Explore North & South Islands

Travel south from the vibrant city of Auckland to the spectacular mountains and thrilling adventures of Queenstown.  Along the way you’ll experience heartland New Zealand, including Hobbiton Movie Set & the cultural mecca of Rotorua plus the capital city Wellington. Then it's across to the South Island where you will enjoy opportunities for wildlife encounters in Kaikoura with a whale watch. Time to explore the inspiring city of Christchurch, then onto Mt Cook National Park before adventure in Queenstown and a trip to Milford Sound.

Explore the wonderful wildlife of Kaikoura and the aqua waters of Abel Tasman National Park, before crossing the Cook Strait to the North Island and the quirky capital city of Wellington. Travel through the central plateau to Rotorua and its bubbling mud pools and unique Maori culture before arriving into Auckland the ‘City of Sails’. Continue north to the tropical Bay of Islands for a relaxing end to your New Zealand experience.

Explore the highlights of Middle Earth and the spectacular scenery made famous in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. You’ll enjoy visiting some of the filming locations for the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies. See Hobbiton Village. Drive through the Canterbury high country around Mt. Potts and Mt. Sunday, also known as Edoras. Driving through the Mackenzie country, near Mt Cook National Park, you’ll recognise many of the scenes and backdrops from the movies. And in Queenstown you’ll experience a half day Nomad Safari of the Scenes tour, visiting remarkable locations such as Forest of Lothlorien and the Ithilien Camp.  

This 14 day itinerary ensures you get to experience the 'essence' of each island, from the City of Sails, to the golden sand beaches of the Coromandel and the adventure and culture of Rotorua. Then fly South to experience the Southern Alps, its mountains, lakes, fiords and unrivaled hospitality.

From the vibrant city of Auckland you’ll travel south to the spectacular mountains and thrilling adventures of Queenstown.  Along the way you’ll travel through heartland New Zealand, including the cultural mecca of Rotorua and quirky Wellington City in the North Island.  While in the South Island you have opportunities for wildlife encounters in Kaikoura and plenty of time to explore the spectacular scenery of Queenstown.

This 14 day itinerary ensures you get to experience the essential must see destinations of each island. From the City of Sails to the golden sand beaches of the Coromandel and the adventure and culture of Rotorua, the wine regions of Napier and the capital of Wellington. Cross to the South Island and its rugged mountains, glaciers and lakes. A true classic driving tour, perfect to customise to your ideal holiday.

A highlights tour exploring the iconic attractions of New Zealand. You begin in the ‘Adventure Capital’ of Queenstown and finish in Auckland the 'City of Sails’.  Along the way you’ll visit Mt Cook National Park, Kaikoura and the wine region of Marlborough before crossing the Cook Strait to the North Island.  Highlights of the north include the Maori culture and thermal wonders in Rotorua and the harbour cities of Auckland and Wellington.

Travelling through the heart of the country you’ll journey past an incredible diversity of New Zealand landscapes and scenery.  From the North Island’s rich Maori culture and modern cosmopolitan cities you’ll venture south crossing the Cook Strait to the picturesque Marlborough Sounds and wildlife mecca of Kaikoura.  With time to explore the major centres, this tour is also flexible enough to add additional days onto if you have extra time.

Travelling through the heart of the country you’ll journey past an incredible diversity of New Zealand landscapes and scenery.  From the North Island’s rich Maori culture and modern cosmopolitan cities you’ll venture south crossing the Cook Strait to the mountains, alpine lakes and glaciers of the South Island.  This tour is also flexible enough to add additional days onto if you have extra time.

From Auckland travel south exploring the culture of the north island. Cross the Cook Strait and after a night in the wine-growing region of Marlborough you continue south to Kaikoura for a whale-watching cruise, then onto Christchurch.  From Christchurch, you cross the Canterbury Plains towards the Southern Alps and Mt. Cook where you get close to icebergs on the Tasman Glacier Lake. The alpine resort of Queenstown is your final destination where you’ll spend two nights, allowing enough time for the ultimate adventure a scenic flight to Milford where you cruise the fiord before returning to Mt Aspiring National Park for the Dart River Safari.