• Dining inclusions - 11 breakfasts, 10 dinners
• Scenic cruise Wellington - Picton
• Brancott Estate Winery visit with tasting & afternoon tea
• Spectacular Kaikoura Coast
• City highlights tour in Christchurch
• Entry to International Antarctic Centre
• Church of the Good Shepherd
• World renowned Aoraki/Mount Cook region
• Traditional scottish haggis ceremony
• Larnach Castle
• Milford Sound launch cruise
• Te Anau glow worm caves

• Cruise to Walter peak High Country Farm & Dinner, Queenstown
• Remote national parks of Westland & Fiordland West Coast glaciers
• Visit greenstone (jade) factory
• Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre
• Visit Fox Glacier

Today completes your North Island tour as you venture to the South Island onboard the Interislander Ferry a unique experience treasured by many. Enjoy the spectacular views of New Zealand's Capital from Wellington Harbour; continue through the heads crossing Cook Strait into the secluded waters of Queen Charlotte Sound. Travel through the sheltered waterways, remote bays and pass many isolated holiday homes.

Disembark at Picton, a quaint village nestled on the shimmering shores of the Marlborough Sounds. Here you will be welcomed and met by your South Island Kirra Tours Coach Captain. Continue south from Picton travelling through dairy farms that merge with forestry producers. Enter the Marlborough wine country and the town of Blenheim, a region renowned for its viticulture. A brief tour of the area includes a visit to Brancott Estate Winery. Enjoy a hosted tour of the winery, learn about and taste a range of the famous local wines (purchase if you wish) followed by afternoon tea.

Overnight: Heartland Hotel Blenheim.

Leave the vineyards behind you and travel through the Awatere Valley to the Pacific Ocean Coast. You will be able to clearly spot Lake Grassmere by its mounds of sea salt drying. Follow the Pacific Coast to Kaikoura, simply translated means KAI = food & KOURA = crayfish (Lobster). Kaikoura is a small seaside settlement with an incredible backdrop of the rugged, often snow capped, Kaikoura mountain range that appears to ascend straight from the Pacific Ocean. This unique combination of ocean and mountains offers stunning coastal alpine scenery.

Continue south through the fertile North Canterbury farmlands and onto the arable Canterbury Plains and Christchurch "the gateway to Antarctica". On arrival into Christchurch experience the International Antarctic Centre. This is located at Christchurch airport and if you look closely you may see some of the aircraft heading to Antarctica. From here you are taken into the city centre to board "The Tourist Tram". This will highlight Christchurch's gardens, the Avon River, Hagley Park and the impressive Gothic Architecture.

Overnight: Pavilions Hotel.

As you leave the most English city outside of England, your Kirra Tours coach captain will highlight the main attractions of the city of Christchurch. From the arable plains travel inland to the rolling green pastures of Geraldine and onto the semi barren land of MacKenzie Country. In the heart of the MacKenzie Basin Tekapo is nestled on shores of azure Lake Tekapo. You will visit The Church of the Good Shepherd, quite likely the most photographed church on your South Island Tour.

There is an opportunity to fly over the Southern Alps with Air Safaris (optional). From Tekapo continue on your New Zealand Coach Tour to Mt Cook National Park, home of the majestic Aoraki Mt Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain. Here you have an opportunity to visit the Sir Edmund Hillary Centre - a tribute to New Zealand's greatest explorer and world renowned mountaineer. Travel back down the valley along the shores of Lake Pukaki, through Twizel (the town of trees) before arriving at your destination, Omarama, nestled in the velvet type tussock covered hills of the Lindis range.

Overnight: Heritage Gateway Hotel.

As your New Zealand holiday continues, follow the beautiful braided Waitaki River east, passing Benmore and Avemore hydro lakes before reaching the Pacific Ocean at Historic Oamaru. En route visit Moeraki Boulders, marvelling at the huge spherical stones, found strewn along a stretch of Koekohe Beach near Moeraki. These boulders are grey-coloured concretions which have been exposed through shoreline erosion from black mud stone coastal cliffs that back the beach.

An early arrival into Dunedin, "The Edinburgh of the South" allows you plenty of time to explore this nature lover's playground. Take the opportunity to experience at least one of these optional tours - combine a Monarch Harbour cruise with a Newton's Citibus tour, and see penguins, albatross and seals.

Alternatively take a nostalgic trip on the Taieri Gorge Train, leaving from Dunedin's historic Railway Station. Maybe you would rather visit Cadbury World and Speights brewery, both options filling you one way or the other. Your Kirra Tours coach captain will be more than happy to assist with any bookings. This evening prior to dinner, Kirra Tours are treating you to a traditional Scottish Haggis Ceremony complete with the address to the Haggis, bag pipes and a bonnie wee dram.

Overnight: Cargills Hotel.

This morning travel by boat across Lake Te Anau to explore the fascinating Te Anau caves system on the western shore of the lake. This tour offers an underground adventure that charms visitors of all ages. The tour takes you to a mysterious underground world of rushing water before drifting in silent darkness beneath the luminous shimmer of thousands of glowworms. From Te Anau travel onto Kingston before hugging the shores of Lake Wakatipu to reach New Zealand's adventure capital Queenstown.

This evening cruise across the lake aboard the steamship TSS Earnslaw for dinner in the Colonel's Homestead at Walter Peak High Country Farm.

Overnight: Rydges Hotel.

Pass picturesque Lake Hayes then on to an area steeped in fascinating history relating to early settlement and the gold mining era, to Lake Wanaka, a picture postcard resort on the lakes edge with a spectacular mountain backdrop. Pass Lake Hawea and the upper reaches of Lake Wanaka to Makarora, cross the Haast Pass into the Mt Aspiring and Westland National Parks.

Drive north along the coast through the flourishing rainforests of the West Coast and onto the glorious Glacier region. This is an ideal opportunity for you to experience small town New Zealand in the heart of Westland. The rainforest and surrounding area is so green it will hurt your eyes. (Upon arrival into Fox Glacier there is opportunity to either take an optional guided walk to the glacier's terminal face or an optional exhilarating helicopter flight over the glacier)
Both these options are at your own expense and are very weather dependant.

Overnight: Heartland Hotel Fox Glacier