AAT Kings: Kia Ora New Zealand

Auckland is hypnotic, the kind of place you could easily lose yourself in for a couple of days. Or weeks. Arrive at your leisure and explore waterfront precincts filled with yachts or just meet your Travel Director tonight who will brief you on your tour.

Stay: 4-star Holiday Inn Express Auckland City Centre 

Say goodbye to the ‘City of Sails’ as you journey north to New Zealand’s dramatic Bay of Islands – 140 islands ringed by turquoise sea. It’s undeniably beautiful, but it also holds a special historical significance: this is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, between Captain William Hobson and Māori chiefs. You are welcomed to the grounds with a rousing cultural performance. Your guide, perhaps a descendent of one of the original signatories, will explain the significance of the site, while pointing out the world’s largest ceremonial war canoe and a carved meeting house.

Stay: 4-star Copthorne Hotel and Resort

Today, New Zealand’s most northerly city is well and truly on your radar. Whangarei is like the country in a tantalising snapshot – a union of nature and forward-thinking culture. Explore at your leisure before sinking back into your seat for the mesmerising commute back to Auckland.

After viewing the city sights, set your GPS for the Waitomo Caves. Cruising cavernous waterways, your route is cast in a magical light by thousands of glowworms. It’s a landscape almost as otherworldly as Rotorua, where mud pops and jettisons from bubbling geysers. Explore Te Puia’s geothermal valley, and learn about Māori history and culture on this guided experience. It begins with an exhilarating cultural performance in a beautifully carved meeting house, Te Aronui a Rua, followed by views of the Pohutu Geyser, one of New Zealand’s geothermal wonderlands, and ends with a delicious buffet dinner of locally sourced hāngī inspired cuisine - a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience.

Stay: 3-star Ibis Rotorua Hotel

You’ll hear Huka Falls well before you see it – at this natural wonder, a staggering 220,000 litres of water thunder over an 11-metre-high waterfall every second. The road ahead unfolds in a broad panorama of Lake Taupo, its waters so vivid and blue you’ll think someone has taken the glasses off your nose and cleaned them for the first time. Traverse the Kapiti Coast to New Zealand’s cool little capital, Wellington, where there are so many restaurants and bars to choose from, you’ll need a guidebook. Wait, you have an in-the-know Travel Director to talk to about your Wellington tour.

Stay: 4-star Travelodge Hotel Wellington

Enjoy one final morning in Wellington before departing the North Island, and cruising across the Cook Strait to the South Island. 

Stay: 4-star Picton Beachcomber Inn

Today you continue your journey south to Christchurch, visiting Kaikoura on the way. There aren’t many beaches more dramatic than the sands of Kaikoura. Bonus points if you spot a seal or sperm whale frolicking offshore, Kaikoura is the marine wildlife centre of New Zealand. Talk to your Travel Director for tips on the essential restaurants to dine in tonight – Christchurch has reinvented itself in more ways than one.

Stay: 3-star Ibis Hotel Christchurch

Begin your final morning in Christchurch with a walking tour, which shows you that the city is not only rebuilding itself after the devastating 2010/11 earthquakes, but is changing the way architects think about design. Case in point the mind-bending Transitional Cathedral, made largely of cardboard, and Turanga, the gold-clad central library. From here, your outlook is the Canterbury Plains: the turquoise waters of Lake Tekapo, snow-capped mountains and atmospheric towns. Your Indoor Dark Sky Astronomy Experience in Tekapo, hosted by passionate local specialists, will forever change the way you see the night sky. You'll see for yourself it may be one of the quietest spots on the planet, yet it has one of the busiest skies in the universe.

Stay: 4-star Distinction Heritage Gateway Hotel

If you’ve ever wanted to see New Zealand’s oldest public gardens, today you’re in luck. Oamaru, with its stately tree-lined streets and limestone buildings, stands proud before you journey further south toward the 'Edinburgh of the South'. Dunedin’s Scottish ancestry is everywhere you look, from the manicured grounds of Otago University to Larnach Castle. It’s easy to while away the afternoon in the city’s atmospheric art-lined alleys. Or venture further afield to discover the wildlife that thrives in this pretty pocket of the country – fur seals and penguins among them.

Stay: 4-star Scenic Hotel Dunedin

Departing Dunedin this morning, rolling green hills dotted with doe-eyed sheep are replaced by soaring mountains as you weave your way into Fiordland National Park and the South Island’s biggest lake and the town of Te Anau, home to magical glowworm-filled caves accessed by boat across the lake. We highly recommend a visit. Soak up the serenity – it doesn’t get any better than this.

Stay: 4-star Distinction Luxmore Hotel

Travelling to Queenstown via Fiordland National Park is a journey where nature takes centre stage. As you wind through the park, beech forests, glassy lakes, and gin-clear rivers create a breathtaking backdrop, culminating in the dramatic beauty of Milford Sound/Piopiotahi. A sightseeing cruise reveals misty waterfalls cascading down sheer cliffs, with fur seals and seabirds often making an appearance. The adventure continues in Queenstown, where you can explore at your own pace—whether it’s high-speed jet boating or discovering native wildlife at Kiwi Park. Cap off your day with a scenic cruise across Lake Wakatipu aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm, where a gourmet barbecue dinner awaits.

Stay: 4-star Copthorne Hotel and Resort Queenstown

Try and keep count of today’s lakes. Leaving Lake Wakatipu behind, journey past shimmering Lake Hawea and through Haast Pass with its powerful waterfalls and dramatic mountain backdrops to the pretty town of Franz Josef/Waiau. Get some perspective on a scenic flight over Franz Josef Glacier/Kā  Roimata o Hine Hukatere – if the weather behaves, you may even get to land on it (own expense).

Stay: 4-star Scenic Hotel Franz Josef Glacier

Swap snow for pounamu (native greenstone or jade) in Hokitika: the pounamu found here is the stuff jewellery dreams are made of. Just when you thought your adventure couldn’t get any better, you’ll board the TranzAlpine train bound for Christchurch, through tunnels and over viaducts with panoramic views of snow-capped peaks, icy rivers, beech forests, gorges and river valleys. 

Stay: 3-star Ibis Hotel Christchurch