Complete New Zealand & South Island Discovery

Depart London Heathrow for Auckland via Singapore with Singapore Airlines.

We land in Auckland around lunchtime, where we stay for two nights. We spend our time exploring and sightseeing in the ‘City of Sails’, including the harbour area, the Sky Tower, Albert Park and the Auckland Museum. We'll take the ferry across to Devonport to walk along the magnificent coastline overlooking the skyline of New Zealand’s principal city between the Pacific Ocean and the Tasmanian Sea.

Leaving Auckland we travel south to the Maori and thermal centre of Rotorua where we stay for one night.

This morning we visit hot springs and erupting geysers and experience Maori culture at the Te Puia Thermal Reserve, in the Whakarewarewa Valley. In the afternoon we continue, via the spectacular Aratiatia dam and the Huka Falls (where we have a 2 hours walk in between the two attractions) to the Tongariro National Park. We stay at the Chateau Tongariro for two nights giving us time to walk in the wild country with its active volcanic peaks of Ruapehu (2780m), Ngauruhoe (2277m), and Tongariro (1956m).

Today you may choose to do the Tongariro Crossing day walk. Due to the National Park regulations we are not able to offer the Tongariro Crossing as part of the itinerary, however it is an option which you can book, at a supplement, to add on to your holiday (please contact our Sales & Reservations department for further details).

Those choosing not to walk the Tongariro Crossing can join your tour leader on a walk through Whakapapa Village, before the Taranaki Falls walk, which rewards us with open views of Mt Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, as well as the Lower and Upper Tama Lake viewpoints. Its a simply breath-taking day out int a striking landscape.

We have an early start today as we leave the Tongariro National Park and drive south to Wellington; New Zealand’s capital. After a quick visit of the Botanic Garden and the City Centre, we take the ferry across the Cook Strait through the Queen Charlotte Sound to Picton, on the shores of the Marlborough Sound, where we spend one night. The 3 ½ hours crossing and the coastal views from the ferry as we leave Wellington and cruise along the Queen Charlotte Sound are spectacular.

After a morning’s walk along the Marlborough Sound shore, we continue to Blenheim to visit a local winery before moving on to the alpine village of St Arnaud, for two nights.

We have a full day’s walking in the beautiful surrounding alpine countryside of the Nelson Lakes National Park near Mt Robert and Lake Rotoiti. There are a couple of walk options today, which are of different grades and weather dependent. Your leader will select the most suitable for the local conditions and the overall ability of the group. This unspoilt area is rarely visited by tour groups, making it a very special experience.

We leave Nelson Lakes National Park and travel across the ‘great divide’ mountainous spine of the South Island. We stop, en route, at the resort of Hanmer Springs, where we have the opportunity to bathe in the natural hot spring pools. We finally reach Christchurch where we stay for two nights. It is the second largest city in New Zealand, known as the Garden City. Founded in 1850 as a model church settlement, the founders envisaged recreating an English town – echoed in the Gothic architecture of its early buildings and the hundreds of acres of parkland surrounding the city. We explore the city on an orientation walk where we visit the Botanic Gardens, the Cardboard Cathedral, the Bridge of Remembrance and Hagley Park.

Here we meet up with those travelling on our South Island Discovery holiday.

We walk along the Godley Head walkway with lovely coastal views; this headland was where the original English settlers arrived in the 1860s after their 4-month voyage in the middle of the 19th century. We hug the coast for spectacular scenery and enjoy a picnic lunch on Taylors Mistake Beach. Later in the afternoon, there will also be time for individual sightseeing or an enjoyable walk into Hagley Park and Christchurch city centre.

We cross the Great Divide again, traversing spectacular gorges and the ancient forest of Arthur’s Pass National Park, where we enjoy a short walk in the park before continuing to the West Coast and Hokitika with its wild windswept beaches covered in driftwood. From there, we enter Glacier Country and stop in the tiny village of Franz Josef.

We start the day with an early morning walk around Lake Matheson, famous for its postcard-quality reflections of the Southern Alps. We had anticipated a walk to view the glacial face of Fox Glacier, however due to some recent adverse weather in the area, the road leading up to the glacier is closed and access is not currently possible. Instead we return to Franz Josef (which has the more spectacular and interesting scenery of the two glaciers) and walk to the face of this breathtaking glacier before returning to our hotel.

We continue our journey south along the coast, turning inland over the Haast Pass and through wonderful country (with stops at the startlingly blue Lakes Hawea and Wanaka) arriving in the charming town of Wanaka (known affectionately as ‘Queenstown’s little brother) where we stay for two nights..

