You’ll have time at leisure this afternoon; you may like to take a stroll along the banks of the Avon River before a Welcome Reception with your Travel Director and fellow travellers. Stay: Ibis Hotel Christchurch

See how Christchurch is has rebuilt itself after the devastating earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, and pop into the Transitional Cathedral, the temporary home of the Christchurch Cathedral built almost entirely of cardboard! Later, travel over the fertile Canterbury Plains to soak up spectacular scenery. You’ll view the famous Church of the Good Shepherd, and stop for a quick photo with the bronze statue of a collie dog. You may wish to view Mount Cook National Park from the air this afternoon on an optional scenic flight. Your day finishes in the heart of the Mackenzie Country at Omarama. (B/D) Stay: Heritage Gateway Hotel

Your day begins with a visit to the Waitaki Hydro Power Scheme, an intricate series of lakes and canals on the mighty Waitaki River, and the monumental spillway of the Benmore Dam. Next, travel to the historic town of Oamaru, with its tree-lined streets and celebrated white limestone buildings. Continue to Dunedin, New Zealand’s southernmost city. (B) Stay: Kingsgate Hotel Dunedin

Travel this morning over the famed stretch of highway known as the Devil’s Staircase before descending to serene Lake Wakatipu. Drive through the towering beeches and rainforest of World Heritage listed Fiordland National Park, catching glimpses of glaciers and soaring mountain ranges. Continue through the hand-hewn Homer Tunnel before arriving in Milford Sound for your overnight cruise. This unforgettable journey takes in cascading waterfalls, hanging glacial valleys, and the sheer pinnacle of Mitre Peak*. (B/D) Stay: Cruise Overnight Milford Sound

Depart this morning for the town of Te Anau, on the shores of the magnificent lake which shares its name and is the largest in the South Island. Cruise to the western shores of Lake Te Anau to the entry of the famous Glowworm Caves to meet your guide. Deep inside you’ll be taken by small boat into a silent hidden grotto inhabited by thousands of glowworms. The glittering display is nothing short of extraordinary. Later, travel on to New Zealand’s adventure capital, Queenstown, for an extended 3-night stay. (B/D) Stay: Copthorne Hotel and Resort Queenstown (3 nights)

Today is free for you to explore exciting Queenstown at your own pace. Plan your own day or you may like to choose one of our optional experiences, including riding the Shotover Jet boat, joining a tour of the region’s popular wineries, or enjoying a popular minibus excursion through rugged Skippers Canyon. This evening, consider a cruise across Lake Wakatipu aboard the iconic vintage steamship TSS Earnslaw for a gourmet barbecue dinner at Walter Peak High Country Farm. (B)

Another full day in Queenstown to tailor your own action-packed agenda. (B)

Your destination today is the wild west coast of the South Island. Stop to visit the gold-mining settlement of Arrowtown, where more than 70 original buildings from the gold-rush era are faithfully preserved. Sample luscious stone fruit in Cromwell and enjoy the serenity of the region’s vivid blue lakes, the most famous of which is tranquil Lake Wanaka. Drive over spectacular Haast Pass, passing the 96-metre Thunder Creek Falls and stopping for a leisurely rainforest walk on your way to the extraordinary Franz Josef Glacier. (B/D) Stay: Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier (Graham Wing)

Explore the glacier from the air or take a glacier hike (both optional experiences). Travel on to Hokitika, home of New Zealand’s famous greenstone. Pounamu (its Māori name) is of great cultural significance in Māori culture and is prized for its strength, durability and beauty. Continue to Punakaiki to view the intriguing Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. You’ll spend the night in an ecofriendly resort right on the waterfront. (B/D) Stay: Punakaiki Resort

The Heritage Highway leads you through scenic wilderness to the plunging Buller Gorge and pristine Kahurangi National Park. This afternoon in Nelson you’ll visit the quirky World of WearableArt and Classic Cars Museum. (B/D) Stay: Grand Mercure Nelson Monaco Hotel and Resort (2 nights)

On this day at leisure, you’ll have the option of journeying to the top of the South Island and embarking on a scenic cruise in the Abel Tasman National Park. You may prefer to take a short bushwalk, relax in sunny Nelson, or explore the town’s many art and craft galleries. (B)

Visit the seaside village of Picton with free time to explore and purchase lunch. Cruise on tranquil Queen Charlotte Sound before heading across Cook Strait to Wellington, New Zealand’s capital. Enjoy a city sights tour, then visit the Māori cultural icon Te Papa Museum of New Zealand, where you’ll explore New Zealand’s nature, art, history and cultural heritage. (B) Stay: Travelodge Wellington (2 nights)

