Get ready for an authentic road trip exploring New Zealand's charm, natural beauty, and local food and wine scene. Over 19 days, you'll savor New Zealand's finest vineyards in Hawke's Bay and Queenstown, cruise across serene Lake Taupo and the stunning Milford Sound / Piopiotahi, and explore geothermal wonders in Rotorua. You'll also hike majestic mountains and dine well in Auckland, Napier, and Christchurch for a trip of a lifetime.
Highlights
- Explore the best sights and local landmarks across New Zealand
- Join wine-tasting tours in three distinct destinations
- Experience Māori culture, food, and traditions
- Cruise through Milford Sound / Piopiotahi and two stunning lakes
- Go stargazing and hiking in Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park
Brief Itinerary
Day | Highlights | Overnight |
---|---|---|
Day 1 | Arrive in Auckland, Free Time | Auckland |
Day 2 | Cruise to Waiheke Island, Explorer Bus or Waiheke Wine Tour | Auckland |
Day 3 | Drive to Rotorua, Visit the Waitomo Caves, Free Time | Rotorua |
Day 4 | Explore the Te Puia Springs, Māori Cultural Dining Experience | Rotorua |
Day 5 | Full-Day Whirinaki Forest Walk, Twilight Glow Worm Kayak | Rotorua |
Day 6 | Drive to Taupō, Māori Rock Carving Cruise | Taupō |
Day 7 | Explore Taupō & Tongariro National Park | Taupō |
Day 8 | Drive to Napier, Explore Napier & Hawke's Bay | Napier |
Day 9 | Half-Day Private Food & Wine, Progressive Winery Dinner | Napier |
Day 10 | Hawke's Bay Half-Day Wine Tour or Gannet Safari | Napier |
Day 11 | Drive to Christchurch, Evening Restaurant Tram | Christchurch |
Day 12 | Christchurch Gondola Ride, Ko Tāne Māori Experience & Kiwi Tour | Christchurch |
Day 13 | Drive to Aoraki / Aoraki / Mount Cook, Big Sky Stargazing Adventure | Aoraki / Mount Cook |
Day 14 | Free Day in Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park | Aoraki / Mount Cook |
Day 15 | Drive to Queenstown, Onsen Evening Session | Queenstown |
Day 16 | Half-Day Macetown 4WD Tour, Walter Peak Farm Tour & Dinner | Queenstown |
Day 17 | Half-Day Central Otago Wine Tour | Queenstown |
Day 18 | Full-Day Milford Sound / Piopiotahi Experience | Queenstown |
Day 19 | Depart Queenstown |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Auckland, Free Time

Besides a bustling urban center with chic waterfront promenades, Auckland is home to 26 regional parks featuring a diverse array of landscapes. These include everything from tropical rainforests to rugged coastlines and golden beaches. There are countless options for day trips here, including excursions to black-sand surf beaches, hiking ancient volcanoes, wine tours at nearby vineyards, and plenty more.
Day 2: Cruise to Waiheke Island, Explorer Bus or Waiheke Wine Tour

Alternatively, on a winery tour, you can explore small-scale, award-winning wine producers and sample some of the country's most prestigious wines. You'll be chauffeured around three of Waiheke's top vineyards to swill mouthfuls of cabernet sauvignon and learn about tannins and unique terroir. Your professional wine guide will enlighten you about the island's colorful history, geography, people, and culture between stops. Finish with a late lunch at one of the island's gastronomic gems accompanied by a glass of wine.
Day 3: Drive to Rotorua, Visit the Waitomo Caves, Free Time

Set within the Pacific Rim of Fire, Rotorua is a wonderland of geothermal activity, complete with boiling mud pools, steaming geysers, and natural hot springs perfect for bathing and relaxing. It's also a great spot to experience New Zealand's fascinating Māori culture, and it's fast becoming a haven for adventure-seekers and mountain biking. Spend your afternoon exploring the natural landscape with a hike, or seek out an unusual adventure such as zorbing or ziplining.
Day 4: Explore the Te Puia Springs, Māori Cultural Dining Experience