Today we walk in the Mount Aspiring National Park. Here we may hike either the Mount Roy Track, or the Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain track. Both tracks offer some of the best mountain & lake views that New Zealand has to offer.

We continue south to Queenstown, where Ben Lomond and the ‘Remarkables’ mountain range tower above Lake Wakatipu. We stay for three nights. En route, we visit Arrowtown, a pretty gold rush village with a ‘wild west’ feel to it. We enjoy a walk around the river before exploring the town with its long-forgotten Chinese Settlement, followed by lunch. Once we arrive in Queenstown, we will have an afternoon orientation walk to include a lakeside walk and the memorial gardens. Dinner for our first evening in Queenstown is spent high above the town, taking the gondola up to Bolos Park and the ‘Skyline' restaurant.

Please note that if you choose to take the option of hiking the Milford Track (see the information below for the Milford Track option, days 1-5), you leave the main group to start your adventure tomorrow. A high level of stamina and fitness is required as this walk is above the advertised walking grade for this holiday and is a similar walking grade to our challenging grade 6 RWH holidays. Please contact our Sales and Reservations department at the time of booking to request this optional extra. At the time of booking, you must pay in full for your permit and there are no name changes allowed once a permit has been reserved. If you were to cancel, the following charges apply to the permit: outside of 90 days the penalty is £50, 89-60 days the penalty is £100, 59-21 days is 50% of permit cost, and 20 days or fewer results in 100% cancellation being charged. This is out of the control of RWH.

Today we catch a gondola cable car to above the tree-line, then hike up a good mountain track towards the summit of Ben Lomond (with options of reaching the ‘saddle' or the top, as this is an out-and-back walk). There are far reaching 360 degree views throughout the day and you can relax after the walk at the Skyline restaurant and cafe by the upper gondola station before riding back down to town and the hotel.

Milford Track option day 1: You'll be picked up at our Queenstown hotel and transfer to a wharf on Lake Te Anau. You'll take an afternoon scenic cruise to the start of the famous Milford Track long distance trail. A short walk of just 1 mile brings you to Glade House for an overnight stay. The local guides will show you some interesting flora and fauna along the way.

You will be ready to enjoy a free day to yourself! Queenstown is the outdoor activity and sightseeing capital of New Zealand and your options include a lake trip on the SS Earnslaw steam ship (built 1912), an exhilarating jet boat ride, a self-guided local walk, or simply a lie-in followed by a relaxing ‘day out' – perhaps enjoying a lunch in one of the many eateries in this lovely town.

Milford Track option day 2: You'll cross the Clinton River and walk through mountain beech forests and open clearings to the Hirere Waterfalls. You then continue onto a grassy plain (known as the Prairie) where the views open out into Clinton Canyon. A rocky but well-made path takes you up to Marlene's Creek and then to Pompolona Lodge. A good day hike with 10 miles distance over an ascent of 400m.

We walk the Frankton Arm, a pleasant level shoreline walk to the Frankton Tavern where we can enjoy the Boatshed cafe en route. We then continue south to Te Anau; set on a lake of the same name, where we stay for three nights. We're in the heart of the Southern Lakes region from where we can walk alongside the Lake and explore the magnificent Fjordland National Park.

Milford Track option day 3: Today you will reach the head of the Clinton Valley and walk over the Mackinnon Pass. This is around 9 miles but with 720m of ascent. You'll have a chance to visit the Sutherland Falls, the world's fifth highest waterfall with a drop of 580m.

Today we visit the world-famous Milford Sound. Our drive there is along one of the most spectacular roads in the world, with dramatic lakes, cliffs and mountains. We enjoy short scenic walks en route, then a boat trip on the Milford Sound simply takes your breath away. We sail out on deep waters between towering spires of rock surrounding the narrow inlet, with unforgettable views of the sheer mile-high Mitre Peak and the thundering Lady Bowen Falls. This region has around 6.5m of rainfall every year making it one of the wettest inhabited places in the world.

Milford Track option day 4: Today's walk gives you a wonderful view of the Lady of the Snows, a distinctive mountain at the head of Green Valley. The 13-mile walk covers a long distance but is comfortable with only 125m of descent. The interest never wanes as you pass various hills, flats and waterfalls on our way to the end of the Track at Sand Fly Point. From there, we are collected by motor launch across the Milford Sound to Mitre Peak Lodge.

