Geysers and Maori feasts, a fiord cut by glaciers, an adventure capital on a lake and the turquoise lakes under the highest peak, New Zealand, the most scenery any one country has a right to.
Into Auckland, strung across two harbours and dotted with extinct volcanoes. After the flight we keep it easy, a first dinner on the waterfront, the Sky Tower lit above the marinas, an early night before the road south.
South into the geothermal heartland of Rotorua, geysers spouting, mud pools bubbling, the earth steaming and smelling of sulphur. A Maori cultural evening: a powhiri welcome, a haka, and a hangi feast cooked in the ground.
The glowworm caves of Waitomo, a boat gliding under a galaxy of living lights, and the green hills of the Hobbiton movie set, the Shire made real. The redwoods and the thermal park of Wai O Tapu round out a wonder filled day. (Rotorua night 3)
A flight to the South Island and Queenstown, the adventure capital, cradled by the Remarkables on the shore of Lake Wakatipu. A gondola to the top for the view, a first bungy or jet boat for the brave, a lakeside dinner.
The pinot noir wineries of Gibbston, the gold rush village of Arrowtown, a Lord of the Rings locations tour, or the lone tree and lavender of Wanaka over the hill. Adrenaline or wine, the choice is yours. (Queenstown night 5)
A long day to Milford Sound, through the Homer Tunnel into a fiord of sheer black cliffs, waterfalls pouring a thousand metres and Mitre Peak rising from the water. A cruise among the seals and dolphins; Kipling called it the eighth wonder of the world. (Queenstown night 6)
North through the otherworldly turquoise of Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki, glacier fed and milky blue, to Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest peak. A ski plane glacier landing or the Hooker Valley walk to the icebergs, and a sky famous for its stars.
The alpine views, a kayak among the icebergs of the Tasman Glacier lake, the tiny stone Church of the Good Shepherd at Tekapo, and the clearest night sky in the world in the dark sky reserve. A last alpine night. (Mount Cook night 8)
A last alpine breakfast before the drive to Christchurch or Queenstown for your flight. New Zealand crams a planet's worth of scenery into a small pair of islands, and the welcome is as warm as the landscapes are wild.
Three ways to do the same route: Comfort, Premium or Luxe. Breakfasts in. Mix tiers city by city if you like, it is your trip.
Priced to your dates, your hotel tier and how the two of you like to travel. Ask, the first answer usually lands within minutes.
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