9 Day Express New Zealand Highlights

Stay: Rydges Auckland

Your Day: Auckland Arrival

Upon arrival at Auckland Airport you will collect your rental vehicle within the airport terminal. Make your way to your inner city accommodation where the day and night are free to spend at your leisure and prepare for the adventure ahead.

Driving time: 236km, 3 hours driving

Stay: Regent of Rotorua

Meals: Breakfast included

Your Day: Auckland to Rotorua via Hobbiton

Today you farewell the ‘City of Sails’ and head south to Rotorua; a hot spot for Māori culture and geothermal activity. En route you will visit Hobbiton and The Shire’s Rest, the only remaining film set from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies. You’ll also enjoy a buffet style feast in the festive marquee next to the Green Dragon! Arrive in Rotorua in the late afternoon and perhaps explore Kuirau Park mud pool reserve and view the stunning government gardens and lakefront. This afternoon/evening you could experience a relaxing soak in the thermal waters of the famous Polynesian Spa (optional – extra cost).

Stay: Regent of Rotorua

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Your Day: Rotorua

Your first stop for the day is Waimangu Volcanic Valley – a Wonderland of Stunning Geothermal Activity. You will see the world’s largest hot spring, sinter terraces and stunning hot and cold pools of many different colours. You’ll also enjoy a cruise above the once famous Pink and White Terraces, buried by the eruption of Mt Tarawera in 1886 (included activity).

This evening you will enjoy an authentic cultural experience at Te Pā Tū (formerly Tamaki Māori Village). In the summertime, Te Pā Tū offers their Summer Harvest Celebration experience, “Tū Te Rā.” Tū Te Rā is a summer celebration, aligned with the maramataka – the Māori lunar calendar. This is a time when the sun expresses optimal energy, the days are longer, and light nourishes the natural world. Tū Te Rā celebrates the abundant harvest of this season, and explores concepts, rituals, and stories of ancient Māori warfare and peace in a feast of culture and cuisine. This is the highlight of many people’s New Zealand Tour

Driving time: 330km, 4.5 hours driving

Stay: Rydges Latimer

Meals: Breakfast

Your Day: Rotorua to Auckland Airport via Waitomo Glow Worm Caves, Fly to Christchurch

Flight: Domestic Flight from Auckland to Christchurch + 2x 23kg Checked Baggage Per Person

Your first stop for the day is Waitomo – New Zealand’s most extensive underground caving network. Here you will take a guided tour through the spectacular Caves and see the impressive glow-worms that light up the cave roof (included activity). Following this you continue to Auckland, where you depart the North Island and fly South to New Zealand’s mainland, arriving in Christchurch in the evening.

Driving time: 5 hr 30 mins

(389.0 km)

Stay: Aspen Court Franz Josef

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner Included

Your Day: Christchurch to Franz Josef Glacier

Today you will drive through the mighty Southern Alps to Arthurs Pass National Park another highlight of your New Zealand tour. Keep a look out for the Bealey River as well as the reflective waters of Lake Pearson and Lake Lyndon. Our favourite nature walk in this national park features a stunning 150 metre waterfall and spectacular views of the mountains as you peek through native beech forest. Be sure to keep a look out overhead for the Kea (New Zealand’s cheeky native alpine parrot)! Driving further you will reach the West Coast and the Tasman coastline. Head slightly inland where you can visit the stunning Hokitika Gorge to marvel at its beautiful bright blue waters and surrounding native forest. Continue further south through the rainforest to the town of Franz Josef glacier, nestled at the base of the towering alps and surrounded by dense native bush

Driving time: 4.5 hours (300km)

Stay: Edgewater Resort Wānaka

Meals: Breakfast Included

Your Day: Franz Josef Glacier to Lake Wānaka

This morning you will have the opportunity to enjoy a short scenic helicopter flight on Franz Josef Glacier, or a 3-hour guided heli-hike on the ice of glacier itself! One of the most dramatic journeys in the country is what you can experience on your drive over the Haast Pass through to Wānaka. En route you will visit Lake Matheson, otherwise known as ‘Mirror Lakes’ where on a clear day it is possible to see the reflection of New Zealand’s highest mountain Aoraki/Mt Cook. The walking possibilities are endless today around Haast and you can choose from several nature walks, some of which feature spectacular waterfalls and deep blue coloured pools where it is possible to see trout swimming. One of our favourite spots at The Road Trip is Ship Creek, an isolated beach featuring native totara trees hugging rugged coastline. Tonight you stay in Wānaka.

Driving Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes driving (75km)

Stay: Rydges Lakeland Queenstown

Meals: Breakfast & BBQ dinner

Your Day: Wānaka to Queenstown

This morning in Wanaka there are several options. Perhaps enjoy a horseback ride in the Cardona Valley, hire a paddle boat or kayak on the lake, climb up Mt. Iron for stunning 360 degree views, or try out Puzzling World. Next up, your South Island tour takes you to the beautiful town of Arrowtown via The Crown Range, New Zealand’s highest highway. Arrowtown was an important location in the gold rush of Central Otago in the 1860s and is now a historic town with a very special vibe. Perhaps browse the preserved Chinese gold mining village or wander the boutique shops the town has on offer. Following this, perhaps enjoy a wine tasting at Amisfield Bistro & Cellar Door, overlooking the stunning Lake Hayes. Arrive in Queenstown where this afternoon you will enjoy a quintessential Kiwi experience – a delicious gourmet BBQ buffet meal and a farm demonstration in a stunning lakeside setting, after cruising across Lake Wakatipu in a 110-year-old steam ship – The T.S.S Earnslaw.

Stay: Rydges Lakeland Queenstown

Meals: Breakfast Included

Your Day: Queenstown

Today is free to explore Queenstown at leisure and take part in some of the fantastic activities that this ‘Adventure Capital of the World’ has to offer. Options for the adventurous include: Skydiving, Bungy Jumping, Jet Boating, Canyon Swings, White Water Rafting, Flyboarding and Paragliding. If you feel like taking a more relaxed approach to the day, a walk through Queenstown’s Botanic Gardens are not to be missed. Perhaps drive out to the head of Lake Wakatipu and experience the breath-taking scenery of the Glenorchy area.

Meals: Breakfast Included

Onward flight is not included

Your Day: Queenstown Departure Day

Today you will transfer to Queenstown Airport for your further travel arrangements. We trust you’ve had a wonderful time here in New Zealand!