FREE: 2 nights Cook Islands on us for every 7-day New Zealand vacation booked.   Book by 31May12. 

Looking for something different?  A place your friends haven't been?  Perfect white sand beaches and adventure? This deal is for you. Call for current availability or live chat now.  This offer is unprecedented.

Day 1 (D)
After arrival in Christchurch, start your trip with a gorgeous drive into the Southern Alps to Arthur’s Pass. Your home for the night will be a terrific lodge, a 2,400 hectare nature reserve and high country merino sheep station. You can walk from your room into a spectacular mountain setting of beech forest and moss-lined streams and lakes.
4-star lodge in Arthur's Pass

Day 2 (B,L)
This morning is yours to spend with your personal guide exploring the Arthur’s Pass region in a guided nature walk tailored to your interests. Traverse a moss forest and alpine wetlands to a historic high country musterer’s hut or climb into the glacier basin to view alpine flowers, cascades, and ice caves. Head back to Christchurch and fly to the Scottish city of Dunedin.
3.5-star Dunedin B&B

Day 3 (B)
Start your day with the Sunrise Penguin Walk, an exhilarating eco-adventure with focus on rare Yellow-eyed Penguins and their natural environment. In the afternoon, head out for the Albatross Encounter - a tour with focus on the Royal Albatross that includes exploration of  native forest and tidal inlet birdlife, as well as a visit to Taiaroa Head, the only mainland
breeding colony of any albatross species in the world.
3.5-star Dunedin B&B

Day 4 (B)
Today set off for a self-exploration of the remote wilderness of the Catlins on the Southern Scenic Route. Stop at Nugget Point Lighthouse Reserve to see the fur seals, sea lions and penguins. Then take a break for a one hour walk to the blowhole at Jack’s Bay. Continue on the route and stop off for short walk to the Purakauni and MacLean Falls and the Cathedral Caves. You may be the only ones on the road…enjoy the beauty and serenity of this wilderness area.
3-star Catlins B&B

Day 5 (B,D)
Continue on the scenic route to reach Te Anau and the gateway to Fiordland National Park, one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. It is an area where snow-capped mountains meet fresh-water lakes and expanses of forests. It is also home to Milford and Doubtful Sounds, narrow inlets surrounded by rising peaks and surrounded by waterfalls. Your accommodation for the next 3 nights will be a lovely wilderness lodge set on the shores of Lake Te Anau.
5-star lodge near Te Anau

Day 6 (B,L,D)
Today is a special day as you venture to one of the most remote and scenic locations in New Zealand, the Fiordlands. Travel through the rolling countryside to Manapouri. Cruise across the crystal waters of Lake Manapouri and then board a catamaran to explore the waterways of on of the most serene and isolated fjords, Doubtful Sound. There is plenty of time available to explore points of interest and view the spectacular alpine scenery including waterfalls, rainforest and mountains all the way out to the Tasman Sea. It is home to bottlenose dolphins and fur seals and when in season, the rare Fiordland crested penguin.
5-star lodge near Te Anau

Day 7 (B,L,D)
This morning you will get to experience the Fiordlands like few people do…on top of a kayak. Milford Sound, the most famous and accessible of the grand, glacier-carved fiords, was described by Rudyard Kipling as the ‘eighth wonder of the world.’ The fiord’s sides rise vertically from the dark waters, mountain peaks scrape the sky and waterfalls cascade down sheer cliffs. Milford is home to bottlenose dolphins, fur seals, and Fiordland crested penguins. If you are lucky, it will rain and the sound will turn into a magical wonderland full of fleeting waterfalls.
5-star lodge near Te Anau

Day 8 (B)
Today you will bid farewell to the South Island and fly from Queenstown to Rotorua on the North Island. From here you will drive to Tauranga on the Bay of Plenty, an off-the-beaten path holiday destination that is preferred by locals for the beautiful beaches and quaint villages.
3.5-star hotel in Rotorua

Day 9
Today is a unique experience as you explore White Island, New Zealand’s only active marine volcano. After a luxury boat ride across the bay the island, venture up the main crater’s edge and witness the hissing, roaring, steam rising from the crater lake.  Take some time to explore the other unique geothermal sites on the island before heading back on the boat. If you are lucky on the way back, you may spot some dolphins, whales or fur seals!
3.5-star hotel in Rotorua

Day 10
Today fly to Auckland, your base for the next day’s adventure. Auckland is mostly a jumping off point for other destinations but also provides interest in its museums, nightlife, and natural, native bush island destinations. Your hotel is right in the city center, within minutes of all the major sites.
4-star Auckland hotel

Day 11
Just over an hour ferry ride from Auckland in Huaraki Gulf sits Tiritiri Matangi Island. One of the most successful national conservation projects, it is an “open sanctuary” managed by the government. Here, visitors can witness some of New Zealands’s rarest inhabitants, including the Little Blue Penguin and the Little Spotted Kiwi. Your guide will teach you about the revegetation and history of the island. You will also learn about the unique wildlife and birdlife of Tiritiri Matangi.
4-star Auckland hotel

Day 12
You will have some time to explore Auckland before leaving this evening. Optional activities include: visit the Sky Tower, harbor cruise, take a helicopter flight to a remote location for a glorious lunch; walk to the summit of Rangitoto; go wine tasting and beachcombing on Waiheke Island; charter a yacht and make your own adventure around the Hauraki Gulf; go swimming with the dolphins.