On arrival in Auckland, collect your rental car at the airport and drive to your hotel. Distance 30 mins from Auckland Airport.

Hotel check in time 2pm. At own leisure.

Auckland is already known for being the largest city in New Zealand, however, the region's uniqueness is its diversity of experiences in such close proximity. Views from the top of the Sky Tower (own expenses) are amzing both day and night, giving a 360 degrees view of the city. Auckland is a shopaholic's paradise, with everything from top-end designers to open air street markets. Discover the diverse range of cafes and restaurants offering cuisine from around the globe and check out the buzzing nightlife of the central city. Favourite spots include Wynyard Quarter, the Viaduct Harbour, the Britomart precinct and City Works Depot.

After breakfast, check out hotel and cruise down the southern motorway, suburban scenery gradually gives way to the farmland of South Auckland, an area favoured by bloodstock breeders. You’ll enjoy motorway speeds all the way to Bombay, a major market gardening area.

The Waitomo Caves region is famous for its subterranean splendour. Beneath the surface of this ancient limestone region is a series of vast cave systems decorated with stalactites, stalagmites and glow-worms. Admission included to Waitomo Glowworm Caves 45min guided tour. 

Continue to Matamata for a charming tour of unique, character Hobbit homes, gardens and the watering hole just as you see in the movies.
Guided tour of the famous Hobbiton Movie Set 2hrs, located inside a picturesque 1,250 acre sheep and beef farm near Matamata. Here, the village of Hobbiton was carefully created in amazing detail as a film location for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie trilogies.

• Please report to The Shire's Rest ticketing centre no later than 15 minutes before your tour is due to depart. This is a fully guided walking tour and sensible footwear is recommended. 

NOTE: Both Glowworm Caves tour & Hobbiton Movie Set tour require to pre-book tour and prefered time to avoid disappointment.

Your journey from Waitomo to Rotorua will take you through a mixture of farmland, lakeland and forest. Te Kuiti is the only major town you’ll encounter, so stock up on picnic supplies if you plan to eat before Rotorua. The beautiful Pureora Forest Park, which is home to several rare bird species, has a number of well marked walking tracks.

The city of Rotorua sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and there is evidence of volcanic activity everywhere you look. Rotorua is also the  tribal home of the Te Arawa people, who settled in lakeside geothermal areas more than 600 years ago. In any weather and at any time of year, Rotorua offers plenty to see and do.

Rotorua is known for bubbling mud pools, shooting geysers and natural hot springs, as well as showcasing our fascinating Maori culture. Today you'll visit one of the local geothermal attractions before a sensory evening display in the forest.

Waimangu Geothermal Valley - Waimangu connects people with the beating heart of the world’s youngest geothermal valley, its unique history and legacy. Discover how the world began. Experience spectacular volcanic craters, enormous hot water springs, beautiful geothermal features, rare and unusual plant life, brilliantly coloured micro biology and a wide array of birds. Become immersed in the stories of the Mt Tarawera volcanic eruption, its people, and the resulting dramatic landscape changes that created the world’s youngest geothermal park. Explore Waimangu at your own pace on the easy, mainly downhill, 1.5km walk.

Redwoods Treewalk Nightlights - Forest and fantasy come to life within this magical illuminated evening treewalk. Redwoods Nightlights™ is one of New Zealand’s top design led tourism experiences. Set high amongst the giant redwood trees, 30 exquisite lanterns float above the forest floor. Enjoy the mesmerising forest at night on a 40 minute award-winning, eco-tourism walk that spans 28 platforms and suspension bridges. Suitable for all ages and perfect for those looking for things to do in Rotorua at night.

Return car rental at Rotorua airport. Rotorua to Christchurch domestic flight not included and can be purchase online ( own arrangement ) via Air New Zealand.

Arrive Christchurch airport, collect your rental car and drive to hotel. Hotel check in time 1400pm.

Located an 8 minute walk from Christchurch Airport or 20 minute drive from central Christchurch. See, touch, feel and fall in love with Antarctica at the International Antarctic Centre (own expense) where a slice of this astounding continent can be experienced. Brave an Antarctic storm, go off-road in a Hagglund Antarctic vehicle ride, befriend a husky dog, enjoy the 4D theatre experience and mingle with the little blue penguins. Experience Antarctica from all four dimensions and leave with a head full of knowledge and a heart full of love and inspiration. Just like the explorers before you. Allow 2-3 hours.

Depart across the Canterbury Plains, a fertile patchwork made with every shade of green, through the spectacular scenery of Arthurs Pass National Park and on to the West Coast.  New Zealand’s rugged West Coast is a wild and untamed place known for its rivers, rainforests, glaciers and geological treasures. Here, mighty rivers of solid white ice, relics of the world’s last ice-age, tumble down the rocky valleys.

*Add - Tranz Alpine Train, Christchurch to Greymouth*
~ Shuttle transfer from hotel to CHC train station and you will take the TranzAlpine train from Christchurch to Greymouth.
~ The train departs Christchurch daily at 8:15am and arrives in Greymouth at 12:45pm.
~ When arrive into Greymouth pick up a rental car and drive to Fox Glacier (approximately 2.5 hours’ drive).

A full day at leisure ( Free & Easy) to explore this magnificent glacier region.

Visit Punakaiki Pancake Rocks or, for an absolute bucket list experience, add a scenic flight with a glacier landing and a thrilling hike to your itinerary. 

