Day 1

You will be met on arrival from your flight and a private driver will deliver you to your Christchurch accommodation.

On arrival into Christchurch airport you will be met from your flight and a private transfer will deliver you to your accommodation. The rest of the day is yours to explore at your leisure. Christchurch City has much to offer visitors and Cathedral Square provides a great focal point. A great way to see some of the city centre sights and attractions though is by the famous historic trams. A 30 minute loop allows hop-on, hop-off at museums, art galleries, gardens and shops.

Day 2

Christchurch's compact city centre is best explored on foot or by taking the hop-on, hop-off historic trams.
Amongst the not to be missed attractions is the International Antarctic Centre. Christchurch is the base from which many Antarctic programmes host their supply operations. The International Antarctic Centre offers the visitor a unique insight into life on the frozen continent. You can view little blue penguins that have been rescued and given a new home as well as taking a ride in the impressive Haaglund tracked vehicle.
Willowbank Wildlife Reserve lets you experience New Zealand native birds including the kiwi, plus other animals up close.
Getting a little further out you can also enjoy a Christchurch Wildlife Cruise. Departing from Lyttelton this two hour trip offers you the chance to see the rare hectors dolphins in their natural environment.
For an evening like no other the Tamaki Heritage Village takes you back in time to the when European and Maori first met. This interactive outdoor theatre is designed to let you see, hear, smell and feel the atmosphere and tensions that arose during this time. The evening finishes off with a sumptuous and plentiful dinner prepared in the traditional Maori hangi style.

Day 3

The drive north from Christchurch to Kaikoura takes you through some fine rolling farmland and North Canterbury's major wine region, the Waipara Valley. A great detour to take is to head inland and visit Hanmer Springs for a dip in the natural hot pools. Crossing the Hawkswood Range you descend towards the spectacular Kaikoura coastline and the road hugs the ocean as it winds its way the remaining 15 kilometres to the township.
Kaikoura Township is a bustling little place with many cafes, restaurants and shops but the main reason for visiting here is the wildlife. Whale Watch Kaikoura is New Zealand's only marine-based whale watching company offering visitors an exciting up-close encounter with the Giant Sperm Whale at all times of the year. Kaikoura is New Zealand's world famous whale watching destination. Sperm Whales can be seen here year-round while depending on the season you may also see migrating Humpback Whales, Pilot Whales, Blue Whales and Southern Right Whales.
Another great Kaikoura activity is Swimming with the Seals. Donning a wet suit you have the opportunity to interact with these inquisitive creatures on their terms. Wings over Whales also offer tours from fixed wing aircraft to view the whales and other marine creatures from 500 feet in the air.

Day 4

Kaikoura is renowned for its wildlife and this is the main reason most visitors venture here. The seas along the coast offer a plentiful food supply for whales, seals and dolphins and these magnificent animals can be observed all year round. Seals are the easiest animals to view with a colony at the tip of the peninsular and many basking along the coast road. Whale Watch Kaikoura operate 4 hour excursions by boat to view the marine wildlife and you will have around a 95% chance of spotting a whale.
If you don't enjoy the sea then Wings over Whales can also take you wildlife spotting on a 30 minute scenic flight. Another great local acitivity is to swim with the resident seal population and Seal Swim Kaikoura operate both land based and boat based trips.
Of course there are many other great reasons to visit Kaikoura; the township has a great feel with lots of small shops, cafes and restaurants and not to be missed is a crayfish meal - the towns signature dish. Fyffe House along the peninsular road gives an interesting insight into the original settlers lives while a little further out you can enjoy hiking, quad biking, mountain biking and golf to mention just a few activities. Its the scenery here that always steals the show though with some of the best coastal views in the country.

Kaikoura is New Zealand's world famous whale watching destination. Sperm Whales can be seen here year-round while 7 other whale species visit regularly.A typical Whale Watch tour may encounter New Zealand Fur Seals, pods of Dusky Dolphins and the endangered Wandering Albatross. Depending on the season you may also see migrating Humpback Whales, Pilot Whales, Blue Whales and Southern Right Whales.
Whale Watch is New Zealand's only marine-based whale watching company offering visitors an exciting up-close encounter with the Giant Sperm Whale at all times of the year. Whale Watch scheduled tours operate daily and have a 95% success rate in viewing whales.

