South to North Islands Taster Itinerary 12 Days

12 Days / 11 Nights - South to North Island Taster Itinerary for 2 Adults to include GPS Sat Navigation preloaded with your route.

We can amend or add additional days, change accommodations to better suit your requirements or budget, this itinerary is a suggested itinerary for Self Drive Hire allowing you to experience the South Island followed by the North Island or can be done vice versa

Day 1 - Arrival Christchurch - Meet & Greet with Transfer to Accommodations

Day 1 - Christchurch - Central Hotel for 1 Night with King Junior Suite and Sitting area / En-suite Bathroom to include Breakfast.

Day 2 - Christchurch - Transfer to Christchurch Rail Station

Day 2 - Christchurch Station - Tranz Alpine Scenic Train to Greymouth 

Day 2 - Greymouth Station - Collect your Rental Car  Group G Holden Trax Automatic for Drive to Franz Josef Glacier

Day 2 - Franz Josef Glacier - Luxury Lodge for 1 Night with King Double Bedroom and En-suite to include Evening Degustation 5 Course Dinner and Breakfast

Day 2 - Franz Josef Glacier - Evening visit to Glacier Hot Pools with Private Hot Pool Experience in Rain Forest

Day 3 -  Franz Josef Glacier - Morning Glacier  Ice Explorer Tour with short Heli flight and Guided Glacier HIke / After you will Drive the Scenic West Coast to Wanaka 

Day 3 - Wanaka - Resort Hotel for 1 Night  with 1 Bedroom Apartment with King Double, Living / Dining / Kitchen and Bathroom to include Breakfast 

Day 4 - Wanaka - Morning Cruise to Mou Waho Island Nature Reserve with Guided Walk 200 Meters to scenic lookout and morning tea feeding the rare Weka Bird. On your return, you drive to Te Anau in the Fiordland National Park.

Day 4 - Te Anua - Boutique Bed & Breakfast for 2 Nights with Queen Lakeview Double Room / En-suite to include En-suite, Evening Drink and Breakfast

Day 5 - Te Anau - Drive New Zealand's Most Scenic Road between Te Anau and Milford Sound 2 Hours each way with Discover more cruise on Milford Sound to include Picnic Lunch and Discovery Center. On route back to Te Anau you will have time to explore the main short walks to scenic vistas.

Day 6 - Te Anau - Drive to Queenstown

Day 6 - Queenstown - Bed & Breakfast Lodge for 2 Nights with luxury King Bed Suite overlooking Lake Wakatipu to include Evening Drink and Breakfast / Afternoon at leisure to explore central Queenstown.

Day 7 - Queenstown - Full day guided tour with return transfers to Glenorchy where you will board the New Zealand famous Jet Boat as you travel for 1 Hour 50 Minutes up into the Mt Aspiring National Park. Here you will take a walk in the forest before you take your Funyak Canoes for you to glide to a scenic spot for lunch on the banks of the river and after you can navigation a picturesque gorge. From here you continue downriver to where your Transport will be waiting to return you to Glenorchy to change and then return you to Queenstown

Day 8 - Queenstown - Morning at leisure in Queenstown before dropping your Rental Vehicle at Queenstown Airport and flying via either Christchurch or Auckland to Rotorua on our North Island.

Day 8 - Rotorua - Collect your North Island Rental Car

Day 9 - Rotorua - Boutique Bed & Breakfast for 2 Nights with King Room and En-suite to include Evening Drink and Breakfast.

Day 9 - Rotorua - Full-Day Private Maori Guided Day Tour with Cruise on Lake Tarawera, Bush Walk and visit for a soak in a hot thermal river in the forest, a visit to Hot Water Beach before lunch, then a visit to the Maori Living Village and Marae visit, followed by a Cultural show.

Day 10 - Rotorua - Drive to the beauty of the Coromandel Peninsula

Day 10 - Whitianga - Boutique Bed & Breakfast for 2 Nights, with Oceanview Suite, Living / Dining / Kitchen and Luxury Bathroom with Rainshower to include Evening Drinks and Breakfast.

Day 11 - Whitianga - Private Guided Tour with Dmitri Our Locals and Landscaper Guide - Dmitri is a professional photographer and therefore knows the best-kept secrets of our Peninsula to share with you and will take some photos of you today to present in a Photoview disc, which you can take home as a keepsake and enjoy with family and friends of your time in our beautiful part of New Zealand. First you will be venturing down the 309 Road to Kauri Grove and Punga Forest, where you can park your car on the left and access the Native Forest Walk to see these Giant Trees that are in excess of 600 hundred years old. You will visit a Honey Farm and a Lagoon and Waterfall, the Beaches and Bays, Native Bush and Giant Kauri Trees,  Next, you will travel and visit a Maori Par Walk with stunning ocean views before the Coastal Walk to Cathedral Cove. After you will visit a local winery to have wine tasting and Lunch, followed by a visit to Shakespeare Reserve the very place where Captain Cook saw the transit of mercury and thus named the bay. On route back to your accommodation you will stop at Hot Water Beach then visit the only hot thermal beach in the World, here you can dig your very own Hot Pool on the beach.

Day 12 - Whitianga - Drive to Auckland Airport via the scenic route, you will drop your Car Rental at the Airport for proceeding to check-in for your flight.