Welcome to Christchurch, New Zealand's Garden City. Flights can arrive any time prior to 4.00pm. After you check in, you can head out and explore Christchurch. This evening, meet your fellow travelling companions and your Travel Director at a welcome reception at your hotel. Stay: Ibis Hotel Christchurch

Drive by AAT Kings coach to Hokitika via Arthur’s Pass, where you will have some time free time to explore. Your final destination for today is the extraordinary Franz Josef Glacier. You may want to get up close to the icy glaciers on an optional helicopter flight. (weather permitting). Tonight, enjoy dinner at your hotel. (B/D) Stay: Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier (Graham Wing)

If weather conditions are unfavourable on Day 2, you will get another chance to fly to the glaciers this morning. Then you will head out of Franz following an ancient greenstone trail. View the sheer drop of Thunder Creek Falls and the grand sight of Mt Hooker, flanked on three sides by extensive glaciers. Travel over Haast Pass, marking a change from the rainforest of the wild West Coast to alpine scenery. From here you will travel further into Central Otago for a day of gorgeous lakes: charming Lake Wanaka, the vivid blue Lake Hawea, then Cromwell, on pristine Lake Dunstan. Taste stonefruit at a local orchard, then visit the faithfully restored gold-mining settlement of Arrowtown, wth its beautiful tree-lined avenues and 19th century wooden buildings. Then it's on to Queenstown, the adventure capital of New Zealand! (B) Stay Two Nights: Copthorne Hotel and Resort Queenstown

Explore exciting Queenstown your way! Ride the Shotover Jet Boat or venture on a Skippers Canyon Scenic Tour; join a Central Otago wine tour, or visit Queenstown's Kiwi Birdlife Park. Your Travel Director will assist in booking your optional experiences. After a day of activity, enjoy a peaceful evening cruise across Lake Wakatipu aboard New Zealand's oldest steamship, TSS Earnslaw, to Walter Peak Station. Partake in a gourmet BBQ Highlight Dinner at Walter Peaks' Colonel's Homestead and then enjoy an entertaining after-dinner farm show. On the cruise back, join a vintage sing-a-long or grab your partner for a dance. (B/D)

Have your camera battery charged: today will be spectacular as you journey to Milford Sound. You will stop at Mirror Lakes, with stunning mountain scenery perfectly reflected in the waters, through rough-hewn Homer Tunnel, to be presented with one of the world's most dramatic alpine drives, down through the Cleddau Valley and its Chasm. Then it's on to cruise Milford Sound, taking in Bowen and Stirling Falls as these plummet from glacial hanging valleys sharply into the sea, and the sheer Mitre Peak, rising from the fiord. After leaving Milford Sound, you will take the stunning journey through the Fiordland National Park and out to Te Anau. This evening you have the opportunity to head across the lake to tour the Glow Worm Caves (optional experience - at own expense). Tonight, enjoy dinner at your hotel. (B/D) Stay: Distinction Luxmore Hotel

Depart Te Anau this morning, and watch the forested, rugged mountains of Fiordland National Park turn into rolling, grassy hills as you head for the city of Dunedin - the Edinburgh of the South. This afternoon, you may wish to see more of the region. Take an optional wildlife cruise out to Otago Peninsula, visit the famous Speights Brewery or ride the historic Taieri Gorge Railway. (B) Stay: Scenic Hotel Dunedin City

After a free morning exploring Dunedin, you will then travel through to the township of Oamaru, with its stately tree-lined streets and famous white limestone buildings. Then you will journey along the Waitaki River, for a photo stop at the Waitaki Hydro Power Scheme and Benmore Dam. Your day finishes in the heart of the Mackenzie Country at Omarama. Tonight, enjoy dinner at your hotel. (B/D) Stay: Heritage Gateway Hotel

You may want to take in Mount Cook, the Southern Alps and Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers on an optional scenic flight this morning (at own expense). Then you will visit the little stone-hewn Church of the Good Shepherd and, this afternoon, head out over the patchwork Canterbury Plains into Christchurch. Enjoy a city sights tour and see how Christchurch is rebuilding after the devastating earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. Pop into the Transitional Cathedral in Latimer Square, the world's only cathedral made substantially of cardboard! Tonight, enjoy a dinner at your hotel. (B/D) Stay: Ibis Hotel Christchurch

Travel along the rugged Pacific Ocean coast this morning to Kaikoura, where sperm whales can often be seen not far from shore (an optional whale-watching flight is available). Pass the pink-tinged ponds of the Lake Grassmere Salt Works, then travel to pretty seaside fishing village of Picton. Tonight enjoy dinner at your hotel. (B/D) Stay: Picton, Beachcomber Inn

Enjoy a quiet start to the day, before you board the Interislander for a scenic cruise north across the Cook Strait. Upon arrival, you will head out on a city sights tour of Wellington taking in New Zealand's parliament buildings, and a visit to Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand, then enjoy some time at leisure. (B) Stay: Travelodge Wellington

Travel along the Kapiti Coast, a traditional summer playground, then enjoy lunch provided by ‘Eat My Lunch', a charity that provides lunch for school children who otherwise would go without. The road unfolds in a broad panorama of stunning Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. An orientation tour of Rotorua takes in views of Lake Rotorua. Later, an evening of culture, history and scrumptious food awaits you at the Tamaki Family Marae. Wander through the ancient forest village and learn about Maori art and traditions, followed by a concert and an authentic Maori Hangi meal. (B/L/D) Stay Two Nights: Ibis Rotorua Hotel