Named after Sir William Fox, New Zealand’s Prime Minister from 1869 to 1872, Fox Glacier describes both the glacier and the nearby village. To see the glacier, you can walk to the terminal face, arrange an ice-hiking adventure or book a sightseeing flight. Close to Fox Glacier is beautiful Lake Matheson, one of the most photographed lakes in New Zealand. On a clear day it reflects Mount Cook. Fox Glacier township has a good range of shops and eateries.

Franz Josef Glacier was first explored in 1865 by geologist Julius von Haast, who named it after the Austrian emperor. The glacier is five kilometres from the town of the same name, and a 20 minute walk will take you to its terminal face. From the glacier car park, you can hike to a choice of lookout points for a bigger view of this awesome river of ice. If you want to actually make contact with the glacier, take a guided ice walk or a heli-hike. Aerial sightseeing is another option. There's a range of natural attractions in close proximity to Franz Josef Glacier Village. Lose yourself in the rainforests, waterfalls, and lakes. In the town you’ll find places to eat, or relax at the glacier hot pools or explore the wildlife centre. At nearby Lake Mapourika there are kayaks for hire.

Travel down the West Coast past spectacular mountain ranges, native forests and lakes to the Haast Pass, gateway to the World Heritage Westland National Park. Continue around the shores of Lake Hawea to arrive in Wanaka early afternoon.

Puzzling World (optional activity) - With a mix of bizzare buildings, rooms of illusion and the world famous Great Maze, this attraction is designed to baffle your brain and challenge your perceptions of reality. Challenging minds of all ages with its themes of wonder and trickery. Puzzling World is designed to fascinate families, children and adults of all ages... allow 1 to 2 hours for your visit.

We recommend stopping for a break, and to stretch the legs, at Makarora’s Blue Pools.

Spend the evening strolling by the lake, enjoy the boutique shops and cafés. Queenstown is a relatively small town so walking is a great way to get around.

Magnificent vistas and majestic mountains dominate this compact alpine resort town and with such an expansive natural physical environment it is not surprising that Queenstown has been described as the Adventure Capital of the World.

Today is a free day to add some of the endless optional activities on offer.

Milford Sound Scenic Cruise, Milford: Take an unforgettable journey into the heart of Milford Sound, New Zealand's most famous tourist destination. Enter the Eglinton Valley and travel through the breath taking man made Homer Tunnel to reach Milford Sound. You'll experience the world-famous fiord in all its natural glory – surrounded by dense rainforest, glacier-carved valleys and beautiful waterfalls. Enjoy a cruise on this world famous fiord, dominated by Mitre Peak and the cascading Bowen Falls.

• Departs: 1.00pm - 2.40pm (subject to change)
• Duration: 1hr 40mins
• Departure Point: Milford Sound Visitor Terminal

Drive yourself to Milford: Milford Sound is around 4-5 hours (one-way) from Queenstown. Also, leave plenty of time to stop at the many scenic trails and lookouts along the way. Make sure you fill your vehicle with petrol in Te Anau before travelling to Milford (there are no petrol stations at Milford Sound or en route). There are free and paid car parking options at Milford Sound.

Leaving Queenstown, travel north through the historic gold mining region of the rugged Kawarau River Gorge and past Cromwell, famed for its fruit-growing. Skirting the shores of Lake Dunstan, cross the Lindis Pass to Omarama for morning tea (own expense). Travel north to Twizel and carry on to Mt Cook Village; the drive will quite literally amaze you. The road follows the turquoise shores of Lake Pukaki. Continue through the rugged high country landscape of the Mackenzie Basin to arrive at Mount Cook Village, where you can gaze up at the 3,724 metre-high mountain Aoraki / Mount Cook, an important landmark in Māori mythology.

At night time the Stardome experience is popular. Located in Tekapo at the Dark Sky Experience ( extra activity) brings science, Māori heritage and fascinating multi-media installations together in a ‘Big Bang’ of awe and inspiration. At Dark Sky Project, manuhiri (visitors) are connected to New Zealand’s night skies, igniting a lifelong passion for dark sky preservation and what lies above.

Today you travel to Christchurch via Geraldine and Ashburton.

Be sure to stop for a while at Lake Tekapo where the ‘Church of the Good Shepherd’ takes pride of place against the backdrop of a vivid blue glacier-fed lake, it's one of the most popular photo spots in this area.

Geraldine is home to the famous Barkers of Geraldine, a store offering delicious jams, chutneys and syrups; try a sample or buy a gift pack to take home. The town also boasts two chocolate shops which are well worth a visit.

Take the time to explore the bustling farming town of Ashburton. If gardens are your thing you can’t miss Trots Garden, a Garden of National Significance graded by The Royal Institute of Horticulture. Lake Hood, on the outskirts of Ashburton, enjoy coffee or dining at the lakefront restaurant and watch the world go by.

Once in Christchurch, take the time to find out what makes this ever-evolving city unique. Christchurch is brimming with innovativeness and creativity as it rebuilds after the earthquakes of 2011. Visit the transitional Cathedral made of cardboard, or the pavilion made from pallets which hosts events most days of the week. The city boasts new and diverse restaurants, cafes, bars and night clubs.

And of course Christchurch's iconic activities are still a favourite, showing off its old-English charm. Visit the stunning botanic gardens, enjoy a relaxing punt on the Avon River, and ride the historic tram.

Your arrangements conclude today. Hotel check out time 1000am.

Your rental car should be dropped off at the airport, by the same time as it was picked up on Day 1, to avoid any additional charges. Reantal car 'days' are based on a 24hrs-hire.