Setting out from Auckland, the ‘City of Sails’, take in New Zealand’s finest natural wonders as you head south over 12 days to Queenstown. During this journey, you will be fortunate to experience such staggering landscapes every day. Along with the stunning backdrops, this journey offers the chance to explore some of New Zealand’s most iconic locations. Tick the Hobbiton™ Movie Set, Rotorua’s geothermal pools, Lake Tekapo, Mount Cook and an overnight on Milford Sound off your to-do list.
(B) Breakfast (L) Lunch (D) Dinner (SD) Specialty Dinner
The Grand Millennium Auckland is superbly located in the city centre close to Queen Street and Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour, close to some of the city’s finest dining, shopping and entertainment venues. Also nearby are landmark venues: The Civic, Auckland Town Hall and Aotea Square, the city’s largest outdoor civic space where you can relax and often attend local events. Rooms combine smart design, chic decor, floor to ceiling windows for natural light and modern amenities.
This hotel is located near to Lake Rotorua and the Polynesian Spa and offers rooms facing the lake, the city or the hotel’s garden courtyard. Facilities include a heated indoor swimming pool, a communal hot tub, a day spa, and a fitness centre.
This 5 star boutique hotel is ideally located on Victoria Street amidst an array of cafes, restaurants and bars, and is only a martini olive pips’ throw from beautiful Hagley Park and Christchurch’s CBD. As a contemporary hotel it features luxe rooms, stylish restaurant & bar and elegant day spa. A great way to experience the ‘garden city’ in style.
The Hermitage Hotel, Aoraki/Mount Cook is an iconic hotel with a rich history spanning over 130 years. Located right in the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, the Hermitage is the perfect base to explore the natural wonders of this stunning area, with a variety of accommodation options, a collection of dining establishments & unique activities whilst providing genuine kiwi hospitality.
Located on the Te Anau lake front, a short stroll from the Te Anau town centre, Distinction Te Anau is perfectly situated for you to make the most of this beautiful area. There is complimentary unlimited WiFi as well as a great restaurant, renowned for offering the very best of South Island cuisine or the Explorer Bar & Lakefront Terrace is a great spot for relaxing and enjoying the uninterrupted views of Lake Te Anau. The hotel offers a range of recreational facilities, including a spa, sauna, outdoor swimming pool.
The Mariner is a purpose-built vessel designed to replicate a traditional trading scow and is perfectly suited to cruising the fiords. It sleeps 64 people in private cabins with en-suites (twin or double bed configuration) and there is limited quad-share bunk-style compartments with en-suites (mixed gender). The vessel has spacious viewing decks and observation lounge, a dining saloon and licensed bar and carries 30 kayaks and 2 tender craft onboard.
The Rees Hotel Queenstown is a sophisticated hotel situated right on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. Offering a room with a terrace, showcasing spectacular views across Lake Wakatipu to the alpine panorama of the Remarkable Mountain range. The hotel has a library of rare books and art, courtesy shuttle to/from Queenstown town centre, complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi, movies and local telephone calls, conference rooms, a fully-equipped gymnasium, secure undercover parking, electric car-charging station and its own private beach and wharf accessing jet-boat and water taxi services.
Auckland, or Tāmaki Makaurau in Maori, is New Zealand’s largest city. It is based around 2 large and picturesque harbours. ‘The City of Sails’ is known as such because of the many yachts often seen on those harbours.
Tāmaki Makaurau is one of the few cities in the world to have harbours on two major bodies of water. The central part of the urban area occupies a narrow isthmus between the Manukau Harbour on the Tasman Sea and the Waitematā Harbour on the Pacific Ocean.
The Auckland landscape is also dotted with 53 volcanic centres that make up the Auckland Volcanic Field. And the many volcanic cones are a feature of the city.
In the centre of the city, the iconic Sky Tower dominates the skyline and has views across the city and harbours.
There is lots to see and do close to the CBD. Bustling precincts include Wynyard Quarter and Viaduct Harbour, full of superyachts and lined with bars and cafes. Auckland Domain, the city’s oldest park, covers an extinct volcano and is home to the formal Wintergardens. A short harbour-side drive takes you to Mission Bay Beach, which offers a relaxed beachside vibe and a seaside promenade — a wonderful place for a stroll.
A slightly longer drive will take you to the Waitakere Ranges, which surrounding the city to the west, and pristine sub-tropical rainforest.
Rotorua is an inland city that is famous for its geothermal activity, Maori culture experiences, 18 lakes, and three major rivers in a beautiful natural environment.
