Tour Description

From bubbling geysers to yawning gorges; gem-like glaciers to mirrored lakes; snow-tipped mountains to subtropical islands; it’s hard to believe that such a small country packs so much natural punch into its two islands. And then there are New Zealand’s cosmopolitan cities and towns, and celebration of Māori culture wherever you turn. Make no mistake – this journey from south to north is the ultimate New Zealand tour. Magic is an understatement.

Priced From:

$ 8346pp ^*

From: 2024-12-23

To: 2025-03-24

Start Location: Christchurch (Nz), New Zealand

End Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Trip Type: Cost Saver Escorted

Tour Advisors

Tiffany McCrea-Lennon

Managing Director

Michelle Baldwin

Travel Specialist

Gaylyn Murdoch

Administration Manager

Russell Mein

Travel Specialist

Holly Skene

Travel Co-ordinator

Kim Thomas

Broker

Itinerary

Welcome to Christchurch

Day 1

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Ibis Hotel Christchurch

Explore the ‘Garden City’ at your leisure. We recommend jumping aboard the tram for a Christchurch tour – the conductors are a hoot – to discover how the city has rebuilt itself since the devastating 2010/11 earthquakes. It’s changing the way architects think about design. Case in point the mind-bending Transitional Cathedral, made largely of cardboard, and Turanga, the gold-clad central library. Tonight, meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers at a Welcome Reception.

Christchurch - Franz Josef/Waiau

Day 2

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier

Your New Zealand tour starts on a high 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. From Arthur’s Pass, visit the small town of Hokitika, the heritage and cultural centre of the West Coast well-known for its jade. Things are about to get cool again as you arrive in the town of Franz Josef/Waiau, gateway to Franz Josef Glacier/Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere, a white-out of snow and ice that shimmers like a gem. Get some perspective on an optional scenic flight over this natural wonder – if the weather behaves, you may even get to land on it.

Franz Josef/Waiau - Queenstown

Day 3

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Copthorne Hotel and Resort Queenstown

Over the Haast Pass, the alpine scenery of the Southern Lakes spreads before you. First up there’s lovely Lake Wanaka, with its Instagrammable shoreline of poplars and willows. Followed by oh-so-blue Lake Hawea and Lake Dunstan, where you’ll pause to refuel on flavour-packed stone fruit. We know you’ll want to linger in Arrowtown’s movie-set-like streets, lined with trees and character-filled boutiques. But Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables await on your Queenstown tour.

Queenstown Free Time

Day 4

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Copthorne Hotel and Resort Queenstown

Take today at your own pace. Like things fast and furious? Feel the wind in your hair on high-octane jet boat ride, perhaps. There’s a reason why Queenstown is known as the adventure capital of the country. Nature lover? Discover some of New Zealand’s feathered friends at a wildlife centre. Wine aficionado? Sip your way through surrounding vineyards. Wherever you wander, make sure you’re back in time to glide across Lake Wakatipu aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a gourmet barbecue dinner.

Queenstown - Te Anau

Day 5

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Distinction Luxmore Hotel

From the moment you step outside today, nature rules. Your route from the Mirror Lakes through the Cleddau Valley is the entrée to your Milford Sound/Piopiotahi tour. Cruising this World Heritage listed expanse will give you goosebumps, a string of waterfalls creating a misty curtain across sheer escarpments. Look out for dolphins – they’re a common sight here. The onward road through Fiordland National Park is an intoxicating union of beech forests, alluvial flats, meadows and gin-clear rivers, carving up the countryside en route to Te Anau.

Te Anau - Dunedin

Day 6

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Scenic Hotel Dunedin City

Soak up the serenity of the South Island’s biggest lake on an early morning walk, perhaps, before leaving the forested slopes of Fiordland behind. Rolling green hills dotted with doe-eyed sheep are your new backdrop as you ease into the Edinburgh of the South: Dunedin. While away the afternoon in atmospheric art-lined alleys or sipping a lager or two in Speight’s Brewery (a national institution), or visit grand Larnach Castle, the only one of its kind in the country. You could venture further afield to discover the wildlife that thrives in this pretty pocket of the country – fur seals and penguins among them.

Dunedin - Omarama

Day 7

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Distinction Heritage Gateway Hotel

Time is on your side this morning. Sleep in or take a stroll around the manicured grounds of Otago University to the city’s main George Street. If you’ve ever wanted to see New Zealand’s oldest public gardens, today you’re in luck with a visit to Oamaru, known for its stately tree-lined streets and limestone buildings.

Omarama - Christchurch

Day 8

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Ibis Hotel Christchurch

Your outlook this morning is the Canterbury Plains: the turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo, snow-capped mountains and atmospheric towns. Your Indoor Dark Sky Astronomy Experience at Tekapo, hosted by passionate guides, will forever change the way you see the night sky. You'll see for yourself it may be one of the quietest spots on the planet, yet it has one of the busiest skies in the universe. Back on earth, you’re becoming reacquainted with Christchurch on a city tour, your in-the-know guide pointing out the city’s miraculous transformation over the last decade. You'll view the mind-bending Transitional Cathedral, made largely of cardboard, and Turanga, the gold-clad central library.

