New Zealand Odyssey

Tour Itinerary

• Day 1 • Fly to New Zealand

  You’ll fly to Auckland, New Zealand via the UAE.

• Day 2 • Onboard the aircraft

  Today will be spent travelling to Auckland with a stop-over at Dubai airport.

• Day 3 • Arrive in Auckland

  Touch down on New Zealand’s North Island this morning and meet your local tour manager before transferring to your centrally located hotel, beneath the Sky Tower. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure to settle in.

• Day 4 • Tour of Auckland

  After breakfast, join your tour manager for a morning exploring Auckland, starting at Bastion Point for panoramic harbour views and the Savage Memorial, then drive along Tāmaka Drive to stylish Parnell, passing Okahu Bay and Judges’ Bay, before visiting the Viaduct Harbour to learn why Auckland is called the ‘City of Sails,’ and finally return to your hotel for an afternoon at leisure to enjoy the waterside promenades, restaurants, and shops.

• Day 5 • Parry Kauri Park and the Waitangi Treaty Grounds

  After breakfast, check out and journey north through coastal farmland to Warkworth’s Parry Kauri Park, where you’ll admire ancient kauri trees like the towering McKinney Kauri and learn about their cultural significance in Māori tradition, then continue to Paihia on the Bay of Islands, considered the birthplace of New Zealand, and explore the Waitangi Treaty Grounds with an escorted tour of the marae, the carved meeting house, the world’s largest ceremonial waka Ngātokimatawhaorua, and the interactive museum, before heading to your waterfront hotel nearby.

• Day 6 • Bay of Islands Cruise

  After an early breakfast, set out for a Bay of Islands cruise, exploring its 144 subtropical islets beginning at Cape Brett with its rugged granite cliffs and historic lighthouse overlooking Otuwangha Island, then continuing to Piercy Island (Motu Kōkako) to pass through the striking Grand Cathedral Cave, keeping an eye out for marine life such as manta rays and migratory orcas, before stopping at Urupukapuka Island for free time to explore its scenic walking trails or relax at the beachfront café, with the option to return to Paihia or continue by ferry to Russell (payable locally).

• Day 7 • Scenic drive to Rotorua

  After breakfast, depart Paihia and journey south toward Rotorua, enjoying views of Auckland’s verdant farmland, rural towns, and the Bombay Hills, before passing through Matamata near the Hobbiton film set and traversing Fitzgerald’s Glade and the Mamaku Plateau to reach Rotorua. Upon arrival and hotel check-in, join your tour manager for a brief orientation tour of the town, including views of Lake Rotorua and the Government Gardens with its striking Rotorua Museum building, before spending the remainder of the day at leisure to explore the town or relax at the hotel.

• Day 8 • Hobbiton, National Kiwi Sanctuary and Te Puia Springs

  After breakfast, enjoy a morning at leisure with the option to visit the hotel spa or stroll along Rotorua’s lakefront, or join an optional excursion to the Hobbiton filming set at Matamata, exploring the Shire with its hobbit holes, Bag End, and the Green Dragon Inn, before returning to Rotorua. In the afternoon, visit New Zealand’s National Kiwi Hatchery to see the hatchlings and learn about conservation efforts, then continue to Te Puia geothermal park for a guided tour of the Whakarewarewa Thermal Valley, with its steaming lakes, colourful mud pools, silica terraces, and the active Pohutu Geyser. The day concludes with a Te Po cultural experience featuring live Māori performances, a haka demonstration, a visit to the Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, and a traditional buffet dinner at the park’s restaurant.

• Day 9 • Scenic drive to Wellington via Taupo

  After breakfast, depart through Kaingaroa, New Zealand’s largest pine forest, pausing first at the thundering Huka Falls with its whitewater rapids before continuing to Taupo, the lakeside town on the country’s largest lake. Cross the Tongariro Volcanic Plateau, admiring the colourful alpine peaks and spotting the cones of the active volcanoes Tongariro, Ruapehu, and Ngauruhoe, before descending towards the scenic Kapiti Coast and arriving in Wellington, New Zealand’s stylish capital. Upon arrival, take in the city’s iconic architecture, including a drive past Parliament House and the Beehive, and end the day with a leisurely cable car ride up to Kelburn for panoramic views over the harbour and surrounding hillside suburbs.

• Day 10 • South Island and Local Winery Visit

  Draw your time on North Island to a close this morning with breakfast in Wellington before crossing the Cook Strait by ferry. During the sailing, you’ll soak up your first few sights of the South Island’s magnificent coastal vistas, passing through Marlborough Sounds, a vast series of drowned sea valleys. Later, moor at the lively harbour town of Picton before heading further inland aboard a coach through wine-making Blenheim. Here, you’ll stop at an award-winning winery where you’ll learn about Marlborough’s rapidly developing vineyards before sampling some of the finest local labels. You’ll then pass through the Rai Valley before reaching Nelson, New Zealand’s largest fishing port and a popular artists’ retreat on the exquisite Tasman Bay.

• Day 11 • Abel Tasman National Park

  After breakfast, set out for a day in one of South Island’s most stunning natural areas, Abel Tasman National Park. Begin with a scenic cruise along the park’s northern coastline, taking in its golden beaches, rugged granite cliffs, and sparkling waters, while keeping an eye out for seals, dolphins, kororās (the world’s smallest penguins), and vibrant native birds. Pause at Anchorage, where you can choose to explore on foot, including a 90-minute hike along the Pitt Head Loop Trail through lush manuka forests and dense bush, ending at the picturesque Te Pukatea Bay. Afterwards, reboard the vessel and enjoy a complimentary packed lunch on the return journey to Nelson.