Today is your chance to experience the geothermal wonderland of Rotorua: perhaps visit Te Puia and join a guided tour through the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve, home to famous Pohutu Geyser and bubbling mud pools; and later, perhaps have a soak in the hot mineral waters of the Polynesian Spas. Your Travel Director will assist in booking optional experiences. (B)

This morning you will travel through King Country to Waitomo Caves, to cruise the amazing underground Glow Worm Grotto and walk through the limestone caverns. This afternoon you will follow the meandering Waikato River past the lush farmlands through to the heart of New Zealand's largest city. You will stop at Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial for stunning shots of Auckland, the North Shore and the Waitemata Harbour. This evening enjoy dinner at your hotel. (B/D) Stay: Holiday Inn Express Auckland City

Depart Auckland and head to Paihia in the Bay of Islands. This afternoon discover the stories, people and events that shaped the past, present and future of Aotearoa New Zealand at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. During your tour you will view the world’s largest ceremonial war canoe, the historic Treaty House and carved Meeting House. Stand on the spot where New Zealand’s founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi, was signed in 1840. (B/D) Stay Two Nights: Copthorne Resort Bay of Islands, Garden Rooms

Today is completely free for you to experience the beauty of the Bay of Islands: perhaps take a coach trip up to Cape Reinga, the very top of New Zealand via idyllic Ninety Mile Beach, sail aboard a historic tall ship, enjoy a wine tour of the region, or join a tour of Russell and learn more about the region's history. Tonight, you are free to dine as you wish. Your Travel Director will assist in booking optional experiences. (B)

Enjoy a leisurely morning before you travel back to Auckland. You will journey south to Whangarei, the northernmost city in New Zealand, to wander around the art galleries and through the marina in the Town Basin. Later, enjoy Parry Kauri Park and walk among New Zealand's native giant Kauri trees before arriving into Auckland late afternoon. (B) Stay: Holiday Inn Express Auckland City

Your holiday concludes this morning after breakfast. Your flights can depart any time today. (B)

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. Stay: Ibis Hotel Christchurch

Your New Zealand tour starts on a high as you jump aboard the TranzAlpine train bound for Christchurch, through tunnels and over viaducts with panoramic views of snow-capped peaks, icy rivers, beech forests, gorges and river valleys. Arriving in Hokitika, your outlook is all pounamu (native greenstone or jade). In Māori tradition, it's bad luck to buy this sacred stone for yourself; flutter your eyelids at your loved one.

Things are about to get cool again as you arrive at 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. (B/D) Stay: Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier (Graham Wing)

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. (B) Stay: Copthorne Hotel and Resort Queenstown (2 Nights)

Take today at your own pace. Like things fast and furious? Feel the wind in your hair on the high-octane Shotover Jet, 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. (B/D)

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. And just when you thought things couldn't get any more magical, glowworm-filled caves make an appearance. We highly recommend a visit. (B/D) Stay: Distinction Luxmore Hotel

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 venture further afield to discover the wildlife that thrives in this pretty pocket of the country - fur seals and penguins among them. (B) Stay: Scenic Hotel Dunedin City

Time is on your side this morning. Sleep in or channel your inner royalty on a visit to grand Larnach Castle - the only one of its kind in the country. Dunedin's Scottish ancestry is everywhere you look, from 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. (B/D) Stay: Heritage Gateway Hotel

Your outlook this morning is the Canterbury Plains: the turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo, snow-capped mountains and atmospheric towns. Take it in on an optional scenic flight for added perspective of Southern Alps and on to Franz Josef Glacier/Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere. Back on the ground, 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. Local spirit is strong here. (B/D) Stay: Ibis Hotel Christchurch

There aren't many beaches more dramatic than the black sands of Kaikoura. Bonus points if you spot a sea lion or sperm whale frolicking offshore - a sighting is practically guaranteed if you opt for an aerial tour over the coastline. 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. (B/D) Stay: Picton Beachcomber Inn

Swap wheels for water aboard the Inter-islander 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. Bring your stamina for a session at the award-winning (and eye-opening) Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand. Your final few hours of your Wellington tour should - must - end with a coffee. The city is known for its uber-cool cafés, many of them around Lamberton Quay. (B) Stay: Travelodge Wellington

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.

Tonight, delve deep into Maori culture and traditions at Te Puia. Witness a traditional welcome, followed by a hangi feast cooked underground, and a Maori cultural performance in the beautifully carved meeting house, Te Aronui a Rua. (B/L/D) Stay: Ibis Rotorua Hotel (2 Nights)

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 in the steamy thermal springs at Rotorua's Polynesian Spa. Animal lover? Go behind the scenes on a working kiwi nursery and hatchery. 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. (B)

Set your internal GPS for the Waikato River to enjoy your Waitomo Caves tour. 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. (B/D) Stay: Holiday Inn Express, Auckland

Say goodbye to the ‘City of Sails' as you journey north to New Zealand's dramatic Bay of Islands - 140 droplets of land ringed by turquoise sea. It's undeniably beautiful, but it also holds a special historical secret: this is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, between Captain William Hobson and Māori chiefs. Your guide, likely an ancestor 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. (B/D) Stay: Copthorne Resort Bay of Islands, Garden Rooms (2 Nights)

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, enjoy local drops on a wine tour of the region, or join a tour of Russell and learn more about the settling of the Bay of Islands. (B)

Today, New Zealand's most northerly city is well and truly on your radar. Whangarei is a place where waterfalls meet beaches, galleries meet museums. It's like the country in a tantalizing snapshot - a union of nature and forward-thinking culture. Explore at your leisure before sinking back into your seat for the mesmerizing commute back to Auckland. (B) Stay: Holiday Inn Express, Auckland

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