Day 5

The road hugs the shore for around 50 kilometres and offers many chances to view the native wildlife such as seabirds and New Zealand fur seals. To the east is the turquoise of the South Pacific Ocean and to the west the towering Kaikoura Ranges. Crossing the ‘dry hills’ of the Marlborough ranges you head towards one of the most spectacular coastlines of the South Island, the Kaikoura Coast.
Blenheim sits right at the heart of the New Zealand's largest wine producing region, Marlborough, and is ideally located to enjoy an afternoon sampling the local produce. A great way to do this is to take a guided wine tour with Sounds Connection Wine Tours.

Day 6

A short drive from Blenheim to the busy port town of Picton, and its here from that the Interislander ferries arrive and depart. The town centre is quite small with plenty of shops and cafes and the waterfront area is a very pleasant place to spend a few hours watching the activity of the ships. The Edwin Fox Maritime Centre on the wharf is worth a visit with the star attraction being the vessel the Edwin Fox, reputably the 9th oldest ship in the world. Its also the starting point the for the famous Queen Charlotte Walk.
Queen Charlotte Drive travels the Marlborough Sounds coastline between Picton and Havelock. Magnificent views of the sounds can be had from many vantage points so allow plenty of time to enjoy the scenery. If you can spare the time take the narrow windy road to Portage along Mahau Sound and Kenepuru Sound with their bush clad hillsides and secluded sandy coves.
The small port town of Havelock has a great variety of cafes and restaurants to choose from so plan your journey to arrive in time for lunch. The highway between Nelson and Picton also crosses the Pelorus River and just at this junction is the famous and historic Pelorus Bridge. From here there are a number of forest walks with the most popular the 30 minute loop through beech, rimu and totara forest to the swing-bridge.
Crossing the Bryant Range you arrive onto Tasman Bay and the city of Nelson. Mapua and Motueka are around 45 minutes further around the bay putting you in a great position to explore beautiful Abel Tasman National Park.

Day 7

Abel Tasman is renowned for its golden beaches, sculptured granite cliffs, and its world-famous coastal track. It also has a mild climate and is a great place to visit at any time of the year. The main attractions in the park are walking, sea kayaking and enjoying its many beaches.
Wilsons Abel Tasman have been showing off the park to visitors for many years and their range of self guided cruise and walks has something to suit everyone. Enjoy a scenic cruise along the coast to a beautiful bay and after being dropped off enjoy the coastal track to the next bay where you will be collected from at a predetermined time.
Sea Kayaking is also a popular way of exploring the region and Wilsons also operate a kayak, seals and walk trip. Using stable double kayaks these trips are suitable for anyone.
For a more in depth tour of the park by kayak then the Beaches and Bays Guided Sea Kayak tour may be the answer.

Day 8

The drive today takes you along the Buller Gorge and offers some wonderful scenery as you follow this magnificent river. The town of Murchison is a quiet place and a great lunch stop. Underneath its sleepy farming facade is an adventurers paradise with white water rafting, kayaking, 4WD trips and some great trout fishing.
The first major town (by this regions standard) is Inangahua and a small museum tells of the earthquake that hit the region in 1968 leaving 70% of the buildings damaged or inhabitable. Further along the river one of the must stop places is Whites Creek and New Zealand's longest swing bridge. Crossing the river you get magnificent views of the gorge and once on the other side there are short bush walks, jet boat rides and some of the historic gold mining remnants.
The port town of Westport is the largest on the Northern West Coast. A history of gold mining, logging, fishing coal mining gives the town a hard working feeling. And to reward the hard workers the town has an extraordinary amount of pubs.
There are plenty of activities here such as caving, bush walks and surfing but one of the most popular is to take a trip to Tauranga bay and the seal colony. Just 15 kilometres south at Cape Foulwind (named by Captain Cook for the difficult sailing conditions and not the smell of the seals!), you will find a breeding colony of New Zealand fur seals. A well marked and easy 10 minute walking track takes you to colony where you can see the creatures lazing around or swimming in the ocean.