• Day 12 • Scenic drive to Christchurch via Hammer Springs

  After breakfast, leave Nelson behind and travel towards Christchurch, enjoying South Island’s spectacular mountain scenery along the way. Pass through Brightwater, once home to pioneering nuclear physicist Lord Rutherford, before continuing through the lush forests of Golden Downs. Journey on to the remote gold rush town of Murchison on the Four Rivers Plain, known for its powerful whitewater rapids. Drive through the colourful beech forests of Maruia, preserved from large-scale deforestation after major protests in the 1970s, and then climb through the scenic Lewis Pass with its dramatic mountain valleys. Stop in the alpine village of Hanmer Springs for lunch (payable locally) before crossing the vast Canterbury Plains, New Zealand’s largest area of flat lowland, and arriving in historic Christchurch.

• Day 13 • Christchurch

  After breakfast, join your tour manager for an introduction to Christchurch, the ‘Garden City’, and learn how it has rebuilt following the devastating 2011 earthquake. Highlights include the innovative Cardboard Cathedral, designed with lightweight tubes to better withstand tremors, and the city’s art gallery, which served as Civil Defence headquarters during the disaster. Pause at the Bridge of Remembrance and the Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial to honour the victims, then continue to New Regent Street for time to browse its colourful Spanish-style boutiques. Later, stroll through the famous botanical gardens and enjoy a traditional punt ride along the River Avon with a guide in period dress. You’ll also receive a full-day tram pass, leaving the rest of the day free to explore the city at leisure.

• Day 14 • Twizel via Mount Cook National Park

  After breakfast in Christchurch, travel across the fertile Canterbury Plains towards Dunedin. Pass through the historic town of Burke’s Pass and continue into the Mackenzie Country, once a centre of Otago’s gold rush, stopping at the Church of the Good Shepherd for views over Lake Tekapo. Journey alongside the glacial waters of Lake Pukaki to Mount Cook Village, where you can admire the 3,700-metre Mount Cook, Australasia’s tallest peak, or take an optional 20-minute helicopter flight over the glaciers and snow-capped peaks of Mount Cook National Park, including a landing on a high mountain snowfield. Later, continue to the small town of Twizel for your overnight stay.

• Day 15 • Drive to Dunedin

  Your destination today will be South Island’s charming Scottish enclave, Dunedin, known as the ‘Edinburgh of the South’. Start your journey after breakfast with a drive along Omarama’s Waitaki River, passing the towering Aviemore and Benmore hydroelectric dams. Take a break in coastal Oamaru, home to impressive streetscapes adorned in the town’s characteristic local limestone. A short way further south, you’ll come to Moeraki, a seaside village made famous for its peculiar spherical boulders before passing through the Otago Hills to welcoming Dunedin where you’ll stay for the next two nights.

• Day 16 • Dunedin city tour

  After breakfast, discover Dunedin’s strong Scottish heritage on a guided tour of its historic highlights. Visit the University of Otago, New Zealand’s oldest university, admire the neo-Gothic buildings around the Octagon and its 19th-century town hall, and stop at St. Paul’s Cathedral and the statue of Robert Burns. The afternoon is free to explore further, with options including the Museum of Natural Mysteries or the Public Art Gallery, or an optional wildlife excursion along the Otago Peninsula. Here you may see sea lions before visiting Taiaroa Head’s Royal Albatross Centre to learn about the Northern Royal Albatross and observe these impressive seabirds, followed by a chance to search for the rare yellow-eyed penguin at a nearby conservation centre before returning to Dunedin.

• Day 17 • Te Anau Caves and Cavern House

  After breakfast, travel through Otago’s dairy-farming heartland and the Taieri Plains towards Te Anau, watching fertile pastures give way to rugged grasslands and mountain deer farms. On arrival in this gateway to Fiordland National Park, cross Lake Te Anau – the South Island’s largest lake – to visit the Cavern House centre and learn about the region’s caves and unique glowworms. Then descend with a guide into the 12,000-year-old limestone cave system to see sculpted rock formations and underground waterfalls, finishing with a small boat ride through a glowworm-lit grotto before returning across the lake to your hotel for check-in.

• Day 18 • Milford Sound cruise

  Explore the UNESCO-listed Fiordland National Park with a drive through dramatic glacial valleys to Milford Sound, where a scenic cruise reveals snow-capped peaks, temperate rainforests and tranquil waters carved by ice age glaciers over two million years. Look out for seals, dolphins and the occasional Southern Right Whale while enjoying a packed lunch on board. Highlights include Bowen and Stirling Falls, the fjord’s only permanent waterfalls, and the towering Mitre Peak at its mouth. After sailing back along the fjord, return by coach through Cleddeau Gorge, Eglinton Valley and the Homer Tunnel to Te Anau, before continuing to the alpine town of Queenstown.

• Day 19 • Queenstown

  Spend your final full day at leisure in Queenstown, perhaps riding the gondola to the Skyline Queenstown Skydeck for sweeping mountain views or strolling along the shores of Lake Wakatipu. In the afternoon, you can opt for a cruise aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a farm show, sheepdog demonstration and buffet meal at the Colonel’s Homestead, before sailing back to Steamer Wharf with a sing-along led by the ship’s pianist.

• Day 20 • Morning at leisure and return flight

  After breakfast, spend a few final hours at leisure in idyllic Queenstown. Later this afternoon, you’ll be transferred to the airport for your return flight.

• Day 21 • Land back in the UK

  Arrive back in the UK at the end of a once-in-lifetime holiday.