South Island - Wildlife, Coastlines and Wild Places Itinerary

Settle into New Zealand’s second-largest city, where heritage architecture, green spaces, and a revitalised dining scene create a relaxed introduction to the South Island.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Private airport transfer
• Full-day heritage tram pass
• Explore at your leisure
• 1 night in Christchurch

Make it yours
Discover Christchurch from the water with a romantic punt along the Avon River or explore the city’s vibrant Riverside Market and Botanic Gardens.
 

Suggested Accommodation: 

Today you will collect your rental vehicle and travel across the Canterbury Plains into the Te Wāhipounamu region, home to Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain, surrounded by spectacular UNESCO World Heritage landscapes.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Breakfast, dinner
• Church of the Good Shepherd & Lake Tekapo
• Dark Sky Reserve Stargazing Experience
• 2 nights in Aoraki/Mount Cook

Approximate Distance: 330 km | 205 miles  Total Driving Time: 4 hours 30 mins

Suggested Accommodation: 

Explore the dramatic Tasman Valley and experience one of New Zealand’s most remarkable glacier environments.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Breakfast, dinner
• Hooker Valley walking track
• Tasman Glacier boat tour
• Glacial lake & iceberg scenery

Make it yours
Add a scenic helicopter flight for breathtaking views of Aoraki / Mount Cook and the Southern Alps.

Ready to make the journey yours? Enquire online or speak with a Travel Designer to personalise your perfect New Zealand escape.

Journey from the alpine high country to the Otago coastline, stopping at one of New Zealand’s most famous natural wonders.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Breakfast
• Moeraki Boulders stopover
• Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony experience
• 2 nights in Oamaru

Approximate Distance: 210 km | 130 miles  Total Driving Time: 2 hours 30 mins

Suggested Accommodation: 

Discover the unique blend of heritage, arts, and coastal charm that makes Oamaru one of New Zealand’s most distinctive towns. Enjoy a scenic coastal walk or admire the stunning Victorian architecture as you stroll through the historic precinct, exploring galleries, quirky shops, and local craft stores.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Breakfast
• Explore at your leisure 

Depart Oamaru and journey south through scenic Otago toward Dunedin, celebrated for its Victorian and Edwardian architecture. Explore the historic streets before visiting the iconic Larnach Castle for a self-guided tour of the grand mansion and its beautifully manicured gardens.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Breakfast
• Larnach Castle guided tour
• Explore Otago Peninsula
• 2 nights in Dunedin

Approximate Distance: 115 km | 71 miles  Total Driving Time: 1 hour 30 mins
 

Suggested Accommodation: 

Encounter some of New Zealand’s rarest wildlife while exploring the spectacular Otago Peninsula.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Breakfast
• Guided wildlife cruise
• Albatross and fur seal sightings

Make it yours
Enhance your wildlife experience with a guided walk along the remote peninsula beach, offering additional opportunities to spot rare native wildlife up-close.

Journey into one of New Zealand’s most untouched regions, where native forests meet rugged coastline creating a unique coastal ecosystem and the charm of a bygone New Zealand lifestyle.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Breakfast
• Scenic coastal drive
• Nugget Point Lighthouse stopover
• 2 nights in The Catlins

Approximate Distance: 130 km | 81 miles  Total Driving Time: 2 hours

Suggested Accommodation:

Spend the day discovering remote beaches, waterfalls, and remarkable wildlife in this hidden South Island gem.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Breakfast
• Cathedral Caves
• Curio Bay
• Explore at your leisure

Travel into Fiordland, a region of dramatic mountains, ancient rainforest, and vast glacial landscapes shaped by ancient ice and time, creating some of the most awe-inspiring scenery in New Zealand and home to the South Island’s largest lake.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Breakfast
• Scenic cruise across Lake Te Anau
• Guided Glowworm Cave tour
• 2 nights in Te Anau

Approximate Distance: 230 km | 143 miles  Total Driving Time: 3 hours

Experience Fiordland from both river and sky on an unforgettable adventure through one of New Zealand’s most spectacular wilderness regions.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Breakfast
• Fiordland jet boat experience
• Lake Manapouri seaplane flight
• Te Wāhipounamu - South West New Zealand World Heritage Area

Make it yours
If walking is more your style, try one of the world-renowned Great Walks with a knowledgeable guide. Each trail offers a new perspective of Fiordland’s dramatic wilderness!

