Southern Spectacular
Southern calling? This trip to New Zealand unites some of the country’s most fabled playgrounds – think adventure-filled Queenstown tours, a World Heritage listed Milford Sound/Piopiotahi tour and possible gem-like Franz Josef/Waiau tours – with some of its must off-the-radar pockets. Have you heard of the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks, or glimpsed the turquoise lakes outside Twizel?
- 22 Sep 2026 – 01 Oct 2026
from $6,768 pp twin share * - 06 Oct 2026 – 15 Oct 2026
from $6,835 pp twin share * - 13 Oct 2026 – 22 Oct 2026
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 20 Oct 2026 – 29 Oct 2026
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 27 Oct 2026 – 05 Nov 2026
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 03 Nov 2026 – 12 Nov 2026
from $6,835 pp twin share * - 10 Nov 2026 – 19 Nov 2026
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 17 Nov 2026 – 26 Nov 2026
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 24 Nov 2026 – 03 Dec 2026
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 01 Dec 2026 – 10 Dec 2026
from $6,835 pp twin share * - 08 Dec 2026 – 17 Dec 2026
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 15 Dec 2026 – 24 Dec 2026
from $6,835 pp twin share * - 22 Dec 2026 – 31 Dec 2026
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 05 Jan 2027 – 14 Jan 2027
from $6,835 pp twin share * - 12 Jan 2027 – 21 Jan 2027
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 19 Jan 2027 – 28 Jan 2027
from $6,835 pp twin share * - 26 Jan 2027 – 04 Feb 2027
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 02 Feb 2027 – 11 Feb 2027
from $6,835 pp twin share * - 09 Feb 2027 – 18 Feb 2027
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 16 Feb 2027 – 25 Feb 2027
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 23 Feb 2027 – 04 Mar 2027
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 02 Mar 2027 – 11 Mar 2027
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 09 Mar 2027 – 18 Mar 2027
from $6,835 pp twin share * - 16 Mar 2027 – 25 Mar 2027
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 23 Mar 2027 – 01 Apr 2027
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 30 Mar 2027 – 08 Apr 2027
from $6,972 pp twin share * - 06 Apr 2027 – 15 Apr 2027
from $6,835 pp twin share * - 13 Apr 2027 – 22 Apr 2027
from $6,970 pp twin share * - 27 Apr 2027 – 06 May 2027
from $6,970 pp twin share * - 21 Sep 2027 – 30 Sep 2027
from $6,970 pp twin share *
* Prices and category availability are subject to change without notice.
Itinerary
- Day 1 – Welcome to Christchurch:
At once forward-thinking and fun, Christchurch is the kind of city you could lose yourself in for a week – or more. You have this afternoon, so make the most of it. Freshen up because it’s time to meet your fellow adventure-seekers over a couple of wines and canapés. - Day 2 – Christchurch – Twizel:
If you didn’t get your bearings yesterday, you certainly will on today’s Christchurch tour, taking in the city’s record-breaking Cardboard Cathedral – who knew you could build a church from cardboard and not much else? – as well as past the gilded library, gleaming like an architectural beacon. The buildings of the city fade into a patchwork of farms as you ease across the Canterbury Plains towards Lake Tekapo. Here, retired farmers Angie and Stan Taylor welcome you to their home with a slap-up Be My Guest afternoon tea and tales about life on the land. And this land is truly dramatic, backdropped by powdery mountains and cut with turquoise lakes, none quite as pretty as Lake Tekapo, on its banks the stone-hewn Church of the Good Shepherd. It’s like someone has taken the glasses off your nose and cleaned them for the first time. - Day 3 – Twizel – Dunedin:
Oamaru has a rich history and proud heritage, enriched by passionate and perhaps quirky locals. Explore the shops, galleries and traditional crafts within some of the Southern Hemisphere’s most complete Victorian streetscapes. You’re en route to Dunedin, replete with rolling green meadows and a grand stone castle. It kind of feels like you’ve been transported to Scotland – small wonder it’s known as the ‘Edinburgh of the South’. Afternoon at your leisure, you could visit a sustainable gin distillery, or tour Larnach Castle, A NZ holiday must. - Day 4 – Dunedin – Te Anau:
Leave Dunedin’s pastoral sheep-farming countryside behind as you venture into World Heritage listed Fiordland National Park, a place of yawning gorges and gem-like glaciers, and azure lakes so large they have their own islands. Case in point Pomona Island, where a charitable trust of passionate volunteers works to restore flora and fauna on this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. With your help. You’ll take a thrilling jet boat ride down the Waiau River to Lake Manapouri and if that’s not enough water for one day, you may choose to cruise to the iconic Glowworm Caves (own expense). Can we tempt you? - Day 5 – Te Anau – Queenstown:
Nature rules again today, from the moment you depart Te Anau and begin your journey deep into the heart of Fiordland National Park. Think native rainforests, beech forests, alluvial flats and meadows; Mirror Lakes perfectly reflecting mountain scenery; and precipitous lookouts holding guard over alpine rivers. And this is just the entrée. The main course is your Milford Sound/Piopiotahi tour, where you cruise in the company of fur seals that bask on the rocks, and gaze at misty escarpments so sheer they appear to cleave off the edge of the Earth. You’re in the company of a naturalist who knows every nook and cranny of this mighty cavern and will point out flora and fauna you would have never spotted on your own. - Day 6 – Queenstown Free Time:
Take today at your own pace. Like things fast and furious? Feel the wind in your hair on a high-octane jet boat ride, perhaps. Prefer wine to get your heart started? See why Central Otago makes some of the world’s most raved about cool-climate pinots on a cellar door tour (both own expense). Wherever your Queenstown New Zealand tour wanderings take you, you’ll reunite with your companions come dusk to glide across Lake Wakatipu aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw, your barbecue Highlight Dinner served on the grounds of Walter Peak High Country Farm. Trips to New Zealand don’t get much tastier than this. - Day 7 – Queenstown – Franz Josef/Waiau:
