South Island Highlights

Collect your hire car, a Toyota Camry or similar, and make your way to the Quality Hotel Elms, which is situated a few kilometres from the city centre.

In the afternoon, board one of Christchurch’s famous London-style double decker buses for a one-hour tour of the city centre. This is a chance to learn more about Christchurch’s remarkable history, from its origins as a pioneers’ town to the impact of the 2011 earthquake. Highlights include: the Cashel Street ‘Shipping Container Mall’, New Regent St, Christchurch Cathedral, Canterbury Provincial Chambers, and Hagley Park.

Return to your hotel late afternoon. Evening at leisure.

The nutrient-rich sea around Kaikoura attracts a huge array of sea life, including sperm whales, which can be seen at Kaikoura at almost any time of year. Dolphin, penguin and seals are also sometimes seen, and if you’re very lucky, orca.

After the cruise, continue north along the coast to Blenheim, a lively town in the heart of the Marlborough wine district. Check into the Scenic Hotel Marlborough for two nights in a superior room.

In the afternoon, take the time to explore the Marlborough wine region independently. This is New Zealand's top winemaking area, famous particularly for its Sauvignon Blanc. You can follow a number of trails that take in the most famous wineries—Brancott, St Clair, Alan Scott—or plot your own journey. It’s a beautiful region, and a pleasure to explore at leisure.

There are number of country restaurants where you can stop for lunch or dinner.

While in Nelson, we suggest you take the time to visit Höglund’s Studio, with its famous glass gallery, the fascinating Wearable Arts Museum, and the beautiful Garden of the World. Time-allowing, take a stroll along Tahunanui, the main beach at Nelson.

Late afternoon, check into the Trailways Hotel for two nights.

Spend the day exploring the coast around Kaiteriteri, with its beautiful golden beaches, and the Abel Tasman National Park, which offers a number of popular walking routes. Included today is a cruise through the Marine Reserve to Tonga Island, the site of a huge seal colony. The boat travels along the coast as far as Totaranui, and you can get off at several stops along the way to relax on the beach or go for a swim.

We recommend that you spend the morning cruising, and then in the afternoon disembark at Bark or Onetahuti Bay and walk back through the rainforest to Kaiteriteri. However, you have a great deal of flexibility in how you plan your day. If you’re not keen on walking, you can spend the whole day on the boat or enjoying a scenic coastal drive!

Late afternoon, drive back to Nelson.

Continue south through the Inangahua Junction and follow the Buller River until it reaches the coast. If time allows, you may want to take the time to visit the seal colony at Cape Foulwind, just outside Westport, before carrying on down the coast to Punakaiki to see the famous pancake rocks.

In the afternoon, drive to Greymouth, the largest settlement on the West Coast, with stunning views of the Tasmin Sea along the way. You may like to stop here and visit one of Greymouth’s many jade factories, where jade stone mined locally is crafted into jewellery.

Late afternoon, continue your journey south, through pockets of forest and arable land to the small settlement of Franz Josef. Surrounded by mountains, Franz Josef is famous for its eponymous glacier, which extends from the vast snowfields at the peak of the Southern Alps almost to sea level. To really get a feel for the scale of the glacier, consider a scenic helicopter flight with the option of a snow landing (additional cost).

Overnight at the Hotel Franz Josef Glacier in a Graham Wing room.

Wanaka is a scenic all-year resort town set on the shores of Lake Wanaka. It is especially popular with New Zealander’s vacationing in the summer months. Once you arrive in town, check in at the Edgewater Resort for one night.

From Cromwell, continue to Queenstown, passing the rugged Kawarau Gorge. Set on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown is New Zealand’s premier year-round alpine resort.

Check into the Heartland Hotel for 2 nights.

In the evening, head to the Skyline Restaurant—accessed by an aerial gondola—for dinner and a marvellous view of the city, mountains and lake.

This is a region of towering mountains and cascading waterfalls, of deep valleys carved out by ice glaciers and dense woodland. Milford Road, widely regarded as one of the most scenic routes in New Zealand, takes you through the heart of the park, past the Mirror Lakes and the Chasm, where you’ll want to stop to admire the view, to Milford Sound.

Aim to arrive at Milford Sound in the afternoon. On arrival, board the MV Milford Mariner for an overnight cruise. The cruise covers the full length of the Milford Sound to the Tasman Sea. You’ll have the chance to stop and explore a number of natural landmarks and admire the beauty of the region in the company of an experienced naturalist guide. Depending on the weather conditions, it is usually possible to explore the shoreline by kayak.

The Milford Mariner moors overnight in Harrison Cove. Dinner is a delicious four-course meal.

NB. the Milford Mariner overnight cruises are not available between late May and Sept. During this period, you would instead stay at Te Anau (with the option of a day cruise on Milford Sound.)

From Te Anau it is a four hour drive to Dunedin on the eastern coast, a journey that takes you across the Southland and through some characteristically beautiful countryside.

On arrival in Dunedin, check into Hotel Cargills for two nights.

This morning, head to the Otago Peninsula for a visit to the Royal Albatross colony, nesting grounds for thousands of the seabirds. (NB. The observatory closes between September and November). In the afternoon, drive to Penguin Place, where you can catch a glimpse of the rare Yellow Eyed Penguin from wildlife hides.

You’ll have plenty of time to stop and admire the scenery, and to briefly explore the town of Twizel, before you reach Mt Cook in the afternoon. On arrival, check into the Hermitage Hotel for one night in the Mt Cook Wing.

Home to several of New Zealand’s largest peaks, the Mt Cook National Park is a walker’s paradise. This afternoon you’ll have time to journey along some of the shorter trails close to the hotel. If you’re not a keen walker, there’s also the option of a scenic flight over the summits (at additional cost).

Continue over Burkes Pass and on to the fertile Canterbury Plains as you approach Christchurch City. 

Overnight at Hotel Elms.