15 Day Luxury South Island Honey Moon

Welcome to Christchurch. On arrival you will be picked up at the airport and transferred to your first night’s accommodation. Or if you’ve decided to pick up your rental vehicle immediately, you pick up your vehicle at the airport and drive to your accommodation.

Your detailed tour information pack will be given to you once you arrive at your accommodation.

Take the rest of the day to relax and explore the inner city, with its famous botanic gardens. The city has bounced back from the devastating 2010 earthquake and is once again a very vibrant place. 

At night we have prepare for you a romantic dinner in a Tram.

Suggested activities:

• Christchurch tramway 4 course dinner tour
• Visit the city's famous botanical gardens
• The Canterbury museum, where you can experience New Zealand's rich cultural and natural history.

Stay at your accommodation of choice:  Accommodation Type

Activity : Tram Restaurant

Heading towards Kaikoura the road hugs the rugged coastline between the Pacific Ocean and the Kaikoura Ranges and the views are truly spectacular.

After lunch in Kaikoura, you'll board a whale watching cruise and experience Kaikoura's unique marine wildlife.

Stay at your accommodation of choice:  Accommodation Type

Activity: Whale Watching Kaikoura

Driving distance 310 Km - Driving time 4 hours 14 min.

This morning you will have a full day tour in the picturesque Queen Charlotte Sound and includes a picnic. You will be taken around the Queen Charlotte Track or the famous French Pass and meander through breathtaking views of secluded bays and native bush.

You will return to Blenheim the same day.

Stay at your accommodation of choice:  Accommodation Type

Activity : Queen Charlotte Picnic Tour

Today you will drive to the sunniest place in New Zealand " Nelson ", will be your base for your next adventure tomorrow.

Nelson Tasman is a place of stunning natural landscapes – lakes, mountains, rivers, native bush, beaches.

 Stay at your accommodation of choice:  Accommodation Type

Driving distance 114 Km - Driving time 1 hour 35 min.

Today in the morning you will drive to Kaiteriteri and Abel Tasman National Park. The Abel Tasman is renowned for its golden beaches, sculptured granite cliffs, rich unmodified estuaries, long sunshine hours and the world-famous Abel Tasman Coast Track.  You will join a tour on a cruise, and see all the highlights along the coast, from granite outcrops, golden sands and lush forest. Take in Split Apple Rock, Tonga Island Marine Reserve and Adele Island Wildlife Reserve. View sea birds and seals, with a chance to spot little blue penguins.

Order your barbecue the night before and the crew of the cruise will head to the most sheltered cove to light the grill and cook up your classic Kiwi barbecue lunch, enjoyed on board. After lunch, relax with a comfortable Vista Cruise back to Kaiteriteri.

 Stay at your accommodation of choice:  Accommodation Type

Activity : Vista BBQ Cruise Abel Tasman

Discover the rugged West Coast as you travel to Hokitika, famous for its arts and crafts. Watch a masterpiece being crafted from gold, silver, molten glass, bone or silk, or carve your own creation from wood or jade “pounamu.” Take in Hokitika’s natural beauty, enjoy its expansive beach or one of the many walking and mountain bike tracks.

While in Hokitika, you may wish to make the scenic drive to Hokitika Gorge, where an impressive turquoise river flows through a narrow canyon, or Lake Kaniere, a beautiful lake nestled beneath the mountains.

You could also visit the National Kiwi Centre, where you will be able to see a rare kiwi, and also view New Zealand’s living dinosaur, the Tuatara. Or you may choose to make a drive north to Shantytown, where you can explore the heritage village, ride the steam train, try your hand at panning for gold, and take old-time styled photos.

Stay at your accommodation of choice:  Accommodation Type

Driving distance : 136 km - Driving time :  approximately  2 hrs

Continue south, through dense rain forest towards New Zealand’s glaciers. In the afternoon you will do join a unique heli-hike adventure on Franz Josef Glacier, and after this exhilarating activity, you may wish to soak in the Glacier Hot Pools, nestled in lush rainforest in a haven of natural tranquility.

Stay at your accommodation of choice:  Accommodation Type

Activity : Franz Josef Heli-Hike

Driving distance : 377 km - Driving time :  approximately  4 hrs  

As the road takes you further south, you will pass first through Wanaka, where you can make a lucnh stop along the shores of beautiful Lake Wanaka against the majestic backdrop of the snow-capped mountains of Mt Aspiring National Park.

