Welcome to New Zealand. Upon arrival into Auckland International Airport, you will be met by your Nexus DMC representative and transferred privately to your hotel in the heart of the city. Auckland — New Zealand’s largest city, known as the “City of Sails” — is built across two harbours and around 50 dormant volcanic cones, and serves as the natural gateway for the journey ahead. The remainder of the day is left free for travellers to rest after their international flight, settle into their accommodation, and acclimatise at their own pace. 

A full day exploring Auckland’s waterfront character and green open spaces. The morning begins with sightseeing at the Auckland Harbour Bridge, an eight-lane structure spanning the Waitemata Harbour, offering an iconic photo opportunity and a tangible sense of Auckland’s identity as the City of Sails. The group then visits West Haven Marina, one of the largest yacht marinas in the Southern Hemisphere, with berths for over 2,000 vessels, followed by an afternoon at Auckland Domain, the city’s oldest and largest park, home to the Auckland War Memorial Museum grounds

Depart Auckland this morning bound for the Waitomo Caves, a network of limestone caverns in the King Country region renowned for the Glowworm Grotto. Travellers descend by guided tour into the cave system and board a quiet boat to drift beneath thousands of native glowworms, whose bioluminescent light creates the effect of a star-filled night sky reflected on the cavern ceiling and water below. From Waitomo, the journey continues to Matamata for a visit to the Hobbiton Movie Set, the meticulously preserved film location used for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.

Today offers an immersive introduction to Rotorua’s Maori cultural heritage and geothermal landscape via the Te Ra Guided Tour. Travellers gain insight into local Maori history, traditions and storytelling, set against the backdrop of Rotorua’s striking geothermal features — bubbling mud pools, steaming vents, and mineral-rich landscapes shaped by the volcanic activity that defines the wider Taupo Volcanic Zone. In the afternoon, the group visits the Agrodome Farm Show, featuring live demonstrations of sheep shearing and sheepdog herding across 19 different sheep breeds,

This morning the group departs Rotorua for a scenic overland journey to Wellington, New Zealand’s capital. The drive skirts the shores of Lake Taupo, the country’s largest lake and the caldera of one of the world’s most powerful volcanic eruptions, with a stop for photographs and lunch in the lakeside town of Taupo. Continuing south, the route passes through the Tongariro National Park region, a UNESCO World Heritage dual-listed site renowned for its dramatic volcanic peaks of Mount Ruapehu, Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro, with further photo stops along the Desert Road as condition

The morning features a half-day city tour with the iconic Wellington Cable Car, a heritage funicular railway operating since 1902, climbing from central Lambton Quay to the suburb of Kelburn with sweeping panoramic views across Wellington Harbour and the city skyline along the way. At the upper terminus, the group has time to explore the Wellington Botanic Garden before continuing the city tour past the Beehive (Parliament’s executive wing) and the waterfront precinct. In the afternoon, the group visits the Mount Victoria Lookout, sitting at 196 metres above sea level, offering 360-degree

This morning, the group transfers to Wellington’s Interislander terminal for the scenic Cook Strait crossing to Picton, gateway to the South Island. The approximately three-hour ferry journey is one of the most picturesque in the world, opening onto the sheltered waters and forested hillsides of the Marlborough Sounds as the vessel approaches Picton. On arrival into Picton, the coach continues south through the Marlborough wine region, New Zealand’s largest and most celebrated winegrowing area, with a scenic stop to take in the vineyard-covered valleys before continuing along the Kaikou

Depart Christchurch this morning for one of New Zealand’s most scenic road journeys, travelling through the vast, golden expanse of the Canterbury Plains toward the Southern Alps en route to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, home to New Zealand’s highest peak (3,724m) and a UNESCO-listed dark sky reserve. A stop is made for photographs and lunch within the national park, with the dramatic alpine scenery providing a memorable backdrop. The journey continues to Lake Tekapo, renowned for its strikingly turquoise, glacier-fed waters, with time to visit the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd

Today is dedicated to a full-day excursion to Milford Sound, widely regarded as New Zealand’s most spectacular natural attraction. The morning departure from Queenstown takes the group through the Te Anau Basin, with a stop in the lakeside township of Te Anau before continuing into Fiordland National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The drive into Milford Sound passes through the Homer Tunnel and the glacially carved Eglinton Valley, framed by towering peaks and dense native rainforest. On arrival, the group boards a scenic cruise vessel to explore the fiord at water level — towering

Queenstown is widely known as the adventure capital of the world, and today’s program opens with the iconic Shotover Jet — a thrilling 60-minute jet boat ride through the narrow, rocky canyons of the Shotover River, with sweeping 360-degree spins and high-speed canyon runs. The remainder of the day is set aside as free time, allowing travellers to explore Queenstown at their own pace or select from optional activities including the Skyline Gondola, the Kawarau Bridge Bungy, or a guided wine trail through the nearby Gibbston Valley. The group reconvenes for dinner in the evening

This morning the group departs Queenstown for the return journey to Christchurch, taking an alternative scenic route across the Lindis Pass, one of New Zealand’s most dramatic high-country crossings, with golden tussock landscapes giving way to sweeping mountain vistas. A stop is made at Lake Pukaki, celebrated for its vivid turquoise waters and uninterrupted views toward Aoraki/Mount Cook, before continuing through the Mackenzie Basin and the Canterbury high country back toward the coast. The journey concludes in Christchurch in the early evening, in time for a final group dinner

After a final breakfast at the hotel, travellers check out and are transferred privately to Christchurch Airport in good time for their onward or homebound flight. This brings to a close an 11-night journey spanning the length of New Zealand — from Auckland’s harbour and Rotorua’s geothermal landscapes, across Cook Strait by ferry, to the alpine scenery of Queenstown and Aoraki/Mount Cook, finishing in Christchurch. On behalf of the Nexus DMC team, we thank you for travelling with us and look forward to welcoming you on a future journey.