Christchurch - Picton

Day 9

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Picton Yacht Club

There aren’t many beaches more dramatic than the sands of Kaikoura. Bonus points if you spot a sea lion or sperm whale frolicking offshore, Kaikoura is the marine wildlife centre of New Zealand. Your onward route skirts the pink tinged crystallisation ponds of the Lake Grassmere Salt Works, before arriving in the pretty seaside fishing village of Picton.

Picton - Wellington

Day 10

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Travelodge Wellington

Swap wheels for water 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.

Wellington - Rotorua

Day 11

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Ibis Rotorua Hotel

Follow the lead of locals along the Kapiti Coast, the traditional summer playground of Wellingtonians. You’ll understand why. The road ahead unfolds in a broad panorama of Lake Taupo, the largest (and perhaps bluest) of its kind in the country. It’s a landscape almost as otherworldly as Rotorua, where mud pops and jettisons from bubbling geysers, and steam rushes skywards from cracks in the Earth. This evening, explore Te Puia’s geothermal valley, and learn about Māori history and culture on this guided experience, which includes a 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.

Rotorua Free Time

Day 12

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Ibis Rotorua Hotel

Explore at your own pace today, but with plenty of tips from your Travel Director. Want a bit of down time? We wouldn’t blame you for simply blissing out 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 movies at Hobbiton. These beautiful landscapes are not only a bucket list tour for Hobbit fans, but a gorgeous countryside getaway.

Rotorua - Auckland

Day 13

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre

Set your internal GPS to cross the Waikato River and head towards the Waitomo Caves. This place is radiant – quite literally. While cruising cavernous limestone waterways, your route is cast in a magical light by thousands of glowworms. The next thing that glows on your horizon is Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city with not one, but two harbours. And plenty of yachts to decorate both, as you’ll see from the lookout at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Auckland - Bay of Islands

Day 14

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Copthorne Hotel and Resort

Say goodbye to the ‘City of Sails’ as you journey north to New Zealand’s dramatic Bay of Islands – 140 islands ringed by turquoise sea. 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, likely a descendant 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.

Bay of Islands Free Time

Day 15

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Copthorne Hotel and Resort

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/Te Rerenga Wairua, the very top of New Zealand, via idyllic Ninety Mile Beach. Or glide around on an historic tall ship, or join a tour of Russell and learn more about the settling of the Bay of Islands.

Bay of Islands - Auckland

Day 16

Duration: 1

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre

Today, New Zealand’s most northerly city is well and truly on your radar. Whangarei is like the country in a tantalizing snapshot – a union of nature and forward-thinking culture. Take a brief stroll before sinking back into your seat for the mesmerizing commute back to Auckland.

Farewell from Auckland

Day 17

Duration: 1

It’s hard to say goodbye to Auckland – this city is hypnotic. But you have a camera full of New Zealand tour photos to categorise before you get home.

Dates & prices

Start Date: 2024-12-30

End Date: 2025-01-15

twin

Child Price: 7863

Adult Price: 8783

twinShare

Child Price:

Adult Price: 8783

triple

Child Price: 8346

Adult Price: 8346

single

Child Price:

Adult Price: 11324

Start Date: 2025-01-27

End Date: 2025-02-12

twin

Child Price: 8575

Adult Price: 9525

twinShare

Child Price:

Adult Price: 9525

triple

Child Price: 9050

Adult Price: 9050

single

Child Price:

Adult Price: 12285

Start Date: 2025-02-10

End Date: 2025-02-26

twin

Child Price: 8575

Adult Price: 9525

twinShare

Child Price:

Adult Price: 9525

triple

Child Price: 9050

Adult Price: 9050

single

Child Price:

Adult Price: 12285

Start Date: 2025-02-24

End Date: 2025-03-12

twin

Child Price: 8575

Adult Price: 9525

twinShare

Child Price:

Adult Price: 9525

triple

Child Price: 9050

Adult Price: 9050

single

Child Price:

Adult Price: 12285

Start Date: 2025-03-10

End Date: 2025-03-26

twin

Child Price: 8575

Adult Price: 9525

twinShare

Child Price:

Adult Price: 9525

triple

Child Price: 9050

Adult Price: 9050

single

Child Price:

Adult Price: 12285

Start Date: 2025-03-24

End Date: 2025-04-09

twin

Child Price: 8575

Adult Price: 9525

twinShare

Child Price:

Adult Price: 9525

triple

Child Price: 9050

Adult Price: 9050

single

Child Price:

Adult Price: 12285

New Zealand Magic

Tour Advisors

Itinerary

Dates & prices