Wanaka town is nestled below towering mountains, and is a little bit quieter than its neighbour Queenstown. In winters skiers from all over the world flock here for its great skiing, and in summer the impressive mountains provide for a range of adventure activities. You will return to this beautiful town in a few days, but your journey continues to the adventure capital of the world, Queenstown!

Queenstown is synonymous with adventure, and often labelled the "adventure capital of the world". Regardless of the season, Queenstown gets your adrenaline flowing year round, and the options are endless. Want to throw yourself out of a plane in amazing scenery, jump off a bridge in the birthplace of Bungy, jetboat, raft down a river, you name it...Queenstown has it all. 

The afternoon is yours to enjoy this buzzing town. 

Stay at your accommodation of choice:  Accommodation Type

Driving distance : 350 km  - Driving time :  approximately 4 hrs 53 mins

Today is an early start to the day, and you can marvel at a stunning New Zealand sunrise from a hot air balloon. To top off this amazing experience, celebrate with a glass of champagne.

Your next activity, the marvelous heli-wine experience, starts around lunch time and will offer you spectacular views of Queenstown and the surrounding Remarkable Mountains. You will land at some vineyards where you will enjoy some splendid food and New Zealand wines.

And to close a perfectly romantic day, what better way to soak in a hot spa with a majestic view of Lake Wakatipu.

Stay at your accommodation of choice:  Accommodation Type

Activities : Heli-Wine Queenstown   Hot Air Ballooning 

Today in the morning you will visit Milford Sound and you will pass the night on an overnight cruise in this  ‘eighth wonder of the world’ on board the stunning Fiordland Jewel with Fiordland Discovery.

Taking only 20 passengers a night, the Fiordland Jewel features nine climate-controlled cabins all with ensuite bathrooms and majestic fiord and sea views.

Activity : Overnight Cruise Fiordland - Milford Sound

Driving distance : 287 km  - Driving time :  approximately 3 hrs 47 mins

Your journey then continues east to Dunedin, one of the best–preserved Victorian and Edwardian cities in the southern hemisphere. Dunedin offers a diverse range of experiences including the Speight’s Brewery, Larnach Castle and of course the stunning Otago Peninsula with its abundance of marine wildlife..

Stay at your accommodation of choice:  Accommodation Type 

Driving distance : 406 km  - Driving time :  approximately 5 hrs 40 mins

A different experience awaits you today as you will board the Taieri Gorge Railway – one of the world’s great train trips.

Departing from Dunedin’s beautiful railway station the Taieri Gorge Railway begins its scenic journey into some of New Zealand’s most ever-changing, spectacular and iconic scenery. The train travels through the Southern parts of Dunedin City, across the Taieri Plains and then climbs into the Taieri Gorge, a narrow and deep gorge carved out over aeons by the ancient Taieri River. The train negotiates the gorge with ease as it travels through ten tunnels and over countless bridges and viaducts. The train will stop or slow down at various scenic points along the way for photos where you can disembark and stretch your legs and enjoy the best of beauty, peace and quiet that nature has to offer. Stand on the open air platforms while the train moves or enjoy a quiet drink and food from the on board cafe while our train manager tells the story of the nature and history of the area in an entertaining and informative live commentary.

Stay at your accommodation of choice:  Accommodation Type

Activity : Taieri Gorge Railway

This morning travel through the towns of Omarama and Twizel before driving along the shores of the turquoised colored Lake Pukaki towards Aoraki/Mt Cook, Australasia’s highest mountain at 3724 metres.

Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park covers over 70,000 hectares of breathtaking alpine scenery and is also home to the Tasman Glacier, the longest in the Southern hemisphere. 

Your journey then continues to the gorgeous Lake Tekapo. The picturesque Church of the Good Shepherd is a great place for great photo opportunities, but please note that photos are not allowed inside the church.

Stay at your accommodation of choice:  Accommodation Type

Driving distance : 309 km  - Driving time :  approximately 3 hrs 40 mins

Christchurch is a vibrant, energetic city where urban regeneration, creativity, and innovation thrive. Picture amazing street art, innovative projects, a booming hospitality scene and state-of-the-art architecture that is changing the way the city looks, feels and functions – all the while staying true to its heritage and traditional English feel.

Stay at your accommodation of choice:  Accommodation Type 

Driving  distance : 323 km  - Driving time :  approximately 3 hrs 57 mins

Your honeymoon tour of New Zealand ends today, and you will return your rental vehicle at the depot near the airport.

If time allows, explore the inner city of Christchurch with its famous botanical gardens, or take the 45 minute drive to the picturesque coastal town of Akaroa, New Zealand's most French town with many historic building, a magnificent harbour and a passion for fine food.