A Māori guide will lead you on a walk through the Whakarewarewa geothermal valley. After, you'll visit the Kiwi Conservation Centre, a refuge for native birds, including New Zealand's national emblem, the flightless Kiwi. Next, learn about carving and weaving at the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute before heading home to refresh.
Tonight you are invited as a manuhiri (guest) to Te Pā Tū (Tamaki Māori Village) for a celebration and feast. Enjoy kai horotai (appetizers) as you listen to stories and songs and watch dance performances in the forest amphitheater. Then follow your Māori guide by torchlight to your three-course hākari (feast). Select from a table of hāngī dishes (meat, fish, and vegetables cooked underground in a pit) and other local specialties from Aotearoa, the Māori name for New Zealand.
Day 5: Full-Day Whirinaki Forest Walk, Twilight Glow Worm Kayak

Later, arrive on the shorelines of Lake Okareka as the sun is setting and meet expert kayak guides. Follow your guide around the lake edge as night sets in, then duck into incredible hidden caves home to galaxies of glow worms. Take ample time to enjoy the magical moments inside the caves before returning along your course in the dark. On a clear night, the magic continues as the Milky Way fills the sky.
Day 6: Drive to Taupō, Māori Rock Carving Cruise

Relax in luxury bean bags on board a yacht as you enjoy a scenic sail across Lake Taupō to see 33-foot-high (10 m) Māori rock art, only accessible by boat. You're guaranteed amazing photo opportunities as you experience one of life's postcard moments on this Māori tour. Glide across a smooth lake as you soak up the warming sun or go for a swim before you enjoy free light refreshments at the rock carvings. If you're looking for a little more activity, you can help hoist the sails or take a turn at the wheel.
Day 7: Explore Taupō & Tongariro National Park

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You could also tackle the world-famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing, which spans the length of Mount Tongariro at 12 miles (19.4 km) across a diverse alpine landscape with dramatic volcanic features. Get up close to the mind-blowing roar of the thunderous Huka Falls. View the falls from a footbridge, or get close with a thrilling Huka Jet boat ride. See the Craters of the Moon geothermal reserve with its walking tracks around boiling pools. Or step back in time at the Waikare Terraces, a traditional Māori village that combines mud pools, geysers, and a sacred healing spa.
Day 8: Drive to Napier, Explore Napier & Hawke's Bay

Choose how to spend your day. You can explore prominent Art Deco landmarks with a 1930s vintage car tour or rent a bike and take your pick of one of over 124 miles (200 km) of cycling trails. Or, spend the day at one of the many beaches in the area, such as Ocean Beach or Waimarama Beach. You could also indulge in local produce on a cheese, chocolate, honey, or orchard tour.
Day 9: Half-Day Private Food & Wine Tour, Progressive Winery Dinner

Later today, embark on an interactive and progressive food and wine journey. Enjoy scenic drives through the vineyards as you hop from a winery to one of New Zealand's top winery restaurants, enjoying a progressive three-course meal along the way. Then take in the breathtaking panoramic views from Te Mata Peak while enjoying a glass of bubbles as the sun sets from 1,310 feet (399 m) above sea level overlooking the glimmering lights of the Twin Cities.
Day 10: Hawke's Bay Half-Day Wine Tour or Gannet Safari

Alternatively, go on a special bird-watching safari. Drive along the scenic coast from Napier to Te Awanga to visit the world's largest, most accessible gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers. Your air-conditioned 4WD will traverse riverbeds, broad rolling pastures, native bushes, and steep gullies. Pause at a spectacular cliff top to enjoy panoramic views right across to the Mahia Peninsula, where the amazing geology of the area can also be taken in. On arrival at the gannets, you can stretch your legs and take in the scenery from the edge of the cliff 330 feet (100 m) above the ocean.
Day 11: Drive to Christchurch, Evening Restaurant Tram

Visitors to Christchurch today will witness a virtual rebirth of the city rebuilding following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. The urban city center is full of new secrets, from modern architecture and immense street art to cocktail bars and bustling restaurants. Explore the city ahead of tonight's unique dining experience. You'll board a historic colonial-style dining tram for a moving four-course dinner. Journey along the inner city tram loop, taking in the regenerating central business district and the city's top landmarks, all while enjoying a memorable feast.
Day 12: Christchurch Gondola Ride, Ko Tāne Māori Experience & Kiwi Tour

