New Zealand Tour Package (AO Experiences)

Ten nights across both New Zealand islands, self-guided, with an internal flight between them.

Eleven days for both islands is tight and the itinerary is honest about how it manages it: the North Island gets the geothermal country and the film sets, and the flight to Christchurch buys the time for the South Island’s best driving.

Auckland opens it for two nights, then Waitomo and its glowworm caves, and two nights at Rotorua by way of the Hobbiton set, with the Te Puia geysers and mud pools, Rainbow Springs, the Agrodome and a Maori hangi and concert. A flight reaches Christchurch, then Queenstown by way of Lake Tekapo and its stone church, Mount Cook, the highest peak in the country, and Lake Pukaki. Milford Sound follows through the Homer Tunnel, with a cruise past Mitre Peak and Bowen Falls, then a free day at Queenstown for the rafting, jet boating and bungee jumping, and the glacier region by Lake Wanaka and the Haast Pass, with Franz Josef and Fox, before the return to Christchurch over Arthur’s Pass.

The self-drive hire car and the internal flight are included, with meals arranged for dietary needs; the full inclusions were not itemised, flights to New Zealand are not covered, and the operator adds 5 per cent GST and 2 per cent TCS to the trip cost. The price shown is per person. November to March is the main season. Eleven days is a highlights trip rather than a tour, and a fortnight would serve the South Island better.