Day 9

The drive South on State Highway 6 takes you through many West Coast towns but the first stop must be the Punakaiki Rocks or the Pancake Rocks as they are known locally. A series of well formed walking paths take you through the incredible formations. A great visitor centre also tells you everything you need to know about Paparoa National Park.
The next town is Greymouth, the commercial centre for the West Coast. Just south of the town is Shantytown a replica gold rush town with lots of great displays from yesteryear.
The next town is Hokitika and this is a great place to explore the craft and gift stores. The Jade or Greenstone on offer in Hokitika is probably some of the best you will see in the country. The Hokitika Gorge, off the beaten track and inland a little is a spectacular detour. Turquoise waters flowing through a narrow gorge. A great short walk will deliver you to this piece of paradise.
Ross is the site of an old gold mining town and some of the old buildings and workings remain. In fact Ross is still home to one of the few working gold mines left in New Zealand and the local information centre offers you the chance to pan for gold.
Continuing south Hari Hari is the township that Guy Menzies decided to land in (or rather crash land) as he became the first person to fly solo across the Tasman.
Whataroa, a small township on the main road is where you would head off to see one of the worlds rarest birds. The entire population (somewhere between 150 and 200 birds) of the the New Zealand white heron or kotuku nest at the Waitangi Roto Nature Reserve and guided tours from October to March will take you there.
Arriving in to the Glacier region you catch your first glimpse of Franz Josef Glacier from a few kilometres out as it flows from the Southern Alps. Franz Josef township is a lively place with a great atmosphere, plenty of choice to dine out and some wonderful activities to enjoy.

Day 10

The main attraction in Franz Josef is of course the glacier. Very few places in the world have such large glaciers almost at sea level and even more unusually is that the lower slopes are amongst rain forest.
Franz Josef Glacier Guides have a great choice of guided interpretive walks to and on the glacier. While you can walk without a guide along the valley floor you must take a licensed tour to get any closer than 100 metres of the glacier. The tours offered are an interpretive Valley Walk (3 hours), a Half Day (4 1/2 hours) hike including around 1 1/2 hours on the lower glacier, a Full Day (7-8 hours) adventure onto the ice and for the very adventurous a full day of Ice Climbing. All equipment is provided for these tours.
One of the most popular ways to experience the glaciers though is on a Helihike. A Scenic helicopter flight delivers you to the upper slopes where a guide then accompanies you for around 2 hours over the ice flows, caves and crevasses.
Other scenic flights with short lacier landings are available with The Helicopter Line and Mt. Cook Ski Planes offer unique ski equipped fixed wing aircraft landings.
The township, although small, has a lively atmosphere during its busy seasons and there is plenty of choice to dine out and reflect on your days adventure.

An exciting scenic flight over all three icefalls of the Franz Josef Glacier is taken with The Helicopter Line. Landing high up on the glacier, you undertake a two hour guided trip amongst some of the most beautiful terrain available.
Your guide chooses the route as you go and with an eye for the most spectacular ice formations you'll soon be making your way through a wonderland of towering pinnacles and brilliantly blue ice.
The panoramic views of the glacier and surrounding mountains are supreme. With plenty of opportunities for the perfect photograph and the chance to learn more about glaciers, this will almost certainly be the most memorable experience you will have while in New Zealand.

Day 11

Driving north on State Highway 6 you pass through many small West Coast towns. Hari Hari is the township that Guy Menzies decided to land in (or rather crash land) as he became the first person to fly solo across the Tasman. Ross is the site of an old gold mining town and some of the old buildings remain. You can even pan for gold. The craft and gift stores in Hokitika are excellent with a great range of locally made items and if you want to explore further here then the Hokitika Gorge is worthy of a detour.

State Highway 73 is the main road between the West Coast and Christchurch and the scenery is spectacular - even in the rain - and there is pretty good chance of rain in the high alpine mountains. With hundreds of waterfalls cascading down the bush clad hillsides it's not a road to be rushed. Originally the road was a pass used by Maori as they made tier seasonal passage to look for the greenstone abundant in the West Coast mountains. When the gold rush hit the West Coast in the late 1800's then a road was quickly developed and not soon after the train. Today the main use for the track is transporting coal to Lyttelton Harbour but once a day the now world famous Tranz Alpine Scenic Train takes a few hundred tourists and visitors between the two oceans.

The Otira Gorge on the Western side of Arthur's Pass features a remarkable piece of engineering with the road passing high on a viaduct through this large valley. This is a recent addition to the route as the old road was washed away in a rock fall a few years ago. There are numerous lookout points giving great views of the valley and its engineering feat but watch out for the local residents, the kea. this bird is the worlds only alpine parrot and can be extremely cheeky.

Arthur's Pass Township is bustling place in the peak season with many walkers and adventurers using it as a base for the forays into the mountains of Arthur's pass National Park. The Department of Conservation centre here has an excellent display of the local history and is a great source of information for the many short walks in the area.

