The Long White Cloud

Board a private transfer to your hotel. Tonight, meet your Journey Director for a Welcome Reception with local wines and canapés.

Travel through the Southern Alps aboard TranzAlpine train. From Arthur’s Pass, visit the small town of Hokitika. Continue to Franz Josef/Waiau, where you’ll spend two nights in an eco-friendly retreat nestled in the wilderness.

This morning, explore Franz Josef/Waiau, where a local guide explains the history behind the imposing Franz Josef Glacier/Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere.

Discover the Haast River this morning as you journey its length in a fully enclosed river jet boat. Stop at Makarora, then explore the heritage goldsettlement of Arrowtown, before an orientation of breathtaking Queenstown.

Enjoy Queenstown your way! Perhaps join a wine tour and taste some of Central Otago’s world-renowned Pinot Noir.

Make the most of your extended stay in Queenstown. Perhaps take a peaceful cruise across Lake Wakatipu aboard New Zealand’s oldest steamship, the TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak Station. Tonight, enjoy a Local Dining Experience in one of Queenstown’s most exclusive restaurants.

Travel south along Lake Wakatipu to Te Anau, which is nestled on the shores of the South Island’s largest lake. Stop for lunch at a local farm, where you will hear stories of life on the land and meet a cuddly animal or two. Continue through the rainforest of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Fiordland National Park, sighting glaciers, and mountain ranges en route to the amazing Mirror Lake before driving through the hand-hewn Homer Tunnel. Spend the night aboard the iconic Milford Mariner and wake up in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The cruise style is relaxed, allowing plenty of time to view the fiord’s spectacular waterfalls, rainforest, mountains, and diverse wildlife such as seals, penguins, and dolphins. Hear from the specialist nature guide on board or choose to explore the shoreline by kayak or small boat. The Milford Mariner offers the facilities of a larger ship while retaining the intimate atmosphere of a small ship. Onboard facilities are made up of spacious viewing decks, a dining saloon with fully licensed bar, as well as an observation lounge. Dining included in your cruise are hors d’oeuvres followed by a sumptuous three-course meal, as well as a choice between continental or a cooked breakfast.

Leave Fiordland National Park and journey to Invercargill. A city obsessed with motoring history, there are tributes to speed legends across town, from Burt Munro to Bill Richardson and his shed full of classic vehicles. Enjoy a tour of the largest private collection of its type in the world.

Board a ferry at Bluff and cruise to the pristine Stewart Island. Later, join a leisurely cruise around Paterson Inlet and see diverse flora and birdlife.

Enjoy a relaxed start in Invercargill before departing for Dunedin. Visit Dunedin Craft Distillers, the first distillery in Aotearoa New Zealand and one of only a handful worldwide, to produce botanical spirits from surplus bread and bakery products that would otherwise go to landfill. Discover on this MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience how owners, Jenny McDonald and Sue Stockwell do it, on a ‘Bread to Bottle Tour’ which takes you through the process used to turn bread into spirits. Venture just next door for a special chocolate tasting journey at OCHO Chocolate.

Travel up the east coast through Omarau and Timaru to Christchurch.

Travel along the Pacific coast to Kaikōura. Continue to the seaside village of Picton and later, cross the Cook Strait to Wellington.

Today see Wellington your way. Perhaps visit the urban eco-sanctuary of Zealandia/Te Māra a Tāne, or Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand.

Travel through the dairy farming land of Manawatu to Napier. Enjoy a Local Dining Experience at Craggy Range winery.

Join a local guide for a vintage car tour through Napier and surrounding areas. You’ll learn about the earthquake that destroyed the city in 1931 and hear stories of the people that led the rebuild in the Art Deco style.

Continue your journey to Rotorua, where this afternoon, armed with a packed lunch, you'll join a local guide for a cultural walking eco-tour to discover the jurassic Whirinaki Forest, a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience.

Ascend the breathtaking Redwoods Treewalk for an elevated bird’s eye view of the 120-year old redwood giants. At the National Kiwi Hatchery Aotearoa, passionate conservationists reveal how they are saving the kiwi population, one incubated egg at a time. Tonight, visit Te Pā Tū Māori Experience. Tū Te Rā is a celebration of the abundant harvest of this season, and explores concepts, rituals, and stories of ancient Māori warfare and peace in a feast of culture and cuisine. Enjoy a seasonal canapé and complementary chef choice aperitif, and a seasonal three-course dinner.

Make your way to the famous Caveworld Waitomo for an exclusive 5-star Eco Glowworm experience in Footwhistle Cave. Later, travel to Auckland. This evening, toast your tour at a Celebration Dinner.

Your epic New Zealand journey comes to an end this morning and you are transferred to Auckland Airport for your onward flight.