Starting from Auckland, North Island
(excluding flights)
Package: New Zealand Explorer.
Operator: Kuoni.
Duration: 17 nights.
Price: £1,224 per person, based on two sharing and a mid-sized grade C car.
Route: from Auckland head off over the harbour bridge to the scenically stunning Bay of Islands (187miles). Explore the Bay of Islands sights for two days then return to Auckland (233 miles).
Head south to Waitomo and on to the geo-thermic region of Rotorua (248 miles). Explore the geysers and mud pools of Rotorua for two days before driving through sheep farming land to Wellington (310 miles).
Explore Wellington and Picton before heading to Blenheim (31 miles).
From Blenheim head to the alpine scenery of Buller Gorge and continue to Greymouth (233 miles).
Drive through snow-capped mountain landscapes, lakes and glaciers to Fox Glacier (124 miles).
Head inland over Haast Pass to Queenstown (248 miles).
Enjoy Queenstown – New Zealand’s main tourist resort – before heading out to Milford Sound and Te Anau – gateway to Fiordland (263 miles).
Exchange lakes and mountains for the lush farmlands of Dunedin (202miles).
Explore the southern Alps, visit Omarama (171 miles) and Mount Cook before driving through MacKenzie country to Christchurch (248 miles).
Starting from Christchurch in South Island
(excluding flights)
Package: The Panoramic South.
Operator: Travel 2.
Duration: nine nights.
Price: from £293 per person (May-August), based on two sharing and a small, grade A car.
Route: from Christchurch travel across the Canterbury Plains, through the scenic Southen Alps to Greymouth (255 miles).
Travel south to Hokitika – once the capital of the gold fields – and continue to Franz Josef Glacier (189 miles).
Cross the Haast Pass to Queenstown (348 miles). Spend a day exploring the activities of the resort – such as jet boating and white water rafting.
Head on to Te Anau – gateway to Fiordland National Park and spend a day or two exploring the scenic Sounds of the area perhaps with a flightseeing excursion.
Drive east to Dunedin (286 miles) and then next day to Twizel (262 miles) and the stunning Mackenzie country. On route back to Christchurch (397 miles), enjoy the valleys and peaks of Mount Cook National Park and the glacial lakes of Pukaki and Tekapo.