Today we visit the National Park Visitor Centre, then walk some of the famous ‘Kepler Track' – a fabulous hike through New Zealand rainforest with all the sights and sounds that make these areas so special. In the afternoon, we visit the Te Anau Glow Worm Caves. We take a cruise across Lake Te Anau to the caves where we have a guided tour to see the spectacular light show.

Milford Track option day 5: Take a boat trip on the Milford Sound out on the deep waters between towering spires of rock surrounding the narrow inlet, with unforgettable views of the sheer mile-high Mitre Peak and the thundering Lady Bowen Falls. You'll then enjoy a scenic coach ride back to Te Anau where you'll rejoin the main group before visiting the Te Anau Glow Worm Caves.

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We leave Te Anau and travel north through the centre of the island into the sparsely populated MacKenzie Country, our gateway to the Mt Cook region.

We spend today walking in the area around Mount Cook (3741m), which dominates this spectacular alpine region. We walk up the Hooker Valley, crossing three swing bridges, towards the base of Mt. Cook with views of the hanging glaciers of Mount Sefton and Mount Footstool. Our walk reaches the glacier terminal moraine where we take some unforgettable photographs of the icebergs in the glacial lake.

Today we leave Mount Cook and travel north, stopping briefly to admire the astonishing electric blue Lakes Pukaki and Tekapo. We then continue on to Christchurch airport to check in for our flights home to London Heathrow via Singapore.

Arrive in the UK.

Depart London Heathrow for Christchurch via Singapore with Singapore Airlines.

We land in Christchurch around lunchtime, where we stay for two nights. Christchurch is the second largest city in New Zealand, known as the Garden City. Founded in 1850 as a model church settlement, the founders envisaged recreating an English town – echoed in the Gothic architecture of its early buildings and the hundreds of acres of parkland surrounding the city. Today you will have some free time after your arrival to explore independently or relax at the hotel. In the afternoon we meet up with those travelling on our Complete New Zealand holiday. We then explore Christchurch as a group where we visit the city centre (under active restoration since the 2011 earthquake) and see the Cardboard Cathedral, the Botanic Gardens, the Bridge of Remembrance and Hagley Park.

We cross the Great Divide, traversing spectacular gorges and the ancient forest of Arthur’s Pass National Park, where we enjoy a short walk in the park before continuing to the West Coast and Hokitika with its wild windswept beaches covered in driftwood. From there, we enter Glacier Country and stop in the tiny village of Franz Josef.

We start the day with an early morning walk around Lake Matheson, famous for its postcard-quality reflections of the Southern Alps. We had anticipated a walk to view the glacial face of Fox Glacier, however due to some recent adverse weather in the area, the road leading up to the glacier is closed and access is not currently possible. Instead we return to Franz Josef (which has the more spectacular and interesting scenery of the two glaciers) and walk to the face of this breathtaking glacier before returning to our hotel.

We continue our journey south along the coast, turning inland over the Haast Pass and through wonderful country (with stops at the startlingly blue Lakes Hawea and Wanaka) arriving at the charming town of Wanaka (known affectionately as ‘Queenstown’s little brother) where we stay for two nights.

Today we will walk in the Mount Aspiring National Park. Here we may hike the Minaret Burn Track, or the Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain track. Both tracks offer some of the best mountains & Lakes views that NZ has to offer.

We continue south to Queenstown, where Ben Lomond and the ‘Remarkables’ mountain range tower above Lake Wakatipu. We stay for three nights. En route, we visit Arrowtown, a pretty gold rush village with a ‘wild west’ feel to it. We enjoy a walk around the river before exploring the town with its long-forgotten Chinese Settlement, followed by lunch. Once we arrive in Queenstown, we will have an afternoon orientation walk to include a lakeside walk and the memorial gardens. Dinner for our first evening in Queenstown is spent high above the town, taking the gondola up to Bolos Park and the ‘Skyline' restaurant.

Please note that if you choose to take the option of hiking the Milford Track (see the information below for the Milford Track option, days 1-5), you leave the main group to start your adventure tomorrow. A high level of stamina and fitness is required as this walk is above the advertised walking grade for this holiday and is a similar walking grade to our challenging grade 6 RWH holidays. Please contact our Sales and Reservations department at the time of booking to request this optional extra. At the time of booking, a non-refundable deposit of £50 must be paid. There are no name changes allowed once a permit has been reserved. At the time of booking, you must pay in full for your permit and there are no name changes allowed once a permit has been reserved. If you were to cancel, the following charges apply to the permit: outside of 90 days the penalty is £50, 89-60 days the penalty is £100, 59-21 days is 50% of permit cost, and 20 days or fewer results in 100% cancellation being charged. This is out of the control of RWH.

