If you have got the time, then this is the trip for you! You can really get to know this spectacular country, explore its magical scenery and enjoy its great attractions. By driving yourself you can visit the small towns and get off the beaten track – and remember driving in New Zealand is far less busy than you will be used to at home!
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Itinerary
2 Nights – Paihia (Bay of Islands )
1 Night – Kaitaia
2 Nights – Auckland
1 Night – Waitomo Caves
2 Nights – Rotorua
1 Night – Taupo
2 Nights – Wellington
1 Night – Kaikoura
2 Nights – Christchurch (via Hanmer Springs)
1 Night – Dunedin
1 Night – Stewart Island (via Invercargill)
1 Night – Te Anau (Milford Sounds)
2 Nights – Queenstown
1 Night – Wanaka
1 Night – Franz Josef
1 Night – Greymouth (via Hokitika)
1 Night – Christchurch
✈ UK – Paihia (2 Nights): First, you will fly from your chosen UK Airport to Auckland before making your way north to Paihia, an excellent base to explore the Bay of Islands. With its beaches and coves this is a tropical paradise where you can take a cruise to see the dolphins and the famous Hole in the Rock or have a go sailing or sea kayaking. There’s also the Waitangi Treaty Grounds to visit where in 1840 the country’s most significant document was signed between the British Crown and Maori Chiefs.
🚗 Paihia – Kaitaia (1 Nights): Spend a night in Kaitaia which is the last town before you reach the top of New Zealand. From here you can drive to Cape Reina via Ninety Mile Beach. It’s here at the rugged Cape, rich in Maori legend, that the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean in a swirl of currents. You can also sample wine at the country’s most northerly vineyard and visit the Maori cultural centre.
🚗 Kaitai – Auckland (2 Nights): Then head to the country’s largest city, Auckland, one of the only cities in the word to have two harbours – one on the Tasman Sea and one on the Pacific. With a diverse range of shops, restaurants, cafes and open air markets there is lots to enjoy in this relaxed coastal city – don’t miss the Sky Tower, the Southern Hemisphere’s tallest building for 360 degree views!
🚗 Auckland – Waitomo Caves (1 Night): Next up, drive to Waitomo to explore the labyrinth of ancient caves, sinkholes and underground rivers. Not only can you admire the amazing stalagmites and stalactites underground but you can also enjoy an unforgettable boat trip lit by thousands of magical glowworms!
🚗 Waitomo Caves – Rotorua (2 Nights): For more amazing natural wonders make your way to the geothermal city of Rotorua, home to bubbling hot pools, exploding geysers and bright green lakes. Visit the city’s Kuirau Park for colourful hot lakes and thermal foot pools, soak in the mud at Kerosene or see the vibrant green and orange lakes at Wai-O-Tapu. This is also the best place to visit a Maori village and attend a traditional hangi feast.
🚗 Rotorua – Taupo (1 Night): Then on to Taupo for a night on the shores of the country’s biggest lake. More like an inland sea, Lake Taupo is a great place for watersports and is also a convenient base for exploring the Tongariro National Park with its three active volcanic peaks. The beautiful backdrop of the mountains, lakes and forests make Taupo a popular destination for outdoor activities and extreme sports.
🚗 Taupo – Wellington (2 Nights): Then onto Wellington, the country’s capital, for 2 nights which offers a wonderful blend of heritage, culture, great food and vibrant arts and entertainment. Set on the southern tip of the North Island, the city is surrounded by rugged coastline and rolling hills which means that you can also get out easily to enjoy the coastal trails and vineyards.
🚗 Wellington – Kaikoura (1 Night): Wellington is also the gateway to the South Island via the regular 3-hour Interislander ferry. The easy journey across the Cook Strait also offers fantastic views of the Marlborough Sounds. Once you have made the crossing, make your way to the quaint coastal town of Kaikoura which is renowned for its incredible sea-life. Take a whale watching trip out to see the majestic Sperm Whales which permanently live in these waters as well as the penguins and seals. When you’re back on dry land, don’t miss out on the crayfish – a delicious local delicacy!
🚗 Kaikoura – Christchurch (2 Nights): Then head to Christchurch, stopping en route in Hanmer Springs to enjoy its stunning landscapes and hot springs. In Christchurch visit the award-winning Botanic Gardens and catch a ride on a vintage tram or on one of the Edwardian punts on the River Avon. This resilient city has been remarkable at bouncing back after recent earthquakes with innovative new attractions including pop-up restaurants and bars.
🚗 Christchurch – Dunedin (1 Night): Next on the itinerary is Dunedin, one of the best preserved Victorian and Edwardian cities in the Southern Hemisphere. Surrounded by hills, this very Scottish city is a perfect place to explore the scenic Otago Peninsula with its abundance of wildlife or stop at Koekohe Beach to see the perfectly spherical Moeraki Boulders.
🚗 Dunedin – Stewart Island (1 Night): Just a one-hour ferry crossing from the mainland lies the remote and unspoilt haven of Stewart Island. Being predominantly national park it is a haven for birdwatching and hiking with an abundance of wildlife on land and in sea. This is the perfect place to be at one with nature and admire the spectacular sunsets in the ‘land of the glowing skies’.
🚗 Stewart Island – Te Anau (1 Night): Make your way back to the South Island and head to Te Anau, passing through the country’s most southern city of Invercargill on the way. With its Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco buildings, Invercargill is also home to the Southland Museum and Art Gallery.
The picturesque town of Te Anau is ideal perfect base to explore the world-famous fiords and Milford Sounds. The road to the Fiordland National Park is one of the most scenic drives imaginable, and then a boat trip on the Milford Sound is breathtakingly beautiful.