Rotorua is a major destination for both domestic and international tourists. Its geothermal activity, featuring geysers and hot mud pools, are world renowned. This thermal activity is created by the Rotorua Caldera, over which the town is built.
In Te Puia’s Whakarewarewa Valley, there are bubbling mud pools and the 30m-tall Pohutu Geyser, which erupts many times daily. Its also home to a living Maori village and the New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute, with traditional wood carving and weaving schools.
Rotorua was one of the first places in the country to host tourists who came to experience the healing properties of the geothermal waters.
Christchurch is an fascinating city to explore. It was once a historic garden city. Since the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes it has turned into a fascinating city of regeneration and growth.
The central city is filled with cutting-edge architecture alongside some of the oldest buildings in New Zealand. But Christchurch is constantly evolving, always giving locals and visitors something new to explore. Expect street art and innovative projects, a bustling hospitality scene and established green spaces.
The Avon River runs through the city, bringing a natural landscape to the urban environment. Cruise along the picturesque river on a flat bottomed punt. Take a ride on a historic tram through the city. With wonderful parks and botanic gardens to explore Christchurch is a great place to visit.
Aoraki / Mount Cook, standing at 3,724 metres, is the highest mountain in New Zealand. It is located within Aoraki Mount Cook National Park.
The park is home of the highest mountains and the longest glaciers. It is alpine in the purest sense — with skyscraping peaks, glaciers and permanent snow fields, all set under a star-studded sky. It is part of the Southern Alps, the mountain range running the length of the South Island.
A popular tourist destination, Aoraki /Mount Cook is also a favourite challenge for mountain climbers. Mt Cook, helped Sir Edmund Hillary to develop his climbing skills in preparation for the conquest of becoming the first person to climb Mt Everest.
Although the National Park encompasses 23 peaks over 3000 metres high, it is very accessible. State Highway 80 leads to Aoraki/Mt Cook Village beside scenic Lake Pukaki, which provides a comfortable base for alpine activities.
Far from city lights, the stargazing here is magnificent. Indeed, Aoraki Mount Cook National Park forms the majority of New Zealand’s only International Dark Sky Reserve.
A two hour drive from Queenstown, Te Anau is a Southland town. A pretty lakeside town, it’s known as a gateway to Fiordland National Park.
Te Anau offers great views of the lake and mountains beyond and a good range of cafes and restaurants. The awe-inspiring natural beauty of the park’s wilderness, including Milford and Doubtful Sounds is within easy reach.
The region is home to many of NZ’s Great Walks, endangered flightless takahē birds and abundant trout in Lake Te Anau. Te Anau Caves feature a limestone grotto of glowworms and an underground waterfall. To the southwest, the Kepler Track winds through beech forests, glacial valleys and mountains.
Famously described by Rudyard Kipling as the “eighth wonder of the world”, Milford Sound is a stunning fiord in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island.
The “sound” was carved out by glaciers during the ice age like all modern fiords. But it’s majesty and the drama of its surrounding mountains is hard to match. It is known for the towering Mitre Peak, plus rainforests and waterfalls like Stirling and Bowen falls, which plummet down its sheer sides.
When it rains in Milford Sound — and it often does — those waterfalls multiply with magnificent effect. Whatever the weather it really is a breath-taking sight.
Boat tours are a popular way to explore the inky waters of this pristine natural wonder. The fiord is home to fur seal colonies, penguins and dolphins. Milford Discovery Centre and Underwater Observatory offers views of rare black coral and other marine life.
Queenstown is a stunning resort town, renowned for its beauty and wealth of adventure activities, it sits on the shores of the South Island’s Lake Wakatipu. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Southern Alps mountains, Queenstown is also a base for exploring the region’s vineyards and historic mining towns.
Iconic adventure activities include bungee jumping off Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge and jet-boating on the Shotover and Dart rivers. And in winter, there’s skiing on the slopes of The Remarkables, Coronet Peak and Cardrona ski resorts.
Queenstown is a hub of adventure, thrumming with adrenaline and an buzzing with a carefree sense of fun. But extreme activities aren’t the only options here. This world-famous resort town and its surrounding area boast many things to see, do, eat, drink and explore. Something for everyone at any time of year.
Experience the real Middle-Earth™ at the Hobbiton™ Movie Set. Step into the lush pastures of the Shire™ — as seen in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies — in NZ’s Waikato region.
