5 places you sleep in over 9 nights. Select a place in the list to find it on the map.
1Overnight stop, in route orderVisited on the wayCoach with your driver guideDomestic flightStarts in Auckland, ends in Christchurch. 5 overnight stops across 10 days, about 690 km of driving. Select a marker to open that day.
Overview
Guided tour, coach group. A driver guide travels with you the whole way, on a full-size coach, with the luggage and every booking handled.
New Zealand will set your heart racing, while you take the country’s pulse. 10 days through the North and South Islands, running Auckland to Christchurch. Along the way: Auckland, Hobbiton, Queenstown. Every night is booked and the travelling is handled, so the itinerary below is what you actually do rather than a list of things you could arrange yourself.
New Zealand’s largest city is also one of its prettiest, as you’ll discover exploring at your leisure. Arrive early to linger in its hip harbourside precincts, where galleries and design-driven stores await. You’ll have worked up an appetite by the time you meet your fellow travel companions for dinner and drinks at The Grill celebrating Aotearoa’s culinary treasures. Expect the finest quality grassfed steaks, from 100% New Zealand owned and operated suppliers, and sustainable line-caught fish. Start your Auckland tour on a high, we say. Staying in: Horizon by SkyCity Auckland (1 night) Meals included: Dinner
Set your sights firmly on New Zealand’s national game: rugby. The interactive All Blacks Experience explores an introduction to the game as a part of New Zealand culture. Afterwards get the lay of the land on a city sightseeing tour including views of Mission Bay, and stopping at Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial to New Zealand’s first Labour Prime Minister. Admire the sunken pool and landscaped gardens as you’re treated to sweeping views of Waitemata Harbour and the North Shore. Staying in: Horizon by SkyCity Auckland (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast
Get ready for a much-anticipated trip to the Hobbiton Movie Set. Upon arrival, set off on a guided walking tour through the 12-acre set. You’ll have plenty of time for photo opportunities on the interactive hobbit hole and the Mill. After a stop to purchase lunch, continue to Rotorua. Tonight, delve deep into Māori culture with the Te Pō Indigenous Experience at Te Puia. It begins with an exhilarating cultural performance in a beautifully carved meeting house, Te Aronui a Rua, view the Pohutu Geyser, one of New Zealand’s geothermal wonderlands, followed by a delicious buffet dinner of hāngī-inspired cuisine. Staying in: Millennium Hotel Rotorua (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Your visit to the National Kiwi Hatchery is guided by passionate conservationists who will give you fascinating insights into New Zealand’s national bird on this rewarding MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. The feel-good vibes that will follow you all the way to Queenstown, the self-proclaimed adventure capital of New Zealand. It makes perfect sense, there are ski fields, white-water river and bridges strapped with bungy cords wherever you turn. And then there’s the dining scene; Queenstown is home to some of the country’s most awarded restaurants. Whether you’re in the mood for bulging burgers or lakeside tapas, ask us for recommendations on this leg of your Queenstown New Zealand tour. Staying in: Millennium Hotel, Queenstown (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast
Bring your stamina and sense of adventure, things get a little wild today. Nature rules as you skirt Queenstown’s gleaming Lake Wakatipu, and traverse the Devil’s Staircase to Te Anau, the alpine gateway to UNESCO World Heritage listed Fiordland National Park. Once you’ve paused to admire the drama at Mirror Lakes, Knobs Flat and Cleddau Valley, you’ll begin to understand why Rudyard Kipling called this the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’. You haven’t even seen Bowen Falls or Milford Sound/Piopiotahi yet… Onboard your nature cruise, enjoy commentary from your eagle-eyed Naturalist guide, who not only narrates on the immense geological history of the Fiord, but will point out fur seals and dolphins should they choose to come out to play. The cruise includes a delicious picnic lunch. Staying in: Millennium Hotel, Queenstown (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Today, take Queenstown at your own pace. Consider an Optional Experience*. Like things fast and furious? Feel the wind in your hair on a high-octane jet boat ride, perhaps. Prefer to be able to talk (and drink wine) while you cruise? Glide across Lake Wakatipu aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak High Country Farm for a guided farm tour, including morning or afternoon tea, in a dreamy alpine setting. Wherever you wander, be sure to save space for tonight’s dinner at the historic Coronation Bathhouse, located on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. With views of the surrounding lake and mountains, it’s a perfect venue for an evening of local food and wines matched with classic Kiwi hospitality. Staying in: Millennium Hotel, Queenstown (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Today your New Zealand tour takes you to the charming historic gold‑mining town of Arrowtown, then onward to Cromwell on the shores of Lake Dunstan, before continuing to the breathtaking Lake Tekapo. Is it Michael Schumacher’s Benetton F1 car or the $4.2-million Aston Martin Vulcan that draws crowds to the Highlands Motorsport Museum? Discover some of the rarest cars in NZ motorsports history during your visit. Mountain drama is your backdrop en route to Lake Tekapo, with water so turquoise it looks like a Renaissance painting. This part of the country is ravishing and remote; the lack of light pollution means dazzling Southern Hemisphere stargazing at UNESCO World Heritage listed Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve. It may be a late night, but tonight’s star gazing experience at a purpose-built observation crater with expert astronomy guides is bound to be a highlight. If there was ever a NZ experience that put life in perspective, this is it. Staying in: Peppers Bluewater Resort Lake Tekapo (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
