Evening departure from London Heathrow with Air New Zealand

In transit

You will be met on arrival at Christchurch Airport and assisted with the collection of your Budget Rent-A-Car Intermediate automatic car. Proceed from the airport for the drive to The George Hotel for a 2 night stay in a standard room.

Spend the full day at your leisure in and around Christchurch, one of New Zealand’s most enchanting of cities. The South Island’s beautiful and charming ‘Garden City’, and for many is its most quintessentially ‘English’ setting, Christchurch is an engaging mix of modern style and colonial elegance. Originally built to evoke the image of an England of landed gentry and rural idyll, it presents an abundance of options for the visitor. You might wish to join a city tour, or punt down the picturesque River Avon. Further afield you can join a day’s tour to Arthur’s Pass aboard the famous TanzAlpine Express train, one of the world’s ‘Great’ rail adventures, or perhaps enjoy a whale watching boat trip off the spectacular Kaikoura coast.

Depart Christchurch and head west, making your way across to the spectacular majesty of Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park (approx 331 kms). Stay for 2 nights at the Hermitage Hotel.

A full day at leisure to explore Mount Cook. The park is home to 22 of the country’s 3000+m peaks and, at 3755m, Mount Cook is the highest, a factor that has earned it the title of Aoraki (Cloud Piercer). Options for today include a visit to the brand new Sir Edmund Hillary Centre, which houses a museum, planetarium and 3-D presentation, affording a fascinating insight into the cultural evolution of Aoraki. Alternatively you may like to take a scenic flight across the breathtaking panoramas of New Zealand’s highest peak, make a tour of the spectacular Tasman Glacier, board a glacier cruise, or even take a star spotting tour.

Depart Mount Cook today and continue your journey, turning southeast towards the scenic splendours of the Otago Peninsula and the eastern city of Dunedin (approx 331 kms). Stay for 2 nights at Larnach Lodge at Larnach Castle in a King Premium Room. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure.

Spend the morning at your leisure. Dunedin has often been referred as ‘The Edinburgh of the South’ and presents a wealth of alluring 19th century architecture, historic museums and trendy cafes to keep you occupied, as well as boasting the distinction of the word’s steepest street, the impressively vertiginous Baldwin Street (1 in 1.266). You might like to join one of the numerous wildlife tours available in the area, to enjoy something of the abundant wildlife in a region renowned for its varied and rare marine fauna and birdlife, including yellow-eyed penguins (one of the rarest species on the planet), albatross, seals, sea lions and much more.

Depart Dunedin and drive west, towards New Zealand’s spectacular Fiordland and the town of Te Anau, sitting besides the waters of the country’s second largest lake (approx 290 kms). Stay overnight at the Fiordland Lodge in a lodge room. Spend the remainder of the day at your own leisure.

Today affords an opportunity to explore something of the scenic grandeur of Milford Sound, renowned for its ‘out-of-the-world’ scenery of pristine, shimmering waters and meandering fjords, set before the imposing heights of Mitre Peak (1692m). Make your way to Milford Sound (approx 121 kms) in time to depart at 15.30 hrs (May & September) or 16.30 hrs on your Milford Sound Overnight Cruise. Dinner is included this evening onboard your cruise. (NOTE – The overnight cruise does not operate June to August, so an extra night at Fiordland Lodge and a Milford Sound scenic day cruise will be included instead)

Return to Milford Wharf at approx 09.30 hrs this morning, then depart Milford Sound and make your way east towards Queenstown, one of New Zealand’s most visually stunning regions and one of its most popular year round destinations (approx 291 kms). Stay 3 nights at the Dairy Private Luxury Hotel in a standard room.

Two full days at your own leisure. Nestling in Queenstown Bay, about midway along the eastern shores of the azure blue waters of Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown lies in the stunning shadow of the towering Remarkable Mountains range. Whilst the town’s spectacular natural beauty presents the perfect setting to relax and enjoy the surrounding area, perhaps taking in some of its exceptional walking opportunities, or some genteel sightseeing from its Skyline Gondola, it is also renowned as New Zealand’s ‘adrenaline-activity capital’. You can try you hand at any number of exhilarating activities, including sky diving, jet boating, hang gliding, paragliding, rock climbing, kayaking, sailing and horse riding. For the serious adrenaline junkie you could try the terrifying Nevis High-wire bungy jump, a 134m high plunge over the Nevis River. Other alternatives include a cruise on the steam-powered TSS Earnslaw across Lake Wakatipu, or a wine tour of the region.

As above

Depart Queenstown and drive to Franz Josef, set amongst the glacier country of Westland Tai Poutini National Park on the South Island’s dramatic West Coast (approx 404 kms). Stay for 2 nights at Westwood Lodge, in a Main House Suite. The rest of the day is at your leisure.

A full day at leisure to explore the remarkable landscapes around Franz Josef, whose immense glacier is continuing to move at an incredible rate of one metre per day. Nowhere else at these latitudes can you find glaciers so close to the coast and there are numerous ways to see and explore the stunning beauty of Franz Josef and nearby Fox Glacier. Options include guided walks that will take you to the best viewpoints of the glaciers, scenic flights that soar over and around these frozen juggernauts, heli-hikes that allow you to get that much closer, and for those seeking a bit more adventure, you can try your hand at ‘ice climbing’ at the all-weather glacier centre.

Depart Franz Josef today and drive to the settlement of Arthur’s Pass, the highest altitude town in New Zealand, lying amongst the landscapes of the Southern Alps (approx 248 kms). Stay for 2 nights at the Wilderness Lodge Arthur’s Pass in a Mountain View Room. Spend the remainder of the day at your leisure.

A full day at leisure to explore the area. The surrounding National Park is filled with a spectacular array of snow-capped mountains and breathtaking walks. Armed with information and maps from the lodge, you can explore the surrounding area on your own, join a guided excursion, or walk along one of the many trails that lead through the forest.

Departing the mountains today you turn east once more, driving back to Christchurch and the serene gentility of the New Zealand’s garden city (approx 155 kms), returning to the George Hotel for an overnight stay in a standard room. Spend the remainder of the day at your leisure.

Make your way to Christchurch Airport today and return your car to the Budget Depot prior to departing on your onward flight.