Follow acclaimed director Sir Peter Jackson’s lead and fall in love with the Alexander family sheep farm, a.k.a. the Shire. You’ll find it hidden in the unequivocal beauty of Waikato’s farmland, with the mighty Kaimai Ranges towering in the distance.
Your guide will escort you around the 12 acre set. You’ll see the intricate detailing, the most famous locations and learn how the movie magic was made.
Your walking tour will take you through the set past Hobbit Holes™ and the Mill. And your tour ends at Hobbiton’s world-famous Green Dragon™ Inn for a drink.
Discover one of New Zealand’s most magnificent geothermal wonderlands near Rotorua at Te Puia. See dramatic geysers, bubbling mud and beautiful native bush.
Enjoy the opportunity to come face to face with the biggest, active geyser in the Southern Hemisphere, Pōhutu Geyser. There are also jumping mud pools and live kiwi in the Kiwi Conservation Centre.
And watch master carvers and weavers at work at the NZ Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, and hear guides share stories passed down from their ancestors.
Enjoy a very special view of the South Island’s striking natural landscape. Take the Tranz Alpine train between Christchurch and Greymouth. See epic vistas, travel the edges of the ice-fed Waimakariri River, traverse the Southern Alps, and see miles of native beech forest.
You’ll cross the remarkabley flat Canterbury Plains overlooked by the majestic Southern Alps before eventually crossing the aqua-blue Waimakariri River. Tunnels, viaducts and feats of railway engineering take you across alpine passes where you’ll then travel through lush lake valleys towards the West Coast of the South Island. This iconic train trip is the journey of a lifetime.
The TranzAlpine is acknowledged as one of the world’s great train journeys. The 223 kilometre (139 mile) one-way trip takes just under 5 hours and connects Christchurch and Greymouth on the West Coast via Arthurs Pass through the Southern Alps.
You’ll find the Church of the Good Shepherd on the shores of Lake Takapō amongst the natural beauty of the lake and the surrounding mountains. Built in 1935, as a memorial church to commemorate early settlers, it is one of the most photographed buildings in the country.
It is a small but beautifully formed church. The charming stone façade is the perfect piece of architectural heritage to add perspective to the wide-open Mackenzie Country landscape. Built as a memorial to the pioneers of the region, the Church has hosted thousands of weddings and seen more than its fair share of visitors.
HRH the Duke of Gloucester laid the foundation stone on January 15 1935. The builders of the church were instructed to leave the site undisturbed. Even the matagouri bushes surrounding the building were to remain.
The Church is interdenominational and services are held throughout the year. The Mackenzie Co-operating Parish oversees the church and photography is not allowed inside the building. Every season the surrounding scenery changes and photographers can capture new perspectives of the church.
“Ata Whenua – Shadowland” (or ‘Fiordland on Film’) is a movie with its own cinema. Te Anau‘s award-winning architecturally designed Fiordland Cinema was built to screen the locally filmed movie in 2004. The large curved screen and state of the art 7.1 Dolby surround sound make viewing this spectacular cinematic experience of Fiordland unforgettable.
The 32 minute movie brings rarely seen Fiordland World Heritage status wilderness to you. It is mysterious, evocative, exhilarating and utterly spectacular. Filmed mostly from helicopter across extremes of season, climate and terrain, it takes you on an unforgettable journey. A cinematic journey through one of the most awe-inspiring landscapes on earth.
This Milford Sound overnight cruise provides astonishing views and the ultimate Milford Sound adventure. You’ll depart from the Milford Sound wharf in the late afternoon and cruise Milford Sound accompanied by our specialist nature guide.
This is a relaxed-style cruise. It allows plenty of time to view the fiord’s spectacular waterfalls, and Fiordland’s rainforest, mountains and wildlife. You’re bound to encounter seals and, if you’re lucky, maybe dolphins and penguins. And your guide will explain the history and geology of the area and be on hand to answer your questions.
Your ship, The Fiordland Navigator then anchors in a sheltered cove. From here you can join the guide and explore in the vessel’s tender (small boat) or kayaks. If you prefer, you can simply relax on deck and soak in the beauty of this amazing place. If you’re feeling brave there’s always the option of a refreshing swim too. All activities are weather dependent.
As evening falls, you’ll enjoy a delicious carvery buffet in the dining saloon — a feast prepared freshly by the on-site chef. Then it’s time to relax in the company of your fellow travellers. Indulge in some star-gazing and story-sharing or simply retire to your private cabin. The next day you’ll be able to dig into a hearty breakfast before heading back out to the Tasman Sea (weather permitting) and exploring more of the fiord.
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