The Grand New Zealand Journey — Seventeen Nights by Road, Ferry and Rail

You are met at Auckland Airport and transferred to your hotel. Auckland is built across a narrow isthmus between two harbours, which is why it is called the City of Sails, and the waterfront is an easy walk from most city hotels. The rest of the day is free to recover from the flight. · Auckland

You leave Auckland and travel north to Paihia in the Bay of Islands, a subtropical stretch of coast scattered with islands and inlets. The drive takes most of the day through Northland farmland and forest, and the rest of the day is free once you reach Paihia. · Bay of Islands

A free day on the bay. Two optional excursions are commonly taken here — a cruise out to the Hole in the Rock at Cape Brett, or a day north to Cape Reinga along Ninety Mile Beach. Neither is included in this package, and both are arranged and paid for locally if you want them. · Bay of Islands

After breakfast you travel south from Paihia through Auckland and on to Rotorua, a full travel day down the upper North Island, arriving in the evening. · Rotorua

A half-day tour of Rotorua taking in Te Puia and its thermal valley of geysers and boiling mud pools. You then travel to Rainbow Springs to see trout and native wildlife, and on to the Agrodome sheep show. Rotorua sits on an active geothermal field and you will smell it before you see it. · Rotorua

You travel south from Rotorua to Wellington, passing Taupo and the lake that fills New Zealand's largest volcanic crater. The road runs down the spine of the island through pine forest and farmland before reaching the capital on its harbour in the evening. · Wellington

A free day in the capital. Wellington is compact, built steeply around a harbour, and the waterfront, cable car and the national museum are all within walking distance of the centre. Nothing is scheduled, so the day is entirely yours to use as you choose. · Wellington

You cross Cook Strait by ferry from Wellington to Picton, a passage that ends by winding through the drowned valleys of the Marlborough Sounds. From Picton you continue by road to Nelson at the head of Tasman Bay. · Nelson

No touring is scheduled today. Nelson claims more sunshine hours than anywhere else in New Zealand and sits close to beaches and vineyards. The day is yours, and anything you arrange is at your own cost. · Nelson

You travel south to the coast and on through Greymouth, continuing into Westland National Park and the glacier region. The West Coast is the wettest and least settled part of the country, and the road runs between the Tasman Sea and the Alps for most of the way. · Franz Josef

No touring is scheduled today. The glacier descends into temperate rainforest here. Optional activities can be arranged locally at your own cost and are not included in this package. · Franz Josef

You travel south through the South Westland heritage country and across the rugged Haast Pass past Lake Wanaka, then through the Kawarau Gorge to reach Queenstown on its lake beneath the mountains. · Queenstown

An early start along the shore of Lake Wakatipu and through Te Anau into Fiordland. The road runs through beech forest beneath steep mountains and finally through the Homer Tunnel, cut straight through rock, to reach the water. You board a catamaran and cruise Milford Sound past Mitre Peak before returning to Queenstown. · Queenstown

No touring is scheduled today. Queenstown is New Zealand's adventure capital and sits on a lake ringed by mountains, so the day is easy to fill or easy to do nothing with. Anything you choose to arrange is at your own cost and is not part of this package. · Queenstown

You travel over the Lindis Pass into the high country, reaching Mount Cook and staying beneath New Zealand's highest peak. Optional scenic flights over the snowfields operate here at your own cost and are not included. · Mount Cook

You continue from the high country down across the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch, leaving the mountains behind for flat farmland and reaching the city in the afternoon. · Christchurch

No touring is scheduled today. Christchurch is flat and compact, with the Botanic Gardens and the Avon River running through the centre. The day is yours before flying out, and anything you arrange is at your own cost. · Christchurch

Breakfast at the hotel, then check out and a transfer to Christchurch Airport for your onward flight. Christchurch is the South Island's main gateway. Your onward flight is not part of this package, so allow the check-in time your airline requires. If your flight leaves later, ask the hotel about storing luggage.