🚗 Te Anau – Queenstown (2 Nights): When you can draw yourself away, head to the extreme sports capital of Queenstown. Sitting on the shore of Lake Wakatipu the dramatic alpine scenery is the city’s playground and host to all kinds of adventure activities from bungee jumping to jet boating, sky diving and river rafting.
🚗 Queenstown – Wanaka (1 Night): When you’ve had your fill of adrenaline-fuelled sports make your way to Lake Wanaka for some calm tranquillity. Nestled below towering mountains you can enjoy fishing and hiking or skiing in winter.
🚗 Wanaka – Franz Josef (1 Night): To make sure you’ve checked off most of the natural wonders this incredible country has to offer, head to the small town of Franz Josef to see the spectacular glacier. Being one of the world’s most easily accessible glaciers you can reach its face within an hour’s walk of the town. A guided walk will take you onto the surface, through narrow crevasses and into the blue caves. Heli-hiking is also available for the even more adventurous!
🚗 Franz Josef – Greymouth (1 Night): Continue along the west coast towards Greymouth for a night. En route stop at the historic town of Hokitika and learn about the ship wrecks, gold miners and jade hunters that make this town so fascinating.
🚗 Greymouth – Christchurch (1 Night): Only half an hour drive away is Greymouth where you can spend your penultimate night. Also a gold mining town, visit nearby Shantytown, a replica gold mine, to appreciate the area’s history.
✈ Christchurch – UK: Then make your way back to Christchurch for your final day in the city before heading home from your epic adventure!
Why choose eShores?
One to One Service
Our experienced personal travel consultants will ensure you find the most suitable holiday, whilst taking care of every last detail. Everything from start to finish will be effortless.
100% Tailor Made
We can use any hotel, in any destination, so we will craft an itinerary to suit your exact needs. Also, as we can provide any itinerary, the only holiday we'll offer, is the one that's right for you.
Fully Protected
Our ATOL bonding provides you with the financial protection you need and as a member of the Travel Trust Association, you'll have 100% financial protection. Covering you for any eventuality.
Competitive Pricing
As a tour operator & travel agent, we'll search the market to ensure that we find you the best price. Also as an online business, we can ensure our prices are as competitive as possible.
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AlisonFletcher
Brilliant trip organised by Dave, included Helsinki, Tallin, Vilnius and Riga. (4 different countries) Everything ran smoothly. Dave organised hotels, flights, taxis, ferry and coach. Have used this company a few times and can't recommend highly enough they are fab 😀
Posted 2 days ago -
Sandra
As always, Chris was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. He gave me good advice on my travel plans and booked the holiday on my behalf. I've used eshores a number of times, and will continue to do so.
Posted 5 days ago -
Harrison
We haven’t been on our trip yet but based purely on the experience of booking the trip we are pleased with the result. It started with a bit of a hiccup as we spoke to a member of staff who never came back to us but when we reached back out again we were placed in the hands of Andy who has helped us book a 2 week trip to India including the golden triangle and then a few days on the beach. Andy was very patient with us with our changes to our tailor made holiday, even when we asked him to explore different areas only to revert back to the original plan. He also recommended moving the holiday back one week which created a saving of over £700 which meant we could upgrade the room for our beach stay in Goa. Andy was also available on weekends if we wanted to speak and regularly picked up the phone as opposed to keeping it to purely email dialogue. Hopefully the holiday will be amazing but based on the booking experience I would recommend eShores if you’re looking to book a tailor made holiday
Posted 5 days ago -
Wendy
I spoke to Lynette who was extremely helpful in understanding the trip that myself and my sister in law wanted from Thailand. Myself and my sister in law are both 72years young and we are really looking forward to our trip.
Posted 6 days ago -
Dawn
Excellent service from Matt at eShores. So very helpful and nothing was too much trouble. I booked Mya holiday after all his hard work finding me the perfect holiday that I wanted. Superb service and not pushy all all.
Posted 1 week ago -
Amrik
We have booked two big holidays this year for a group of 8 and a group of 10, Rachel has coordinated our holidays with the utmost excellence, during the consultation we changed countires hotels and even flights but it did not phase Rachel one bit. Exceeds customer expectations by helping advising and supporting throughout the holiday. We are off to Thailand and Dubai in August and then followed by India and Thailand in November, I have rang emailed Rachel many times during the booking and I got very prompt responses even on her days off. Rachel is a credit to EShores and EShores is setting standards regarding customer focus.
Posted 1 week ago -
IainWilliam
I can’t praise Lynette at EShores enough. She has organised my trips perfectly to the point that I wouldn’t use anyone else. She listens to what I want or to the problem I have and comes up with a solution. Nothing is too much trouble. Try them out yourselves and I bet you become a repeater too!
Posted 1 week ago -
Kevin
At short notice, I needed a quote to travel through the USA (July the 20th) I emailed eShores with an idea of what I wanted to do, within a short period of time I had a response from Matthew, After several amendments to my holiday which wasn't any trouble to Matthew, Holiday all booked, now looking forward to travelling through the USA Have to say, the service I had through eShores was fantastic, well done Matthew for working through the changes,
Posted 1 week ago -
Marcus
Dealt with Adam who was great, I went back and forth many times, nothing was a problem for him. We got there in the end and Adam arranged a 3 place holiday to Malaysia and Singapore. We go on 5th August, will if update review when we return. EShores so far brilliant hats of to Adam.
Posted 1 week ago -
Jill
We as a family used eShores last year to go to USA, and they were brilliant, my husband and 1 are going to Italy with them this September and we have just booked again to go back to USA with them next May, very efficient and Matt is lovely to deal with
Posted 1 week ago
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Your personal travel consultant will get to know your needs, ensuring they find you the most suitable holiday, at the best price!