Get a unique glimpse into Māori culture when you visit the Ko Tāne Living Māori Village and Willowbank Wildlife Reserve this afternoon. Begin with a guided kiwi tour of the reserve with an experienced guide. Following this, enjoy a Māori kapa haka performance, which includes action songs, poi dances, a haka, stick games, and weapons displays. Learn the poi (soft balls on strings that are twirled) and the haka (war dance), then enjoy a four-course hāngī dinner of meat and vegetables cooked in an underground pit.
Day 13: Drive to Aoraki / Mount Cook, Big Sky Stargazing Adventure

Tonight take a mesmerizing journey through the cosmos with an astronomist guide. Enjoy a homemade hot chocolate, then learn about the night sky while using high-powered telescopes.
Day 14: Free Day in Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park

At 12,300 feet (3,754 m), Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest peak in New Zealand. This is where Sir Edmund Hillary made many expeditions, and this morning you'll embark on your own. Take it easy with the one-hour Tasman Glacier Lake Trail. The lake freezes in winter, and you'll see icebergs in summer. Meanwhile, the Governor's Bush loop track takes a similar amount of time, or you can embark on the two-hour Kea Point or Red Tarns tracks.
Stop for lunch at the Hermitage Hotel Complex, where you can take your pick of fine dining, cafés, and a bar. When you are refreshed, visit the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre. Named for New Zealand's most illustrious alpine climber, you can learn both about the region's climbing history and about the achievements and philanthropic work of the man himself.
Stop for lunch at the Hermitage Hotel Complex, where you can take your pick of fine dining, cafés, and a bar. When you are refreshed, visit the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre. Named for New Zealand's most illustrious alpine climber, you can learn both about the region's climbing history and about the achievements and philanthropic work of the man himself.
Day 15: Drive to Queenstown, Onsen Evening Session

The best way to appreciate the area's majesty is to ride the Skyline Gondola high above the city. Up here, you can enjoy a drink with panoramic views of Coronet Peak and the Remarkables mountain range before taking the downhill luge track back to town. This evening, relax in a hot pool under the stars with a session a the Onsen Hot Pools. Based on the Japanese bathing tradition, Onsen offers cedar-lined steaming pools on a cliffside overlooking the Shotover River. Enjoy an hour-long soak accompanied by a drink and snack as you take in the alpine scenery.
Day 16: Half-Day Macetown 4WD Tour, Walter Peak Farm Tour & Dinner

Hop in a 4WD vehicle this morning for a fun off-roading adventure north of Queenstown. You'll follow an old miners' wagon trail to Macetown, a historic mining settlement that dates back to 1862 when gold was discovered here in the Arrow River. Soak up landscapes used in the "The Lord of the Rings" movies en route, then explore relics of the well-preserved settlement. In Macetown, there are restored 19th-century structures, including a battery, bakehouse, and cottage, as well as the remains of a schoolroom and stone fences. You'll even try gold panning in the Arrow River.
This evening take a leisurely cruise across the breathtakingly beautiful Lake Wakatipu. The historic TSS Earnslaw Steamship will take you to the lakeside gardens of Walter Peak High Country Farm for a gourmet dinner by the water. Soak up the alpine scenery at the homestead and watch as chefs prepare a seasonal bounty of succulent meats cooked on the outdoor rotisserie and a selection of delicious vegetables and salads. Enjoy desserts and New Zealand cheese before the return trip, complete with a singalong from the ship's pianist.Day 17: Half-Day Central Otago Wine Tour

Day 18: Full-Day Milford Sound / Piopiotahi Experience

Once at Milford Sound / Piopiotahi, you'll board a boat and set out across the fjord to enjoy views of thundering waterfalls, sky-high mountains, lush rainforests, and Mitre Peak. Enjoy fun and informative commentary from your nature guide and cruise to plenty of off-the-beaten-track spots away from the crowds. Along the way, keep an eye out for fur seals, penguins, and occasionally dolphins. On completion of your cruise, you'll drive back to Queenstown.
Day 19: Depart Queenstown

Sadly it's time to say goodbye to New Zealand. This morning drop your rental car off at Queenstown airport in time for your departing flight home. Safe travels!
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