Today we catch a gondola cable car to above the tree-line, then hike up a good mountain track towards the summit of Ben Lomond (with options of reaching the ‘saddle' or the top as this is an out-and-back walk). There are far-reaching 360-degree views throughout the day and you can relax after the walk at the Skyline restaurant and cafe by the upper gondola station before riding back down to town and the hotel.

Milford Track option day 1: You'll be picked up at our Queenstown hotel and transfer to a wharf on Lake Te Anau. You'll take an afternoon scenic cruise to the start of the famous Milford Track long distance trail. A short walk of just 1 mile brings you to Glade House for an overnight stay. The local guides will show you some interesting flora and fauna along the way.

You will be ready to enjoy a free day to yourself! Queenstown is the outdoor activity and sightseeing capital of New Zealand and your options include a lake trip on the SS Earnslaw steam ship (built 1912), an exhilarating jet boat ride, a self-guided local walk, or simply a lie-in followed by a relaxing ‘day out' – perhaps enjoying a lunch in one of the many eateries in this lovely town.

Milford Track option day 2: You'll cross the Clinton River and walk through mountain beech forests and open clearings to the Hirere Waterfalls. You then continue onto a grassy plain (known as the Prairie) where the views open out into Clinton Canyon. A rocky but well-made path takes you up to Marlene's Creek and then to Pompolona Lodge. A good day’s hike with 10 miles distance over an ascent of 400m.

We walk the Frankton Arm, a pleasant, level shoreline walk to the Frankton Tavern where we can enjoy the Boatshed cafe en route. We then continue south to Te Anau; set on a lake of the same name, where we stay for three nights. We're in the heart of the Southern Lakes region from where we can walk alongside the Lake and explore the magnificent Fjordland National Park.

Milford Track option day 3: Today you will reach the head of the Clinton Valley and walk over the Mackinnon Pass. This is around 9 miles but with 720m of ascent. You'll have a chance to visit the Sutherland Falls, the world's fifth highest waterfall with a drop of 580m.

Today we visit the world-famous Milford Sound. Our drive there is along one of the most spectacular roads in the world, with dramatic lakes, cliffs and mountains. We enjoy short scenic walks en route, then a boat trip on the Milford Sound which simply takes your breath away. We sail out on deep waters between towering spires of rock surrounding the narrow inlet, with unforgettable views of the sheer mile-high Mitre Peak and the thundering Lady Bowen Falls. This region has around 6.5m of rainfall every year, making it one of the wettest inhabited places in the world.

Milford Track option day 4: Today's walk gives you a wonderful view of the Lady of the Snows, a distinctive mountain at the head of Green Valley. The 13-mile walk covers a long distance but is comfortable with only 125m of descent. The interest never wanes as you pass various hills, flats and waterfalls on our way to the end of the Track at Sand Fly Point. From there, we are collected by motor launch across the Milford Sound to Mitre Peak Lodge.

Today we visit the National Park Visitor Centre, then walk some of the famous ‘Kepler Track' – a fabulous hike through New Zealand rainforest with all the sights and sounds that make these areas so special. In the afternoon, we visit the Te Anau Glow Worm Caves. We take a cruise across Lake Te Anau to the caves where we have a guided tour to see the spectacular light show.

Milford Track option day 5: Take a boat trip on the Milford Sound out on the deep waters between towering spires of rock surrounding the narrow inlet, with unforgettable views of the sheer mile-high Mitre Peak and the thundering Lady Bowen Falls. You'll then enjoy a scenic coach ride back to Te Anau where you'll rejoin the main group before visiting the Te Anau Glow Worm Caves.

We leave Te Anau and travel north through the centre of the island into the sparsely-populated MacKenzie Country to our hotel in the tiny village of Twizel, our gateway to the Mount Cook region.

We spend today walking in the area around Mount Cook (3741m), which dominates this spectacular alpine region. We walk up the Hooker Valley, crossing three swing bridges, towards the base of Mt. Cook with views of the hanging glaciers of Mount Sefton and Mount Footstool. Our walk reaches the glacier terminal moraine where we take some unforgettable photographs of the icebergs in the glacial lake.

Today we leave Mount Cook and travel north, stopping briefly to admire the astonishing electric blue Lakes Pukaki and Tekapo. We then continue on to Christchurch airport to check in for our flights home to London Heathrow via Singapore.

Arrive in the UK.