In the shadow of the Remarkables, Queenstown is pretty spectacular. But it has some stiff good-looks competition from neighbouring Arrowtown, with its movie-set tree-lined avenues and 19th-century buildings that once housed gold-rush fortune-seekers. Things grow well in this verdant countryside, from cherries to pinot grapes and all manner of stone fruit at a roadside stall run by the interminable Mrs Jones, a local institution. Prepare for a flavour explosion. The next explosion is a visual one as you arrive in the town of Franz Josef/Waiau, home to Franz Josef Glacier/Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere. Get some perspective of this immense ice fall on a scenic helicopter flight – you may even get to land on it (own expense). - Day 8 – Franz Josef/Waiau – Punakaiki:
Wandering Hokitika’s windswept shore on the West Coast feels a bit like you’ve discovered the end of the Earth. Then soak in the natural surroundings as you head to Punakaiki to view the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes, where waves thunder through cracks in the Earth. This is the soundtrack that lulls you to sleep at tonight’s eco-resort. - Day 9 – Punakaiki – Christchurch:
Join us at Ponaumu Pathway. Delve into the history and culture of the local Maori (Poutini Ngai Tahu) and the Mawhera Pa settlement. Embark on a unique self-guided journey, as you make your way through this extraordinary storytelling experience born from a collaboration with the Weta Workshop. An inspiring and unforgettable cultural experience. We’ve got you sorted for lunch at legendary Monteith’s Brewery. You only live once, right? The best is yet to come – all aboard for the scenic TranzAlpine train from Arthur’s Pass back to Christchurch. Travel through tunnels and over viaducts, with panoramic views of snow-capped peaks, icy rivers, beech forests, gorges and river valleys. Your NZ tour arrives in Christchurch just in time for dinner. - Day 10 – Farewell from Christchurch:
The last 10 days of your NZ holiday flew by. Return home with new friends, a full SD card on your camera – and even more memories.
Highlights
- Explore Queenstown’s thrilling activities.
- Marvel at the World Heritage-listed Milford Sound.
- Uncover hidden gems like the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks.
Southern calling? This trip to New Zealand unites some of the country’s most fabled playgrounds – think adventure-filled Queenstown tours, a World Heritage listed Milford Sound/Piopiotahi tour and possible gem-like Franz Josef/Waiau tours – with some of its must off-the-radar pockets. Have you heard of the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks, or glimpsed the turquoise lakes outside Twizel?
Inclusions
- Enjoy a Be My Guest afternoon tea at the home of the Pavlova Queen at Lake Tekapo MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience – Embark on a thrilling jet boat ride where your participation contributes to a local conservation project Embark on a cruise in Milford Sound/Piopiotahi and admire towering cliffs, cascading waterfalls, and untouched fiord scenery in Fiordland National Park Cruise Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak on TSS Earnslaw Steamship Relish a gourmet BBQ dinner and farm show at Walter Peak High Country Farm See Franz Josef Glacier from a panoramic viewpoint Visit Pancake Rocks and stay at an Eco Resort located on the beach at Punakaiki Tour Pounamu Pathway, a cultural journey celebrating New Zealand’s treasured greenstone and its deep spiritual significance to Māori Experience one of the world’s great train journeys aboard the TranzAlpine through the Southern Alps View the Church of the Good Shepherd at Lake Tekapo.
- Day 1 highlights Welcome to Christchurch: At once forward-thinking and fun, Christchurch is the kind of city you could lose yourself in for a week – or more. You have this afternoon, so make the most of it. Freshen up because it’s time to meet your fellow adventure-seekers over a couple of wines and canapés.
- Day 2 highlights Christchurch – Twizel: If you didn’t get your bearings yesterday, you certainly will on today’s Christchurch tour, taking in the city’s record-breaking Cardboard Cathedral – who knew you could build a church from cardboard and not much else? – as well as past the gilded library, gleaming like an architectural beacon. The buildings of the city fade into a patchwork of farms as you ease across the Canterbury Plains towards Lake Tekapo. Here, retired farmers Angie and Stan Taylor welcome you to their home with a slap-up Be My Guest afternoon tea and tales about life on the land. And this land is truly dramatic, backdropped by powdery mountains and cut with turquoise lakes, none quite as pretty as Lake Tekapo, on its banks the stone-hewn Church of the Good Shepherd. It’s like someone has taken the glasses off your nose and cleaned them for the first time.
FAQs
- Distinction Christchurch Hotel
- Distinction Mackenzie Country Hotel Twizel
- Distinction Te Anau Hotel and Villas
- Millennium Hotel, Queenstown
- Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier
- Scenic Hotel Punakaiki
- Scenic Hotel Southern Cross
How long is this journey?
This itinerary runs for 10 days and 9 nights.
When can I travel?
Departures are currently scheduled between 22 Sep 2026 and 13 Apr 2028, subject to live availability.
Are there different departure options?
Yes, multiple departures may be available depending on your preferred travel period.
Are discounts available?
Seasonal or loyalty discounts may be available on selected departures at the time of enquiry.
What is generally included?
Inclusions typically cover guided touring and selected experiences, with exact details listed in the itinerary.
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