The Canterbury region of the east coast is a rustic union of grassy plains, mirror-like lakes and snow-capped mountains, the kind of landscape that you might see on postcards. Arrive in the beautiful English city of Christchurch for a guided tour. The city is not only rebuilding itself after the devastating 2010/11 earthquakes, but is changing the way architects think about design. Case in point the mind-bending Transitional Cathedral, made largely of cardboard, and Turanga, the gold-clad central library. Staying in: Distinction Christchurch Hotel (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast
Travel north through rolling countryside to Hurunui Hills, a hill country farm in North Canterbury. Enjoy warm Kiwi hospitality with the Bamford Family, who have been farming at Hurunui since 1884 with six generations focused on producing premium Merino sheep, wool and Angus cattle. Soak up stunning scenery while enjoying morning tea, meet the farm animals & discover what it is like to live off the land on this unique By My Guest experience. Continue to a local vineyard, Waipara Springs Winery, where it’s time to relax and enjoy wine tasting and a platter-style lunch among the vines. A big day leads to a big evening joining your Travel Director and travel mates for a celebratory dinner featuring produce from the Canterbury region. Staying in: Distinction Christchurch Hotel (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
You’ve travelled hundreds of kilometres across two islands, likely taken thousands of photos, and made countless memories and new friends. The only thing left to do is plan your next trip to New Zealand. Meals included: Breakfast
Good to know
Departures
Contrasts of New Zealand 27/28 runs on set dates. These are the departures still open, with what each one costs per person, two sharing.
Availability checked 26 October 2026 from the operator's own bookings. Guaranteed means the operator has confirmed the departure will run; sold out dates stay on the list so you can see what is left.
A date not listed is not being sold. Choose one and your quote comes back against that departure, at that departure's price.
Before and after
The tour itself runs as published. Nights in Auckland before it starts or in Christchurch after it ends, and any of the optional experiences, can be added to your quote.
Never travelling alone
Your whole itinerary lives in a smart travel app with live vouchers, maps and daily guidance, and your own travel specialist is reachable seven days a week while you are on the road. If plans change, we rearrange them in real time.
Who you are booking with
Operator
This itinerary is operated by a Qualmark Gold certified New Zealand operator. We book it for you and stay your point of contact.
Silver Fern Travel
Tourism New Zealand 100% Pure New Zealand Specialist (Insider), IATA certified, based in Auckland, New Zealand.
Prices
Quoted from the operator's own booking engine and refreshed weekly. The figure on this page is the one you will be quoted.
Yes, and most guests change something. Add nights, upgrade rooms, swap activities or start from a different city: tell us what you would change and we re-quote Contrasts of New Zealand 27/28 at no cost and no obligation.
A professional driver-guide from our New Zealand operations team, on the ground with you throughout. Every itinerary we sell is operated by a Qualmark Gold certified New Zealand tour operator, the highest grading in the country's official quality mark.
Contrasts of New Zealand 27/28 runs on 22 scheduled departure dates, listed with their prices on this page. Choose one when you enquire and your quote comes back against that departure, usually within one working day.
9 nights in hotel 3 star. Every property is confirmed by name on your written quote, before you pay anything, so you can look each one up before you commit. The trip runs one way, Auckland to Christchurch, so there is no backtracking.
Nothing to enquire. A firm written quote arrives within one working day; if you go ahead, a 20% deposit per person (minimum NZ$250) confirms every booking and the balance is due 70 days before travel, with the exact date on your quote. Deposits can be paid by card, which keeps your card scheme's dispute protections in play.
No payment to enquire; a firm quote within one working day. Lowest priced travel dates, two sharing. International flights not included. A 20% deposit confirms your booking, with the balance due 70 days before travel. How your money is protected
Itineraries operated by a Qualmark Gold certified New Zealand operator. Tourism New Zealand 100% Pure Insider.
Request a quote for this trip
No payment, no obligation. A specialist replies with a firm quote within one working day.
Nothing to enquire, nothing until your quote is confirmed in writing, and never more than your deposit until the balance falls due 70 days before travel. Deposits can be paid by card, which keeps your card scheme’s protections in play.
Availability checked with our New Zealand operations team and confirmed in writing, not an automated estimate.
No booking fees, and nothing to pay to enquire
Quotes are free and carry no obligation. You pay a deposit only once the itinerary is right and you say go.
One person, before and during your trip
The same specialist plans your trip and is reachable while you are travelling, alongside in-country support seven days a week.
Insider status, Tourism New Zealand 100% Pure New Zealand Specialist Programme. IATA certified. Every itinerary is operated by a Qualmark Gold certified New Zealand tour operator.