Day 12

Nestled in mountain beech forest, midway between Greymouth and Christchurch. Wilderness Lodge Arthur's Pass offers comfort and warm hospitality in a spectacular mountain setting. The lodge has 24 Lodge rooms, an intimate restaurant, lounge, library and theatre for evening nature talks. Discover wild nature in the New Zealand Mountains and experience life on a 3,000 hectare nature reserve / high country merino sheep station. Walk from your room into a natural paradise of beech forest, tussock clearings, moss-lined streams and lakes on a network of nature walks. The highlight of the Lodge is a daily programme of nature discovery activities. Naturalist guides will help you to explore nature and learn about high country life.

You will also learn more about this special place the first Maori visitors called "Te Ko Awa a Aniwaniwa - Valley of the Mother of the Rainbows."

Wilderness Lodge is working to protect the special plants, forests and wildlife found on this high country station and surrounding lands in partnership with the Department of Conservation. For 8 years they have been fostering rare mistletoes, bellbirds, parakeets and kea in the forest around the Lodge. They have discovered and protected endangered plants in thorn forest near the Lodge and are proud that it has been possible to protect nature and nearby run a successful and profitable merino wool farming programme.

Wilderness Lodge Arthur's Pass captures the grandeur of the Southern Alps from a warm site nestled into the natural landscape. West Coast Wilderness Architect Gary Hopkinson built with stone, wooden beams, corrugated iron; materials widely used since the earliest high country settlement of the 1860s. From the highway the drive to the Lodge crosses the farm, past the shearing shed then enters the beech forest. It crosses Te Iringa Stream and winds to the car park. A moss-lined forest path then leads to the Lodge.

You can enjoy mountain views stretching 60 kilometres from the Binser Range (1860 metres) down across the great sweep of the Waimakariri River to Mt Rolleston (2275 metres), the highest mountain towering above Arthur's Pass township. These mountains provide the backdrop to the superb food of the Mt Rolleston restaurant where you can enjoy the best of New Zealand's fish, meats, fruit and vegetables. You can join other guests from around the world or, if you prefer, dine alone.

The David McLeod Library is a quiet place to relax amongst a collection of high country and nature books. David McLeod owned this sheep station from 1930 to 1978 and made this station and the South Island high country famous in his series of delightful high country books.

Wilderness Lodge Arthur's Pass is a paradise for nature lovers and for a relaxing retreat away from the pressures of the modern world. On arrival you are provided with maps and information on the walks network, forest and tussock nature trails. Walk from your room into the wilderness or explore further afield in Arthur's Pass National Park, Craigieburn Forest Park and Torlesse Conservation Park.

Walks network

The lodge walk's network covers 30km (20 miles) and provides a fascinating introduction to the mountains These include:

• Rainbow Valley Nature Walk is an easy 1 hour self-guided trail through beech forest and tussock clearings with great views
• Broad Stream Walk - a 2 hour moderate fitness walk into a lovely beech forested valley with cascades, pools and lovely picnic areas
• McKay Moa Forest and Wild Boar Hill - an easy 2 hour walk explores wild forest and shrubland filled with rare plants with sweeping views of the valley
• Waimakariri Valley Walk is a longer (3 hour) but flat walk in the open Waimakariri Valley beneath ancient thorn forest and alongside wetlands rich in birdlife
• Mt. Bruce and Harper Saddle are longer (4 hour) harder mountain trips ideal for the enthusiast.

Blade shearing

Every day, naturalist guides led by Gerry McSweeney offer two guided activities each about an hour long, included in the Lodge tariff. You can learn about beech forests, New Zealand's smallest bird, the rifleman, discover strange thorn forests and look for the world's smartest animal, the kea parrot. They also introduce you to the Southern Cross and night sky and the history of the mountains.

Day 13

Descending into the valleys of the Waimakariri this drive offers some spectacular views of the braided river valleys. Castle Hill Scenic Reserve sits in limestone country and the area is dotted with remarkable rock outcrops. A popular place with climbers it was also an important place for Maori in past years as they provided shelter on their seasonal journeys between the coasts. There is a network of walking paths allowing you to explore.
Descending onto the Canterbury Plains the rich farmland that attracted and helped settlers prosper becomes apparent as you head into the city of Christchurch.

Explore more of Christchurch before dropping your rental car at the airport depot and continuing your onward journey.