Celebrated as the country’s creative and culinary capital, Wellington is nestled between two of New Zealand’s finest wine regions. Today is yours to explore the city at your own pace. You might like to take an optional experience tour of Parliament or the Weta Workshop, where the special effects for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films were created. Celebrate your holiday at a Farewell Dinner with your new-found friends. (B/D)

Say farewell to your fellow travellers when your holiday comes to an end this morning after breakfast. (B)

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

This morning is free for exploring. See how Christchurch is rebuilding after the devastating earthquakes of 2010 and 2011, and pop into the Transitional Cathedral in Latimer Square, the world's only cathedral made substantially of cardboard! After a Christchurch city sights tour, you will head out over the patchwork Canterbury Plains for spectacular sightseeing across turquoise Lake Tekapo, rugged hills and snow-capped mountains. You will view the little stone-hewn Church of the Good Shepherd, and there is the chance to take a scenic flight out over New Zealand's highest peak, the Southern Alps and on to Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers (optional experience - at own expense). Your day finishes in the heart of the Mackenzie Country at Omarama. Tonight, enjoy dinner at your hotel. (B/D) Stay: Heritage Gateway Hotel

Your day starts with a journey along the Waitaki River, and a photo stop at the Waitaki Hydro Power Scheme and Benmore Dam. The Waitaki River marks the boundary between the regions of Canterbury and Otago, and with its large catchment it is an ideal source of hydro-electric power. You will then travel through to Oamaru, with its stately tree-lined streets and famous white limestone buildings. This afternoon you will reach the country's southernmost city, Dunedin. With the rest of your free afternoon you may choose an optional excursion to see more of the region: take a wildlife cruise out to Otago Peninsula, visit the famous Speights Brewery, or ride the historic Taieri Gorge Railway. (B) Stay: Kingsgate Hotel Dunedin

Have your camera battery charged: today will be spectacular! You will take the scenic journey through the rainforests, beech forests and meadows of Fiordland National Park and out 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 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, for your magical overnight cruise on Milford Sound. (Overnight cruise does not operate 21 May - 15 September. During this period there will be a day cruise on Milford Sound and accommodation in Queenstown or Te Anau.) (B/D) Stay: Cruise Overnight Milford Sound

This morning depart for the township of Te Anau, on the shores of the largest lake on the South Island. Here you'll explore the Te Anau Glow Worm Caves by boat with a Local Guide, before continuing to New Zealand's adventure capital, Queenstown. (B) Stay Three 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)

While Queenstown wears its Global Adventure badge proudly, it's also the perfect place to relax and explore. The town boasts great shopping with luxury brands, iconic New Zealand design stores and boutique fashion. (B)

This morning you will begin the passage through Central Otago and out to Westland, stopping along the way to visit the faithfully restored gold mining settlement of Arrowtown. From here you will travel to Cromwell, alongside the sparkling waters of Lake Dunstan, to taste delicious stonefruit at a local orchard. It is a day of gorgeous lakes, as you travel further into Central Otago to view the vivid blue Lake Hawea, followed by charming Lake Wanaka. You will travel over Haast Pass, changing from alpine scenery to the rainforest marvels of the wild West Coast. View the sheer drop of Thunder Creek Falls and grand Mt Hooker, flanked on three sides by extensive glaciers. Our final destination 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 8, you will get another chance to fly to the glaciers this morning. Then you head off to the drift-wood strewn beaches of Hokitika, to visit a pounamu factory (native greenstone or jade), to see master carvers at work. Maori tradition says it is bad luck to buy pounamu for yourself, so make sure you have someone there to purchase it for you. Then, continue to Punakaiki to view the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes. Tonight you will stay in an eco-friendly, waterfront resort. Enjoy dinner while watching the thundering surf at your doorstep. (B/D) Stay: Punakaiki Resort

Soak up the scenic wilderness of the Heritage Highway through the impressive Buller Gorge and the Kahurangi National Park before arriving in Nelson (B) Stay Two Nights: The Rutherford Hotel

Perhaps enjoy a relaxing cruise in the Abel Tasman National Park, take a short bush walk, relax in sunny Nelson or explore the many arts and craft shops. The choice is yours! (B)

This morning, we travel to the pretty seaside fishing village of Picton where you will have some free time before you board the Interislander for a scenic cruise north across the Cook Strait. Once in Wellington enjoy an evening of leisure, dining as you wish in Wellington. (B) Stay Two Nights: Travelodge Wellington

You have a day at leisure to see the sights of your choice. Perhaps take a tour of Parliament or one of the Lord of the Rings movie tours. Enjoy the cafés or shop till you drop! This evening, enjoy a dinner at your hotel. (B/D)

Your holiday concludes this morning after breakfast. You will be transferred to Wellington Airport for your onward flight. (B)