Spirit of New Zealand

Tour the city of Christchurch to view the innovative Cardboard Cathedral and enjoy a stop at the Botanic Gardens, famed for its stunning collection of plants from around the world, beautifully landscaped gardens, and tranquil riverside setting. Today's journey offers a variety of scenic contrasts. Begin with a visit to Geraldine, a quaint rural town famous for its local cheeses and produce, which you can sample at the historic Barkers Store. Next, travel along the East Coast to the Waitaki Valley, a picturesque region of winding rivers and rolling farmlands, with the snow-capped mountains providing a stunning backdrop to Lake Benmore. Finally, continue to Omarama, the quintessential country town, where you’ll spend the evening. ...more ...less

Your visit to Clyde will have your camera clicking non-stop. This charming historic town may be small, but it’s full of character, with its town centre designated as a historic precinct, featuring buildings from its gold mining past now transformed into cafes and shops. Today's destination is Invercargill, a city obsessed with motor vehicles. Tributes to speed legends colour the city, so it's only fitting that you visit Transport World for a guided tour and Highlight Dinner.  Explore classic vehicles as you are transported on a nostalgic walk back in time. Bill Richardson began collecting old trucks in 1967 and, in his words, sometimes "bought a truck more with our hearts than with our heads." The collection now comprises of many rare and unusual vehicles, along with popular classic vehicles.

Journey through the rolling farmland and lush pastures of Southland to Templeton Flax Mill. Here, you will have a guided tour and presentation from Nathan Templeton, Mill curator and grandson of the Mill founder. Learn about the history and importance of the flax mill industry to the Southland economy on this Make Travel Matter Experience. All proceeds go directly to maintaining the Mill as a living Museum. Continue to Riverton, a charming seaside town known for its charming local cafes and on to Fiordland National Park and stunning Te Anau, nestled on the shores of the South Island’s largest lake. Immerse yourself in the serenity—this is as good as it gets.

From the moment you step outside today, nature rules. Your route through Fiordland National Park is an intoxicating union of beech forests, alluvial flats, meadows and mirror-like lakes. Gin-clear rivers carve the countryside, with all roads leading to Milford Sound/Piopio out into the pristine fjord on an included sightseeing cruise for awe-inspiring scenery with towering cliffs, tumbling waterfalls and abundant wildlife.  Seals, penguins and the New Zealand alpine parrot the Kea are a common sight

Today on your New Zealand tour, get a taste of country life combined with good old-fashioned southern hospitality as you meet a local farmer at Real Country. Get a feel for life on the farm as you have demonstrations of horse communication and working sheep dog mustering. Plus, for every guest, we donate funds to The Fairlight Foundation, Advancing Women in Agriculture, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Visit the historic gold rush village of Arrowtown, where you can wander the movie-set-like streets, lined with trees and character-filled boutiques, then continue to Queenstown for your two-night stay in the adventure capital of New Zealand.

You have time today to appreciate Queenstown and its surrounds. Enjoy an included lunch at your leisure at cult eatery Fergburger, famous for its mouthwatering gourmet burgers and vibrant atmosphere. You may like to sign up for an Optional Experience or two. Like adventure? Feel the wind in your hair on the high-octane jet boat ride, perhaps, twisting and revving along Queenstown's Shotover River. Wine aficionado? Sip your way through surrounding vineyards. Tours of the South Island don't get much tastier than this. There's also the option of an afternoon cruise on Lake Wakatipu aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a gourmet barbecue dinner (all own expense).

All aboard this morning as you jump aboard the TranzAlpine train bound for Arthur's Pass, through tunnels and over viaducts with panoramic views of snow-capped peaks, icy rivers, beech forests, gorges and river valleys. Visit Greymouth, known for its rich mining history, and prepare yourself for Punakaiki’s Pancake Rocks and blowholes; they owe their existence to the thundering surf that will lull you to sleep at your coastal eco retreat tonight.

Sit back and relax – that’s all you have to do today as you ease along the Heritage Highway toward Nelson. Press your nose against the glass as your coach weaves through Buller Gorge – a deep canyon home to New Zealand’s longest swingbridge – and Kahurangi National Park, a place of wild rivers, high plateaus, alpine herb fields and coastal forests.

Sleep in or work up a sweat – today is completely at your leisure. We have a few ideas up our sleeve, of course. Travel to the Abel Tasman National Park for the ultimate cruise and walk combination (own expense). This pocket in the north of the island inspires calm, its golden beaches framed by sculpted granite cliffs that all unite to create one of the country’s most legendary coastal tracks.

All aboard the Interislander for a cruise through Queen Charlotte Sound, up the Tory Channel and across Cook Strait, from the South Island to the North, navigating a maze of arms and inlets into New Zealand's cool little capital of Wellington.

Travel to Napier. Beautifully preserved 1930s architecture is Napier's special point of difference. After a massive earthquake in 1931 destroyed the commercial centre of Napier, rebuilding began almost immediately in the architectural styles of the times - Striped Classical, Spanish Mission and Art Deco.

Today on your tour of the North Island visit the mighty Huka Falls, where approximately 220,000 litres per second of water surge through a narrow volcanic gorge plunging 11 metres to a foaming pool below.  Continue to the geothermal wonder of Rotorua, renowned for its bubbling mud pools, erupting geysers, rich Māori culture, and the unmistakable scent of sulphur that fills the air.  This afternoon, visit a traditional Pounamu workshop for a fascinating insight into the art of jade carving, where you will witness skilled artisans at work, and learn about the cultural significance of pounamu (New Zealand greenstone) in Māori tradition.  Tonight, enjoy a Highlight Dinner of hangi inspired cuisine and a cultural performance in a finely carved meeting house, Te Aronui a Rua. It ends on a high at the Pohutu Geyser, where, armed with a hot chocolate you'll view one of New Zealand's geothermal wonderlands.

Today is Rotorua tour day of many decisions, but with plenty of tips available from your Travel Director. Want a bit of down time? We wouldn’t blame you for simply blissing out at in the steamy thermal springs at Wai Araki Hot Springs & Spa. Hobbit fans will want to take advantage of the opportunity to tour the sights featured in The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit movies on the Hobbiton Movie Set tour. Or board a scenic flight for a bird's-eye-view (all own expense).

140 – that’s how many droplets of land ringed by turquoise sea comprise the Bay of Islands, your tour destination de jour. It’s undeniably beautiful, but it also holds a special historical significance: this is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, between Captain William Hobson and Māori chiefs. Your guide, perhaps a descendent of one of the original signatories, will explain the significance of the site, while pointing out the world’s largest ceremonial war canoe and a carved meeting house.

If there’s a travel destination that inspires wanderlust, the Bay of Islands is it. Today, trip the light fantastic and head off in whatever direction you please. Perhaps travel up to Cape Reinga, the very top of New Zealand, via idyllic Ninety Mile Beach. Or glide around on an historic tall ship, cruise to the Hole in the Rock or join a tour of Russell and learn more about the settling of the Bay of Islands (all own expense).

For a little more northern exposure, make your way to Whangarei, the island’s most northerly outpost and a place where waterfalls meet beaches, galleries meet museums. It’s like the country in a tantalising snapshot – a union of nature and forward-thinking culture. Sink back into your seat for the mesmerising commute back to Auckland to end your tour on a high note at a Farewell Dinner and drinks with your Travel Director and travel companions.

Over three weeks, we hope you’ve packed your address book with the names of new friends and your camera with photos of New Zealand’s most inspiring attractions. But at the end of the day, it’s the memories that will fuel your flight home. Trips to New Zealand don’t get any more epic than this.