Departing from Manapouri, journey deep into remote Fiordland on an unforgettable overnight cruise through Doubtful Sound, a vast and secluded waterway surrounded by rainforest, towering mountains, and abundant native wildlife.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Doubtful Sound overnight cruise
• Kayaking with opportunities to view local wildlife
• 1 night in Doubtful Sound

Approximate Distance: 25 km | 15.5 miles  Total Driving Time: 30 mins

Suggested Accommodation: 

Take your time traveling to Queenstown, watching the landscape shift from rugged mountain ranges and mirror-like lakes to the winding Kawarau River Gorge and lush green farmland. In the evening, board a vintage steamship for a cruise across Lake Wakatipu to Walter Peak Station.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Breakfast, gourmet BBQ dinner
• Scenic alpine drive
• TSS Earnslaw vintage steamboat cruise
• 3 nights in Queenstown

Approximate Distance: 175 km | 109 miles  Total Driving Time: 2 hours 15 mins
 

Suggested Accommodation: 

Take a day-trip to experience the beauty of Glenorchy and its surrounding wilderness on an exhilarating zipline adventure.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Zipline experience
• Glenorchy day trip
• Mount Aspiring National Park scenery
• Lake Wakatipu views

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Try a guided horseback ride through spectacular landscapes and iconic filming locations from The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Approximate Distance: 45 km | 28 miles  Total Driving Time: 45 mins (each way)

Indulge in a full day exploring the renowned Central Otago wine region, celebrated for its world-class Pinot Noir and spectacular landscapes.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Gourmet lunch and wine tour
• Gibbston, Bannockburn & Cromwell wine regions 
• Historic Arrowtown stopover

Cross the dramatic Crown Range with a full-day drive that blends adventure, history, and breathtaking landscapes, offering a perfect introduction to the beauty of Central Otago.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Scenic Haast pass
• Cardrona Valley viewpoints
• Lake Wānaka
• 2 nights in Wānaka

Approximate Distance: 70 km | 44 miles  Total Driving Time: 1 hour 15 mins

Suggested Accommodation: 

Cruise across crystal-clear waters to Mou Waho Island, a predator-free wildlife sanctuary with panoramic views and a remarkable secret: a lake on top of an island, on a lake, on an island!

Inclusions at a glance:

• Lake Wānaka Cruise 
• Mou Waho Island Nature Walk
• Native tree planting
• Native birdlife encounters

Make it yours
Take panoramic views to a new height with a thrilling skydive from 12,000 feet above!

Travel one of New Zealand’s most spectacular routes, where alpine scenery gives way to lush rainforest and glacier landscapes.

Inclusions at a glance:

• West Coast rainforest scenery
• Scenic Haast Pass
• Explore at your leisure
• 2 nights in Franz Josef

Approximate Distance: 285 km | 177 miles  Total Driving Time: 4 hours

Suggested Accommodation: 

Experience one of New Zealand’s most iconic adventures with a thrilling helicopter flight and guided glacier exploration, moving through dramatic crevasses, shimmering ice tunnels, and surreal ice caves.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Breakfast
• Franz Josef Glacier Heli-Hike
• Ice caves and glacier formations

Make it yours
Extend your heli-hike duration to spend more time on the ice and fully take in the surrounding glacier landscape.

Drive the scenic coast to Greymouth, stopping in Hokitika to browse artisan shops and Māori pounamu (greenstone), before returning your rental vehicle and boarding the TranzAlpine to Christchurch through spectacular alpine landscapes.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Breakfast
• Hokitika stopover 
• TranzAlpine rail journey
• 1 night in Christchurch

Approximate Distance: 175 km | 109 miles  Total Driving Time: 2 hours 30 mins

Suggested Accommodation: 

Your South Island journey comes to an end today. Reflect on the wildlife encounters, alpine adventures, Fiordland experiences, glacier landscapes, and unforgettable rail journeys that have made your New Zealand holiday truly exceptional.

Inclusions at a glance:

• Breakfast
• Private airport transfer

Inspired by what you’ve seen? Let’s create a journey to Aotearoa, New Zealand that’s uniquely yours.

Speak with a Travel Designer to start planning your personalised escape.