of the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes at Punakaiki, where countless years of wind and water have weathered the coastline into pancake-like formations. Travel on to Hokitika, a thriving craft industry town with artists working in greenstone (jade), gold, glass, wood, and clay.

Day 9: Hokitika to Franz Josef 

From Hokitika, the road dips in and out of the dense bush for many miles, crossing beautiful stretches of countryside scattered with farming settlements to Franz Josef, the first of the West Coast’s two well-known Glacier settlements.

Day 10: Franz Josef to Queenstown 

Depart Franz Josef and travel through a former sawmilling area to Fox Glacier. On through the forests of red and white pine to Bruce Bay, an old gold-mining settlement. As you continue over the Haast Pass and on to Wanaka and Queenstown, the views of Lake Hawea and the Southern Alps are awe-inspiring. Located on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown is a year-round alpine resort nestled in a
magnificent setting amid steep mountain ranges and pockets of native bush with the jagged peaks of the Remarkables Range rising from the lake. The town is compact enough to travel around on foot
and features a great range of restaurants, bars and boutique stores. The lake was created by glacial action thousands of years ago and a mysterious phenomenon causes the lake to vary several inches in
depth every few minutes, giving credence to a Maori legend of an ancient Taniwha (demon) still breathing beneath the surface.

Day 11: Queenstown

Take a guided tour and explore every aspect of this magnificent area through a combination of exciting wilderness jet boating, an informative guided walk and a picturesque back-country drive.
Surrounded by breathtaking snow-covered peaks, hidden valleys, waterfalls and glacial valleys frozen in time, you’ll be thrilled by an exciting jet boat journey navigating the ever-changing shallow
channels of the Dart Rivers braided river system. Your jet boat driver will stop along the way to highlight points of interest and discuss the natural and cultural significance of this exceptional area. Enjoy a guided walk through ancient native Beech forest where you’ll be fascinated by the unique flora and fauna as well as discover why New Zealand is the ‘Ark’ of ancient Gondwanaland. Journey by bus along a back-country route hearing stories about the surrounding countryside and stopping to view some of New Zealand’s most spectacular scenery that has formed the epic backdrop for many international movies, including The Lord of the Rings.

Day 12: Queenstown

Day at leisure to explore Queenstown.

Leave Queenstown and skirt Lake Wakatipu in the shadow of the rugged Remarkable Ranges until you arrive at the township of Five Rivers. Turn off the main highway towards Mossburn, and into the tussock-covered hills. Once the highest point is reached there are magnificent views of the mountains of Fiordland to the north, south and west. After a few miles, the wide panorama of Lake Te Anau comes into view.

Day 14: Te Anau to Milford Sound return

Depart Te Anau and follow the valley of the Eglinton River into a magnificent beech forest before descending into the precipitous Hollyford Valley. Tussock and scrub replace the bush as the road
climbs steadily up the Hollyford to the gigantic cirque where sheer rock faces dwarf the Homer Tunnel portal beneath. Beyond the tunnel is a rapid zig-zag descent into the Cleddau Canyon, between
towering, rugged mountains and forest, until the road comes out into the open at Milford Sound. Enjoy an extended and leisurely cruise of Milford Sound. Onboard you will cruise the full length of Milford to the Tasman Sea whilst a nature guide provides a detailed commentary. There is plenty of time available to explore points of interest and view the stunning scenery, including waterfalls, rainforests, towering peaks and wildlife.

Day 15: Te Anau to Dunedin 

Leave Te Anau and drive through farmland and tussock country before arriving at Lumsden. Travel south through the Waimea Plains to Gore a town that serves the rich agricultural area of Southland. Continue through farmlands to Balclutha where you will cross the Clutha River, famous for its alluvial gold. From here, travel north through Milton, across the Taieri River and on to the city of Dunedin.

Day 16: Dunedin to Christchurch 

Travelling north from Dunedin, stop at the famous Moeraki Boulders before continuing to Oamaru. Many of the handsome buildings found in this city are constructed from Oamaru stone which has led to its nickname 'The White Stone City'. En route to Timaru, a very popular seaside town, pass the 45th Parallel - halfway between The Equator and the South Pole. Pass through Temuka, known for its earthenware pottery and soon afterwards you will arrive in the town of Ashburton, the centre of a large sheep and wheat farming area. Leaving Ashburton, head north and pass over the mighty Rakaia River, famous for its salmon fishing. Continue across the farmland of the Canterbury Plains and past the military township of Burnham to Christchurch, known as ‘The Garden City.’ In contrast to this flat cityscape and the surrounding Canterbury Plains, the skyline to the south is dominated by the tussock and rocky outcrops of the Port Hills. The hills separate the city from the volcanic Banks Peninsula and Lyttelton Harbour, where English settlers arrived by ship in 1850 to establish New Zealand’s first city. Visitors to Christchurch today will witness a virtual rebirth of the city as demolitions, repairs and rebuilding occur following several earthquakes in late 2010 and early 2011.

Day 17: Depart Christchurch

Your itinerary ends today.
Drop off your rental car at the airport depot and continue your onward journey.