Deep South

Arrive Queenstown, New Zealand

Nau Mai Haere Mai Ki Aotearoa. It means welcome to New Zealand.   Today is the first day of your journey in the land of the Long White Cloud. You will be met by your concierge/drive guide on arrival, who will bring you to your STAY.

After you have checked in and relaxed a bit, it is best you head out to the town center, get a feel for the place, do a bit of walkabout and soak in the vibe of Queenstown.  Depending on your taste buds, you can choose from a variety of dining establishments or maybe even first enjoy a glass or two of your favourite beverage in one of the many bars/pubs scattered around the lake. Later your concierge driver/guide will bring you back to your STAY.

Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa

Queenstown | Culture & Vines

Central Otago is one of the finest wine-growing regions in the world for Pinot Noir and other delicate varietals. You will go on an exclusive wine experience with  Beau, the culture guide, who will take you through the history of his native region and even introduce you to some of his friends.  You will visit some of the best vineyards set amidst the raw powerful landscape of this region and taste the different varietals in each of their cellars. In one vineyard (based on availability) the senior member can be a family member or the winemaker who will take you through their winemaking process and talk about their winery’s history.  You will have a delicious lunch with paired wine at a vineyard owned restaurant.  Throughout the tour, you will be seeing and stopping at some of the key scenery points of this region.

After the wine tour, the rest of the day is for you to do as you please.

Breakfast, Lunch with wine

Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa

Queenstown | A Day of Leisure

The entire day is free for you to what you wish. Your concierge driver/guide will help you with whatever you wish today. Even leave you alone to your own plans if you prefer that.There is a myriad of things you can do in Queenstown, some paid and others that cost you nothing.  We have deliberately left this day free, so that you have time to enjoy this amazing landscape, maybe even go for a walk by the secluded Lake Moke and have a quiet picnic lunch by the nearby campsite.

Breakfast

Doubtful Sound | Sound of Silence

Prepare yourself for an unforgettable journey as you leave this morning to Lake Manapouri. You are going on an overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound, among the top 3 Fjords in the world and probably the quietest in the world. The journey to the fjord itself is an experience as you traverse Lake Manapouri and the private road that leads down to Doubtful Sound.

Doubtful Sound. is a magical fiord that is awe inspiring with its for, stunning scenery and untouched appeal. Your experience begins at Lake Manapouri with a cruise across the picturesque lake, followed by a trip across New Zealand’s most expensive road over Wilmot Pass, pausing along the way to experience the dense Fiordland rain forest and view Doubtful Sound glistening far below. In Doubtful Sound, you will board a purpose built boat for your overnight cruise. Be prepared for wildlife encounters with dolphins, fur seals and perhaps the rare Fiordland crested penguin.

Breakfast, Buffet Dinner on board cruise

Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise

Invercargill | Classic Motoring Capital

After an idyllic night in the middle of nowhere, you will head to Invercargill, the southern most city in New Zealand, sitting just South of 45° halfway between the equator and the South Pole. Burt Munro set the record for the fastest Indian (under 1,000 cc motorcycle) in the world and is unbroken even today.  With such rich automotive history, Invercargill became the Classic Motoring Capital in New Zealand. Invercargill is home to the largest private automotive collection in the world and is housed in the private-owned museum “Bill Richardson’s Transport World”.

With an indoor area covering a regular city block and over 300 vintage classic automobiles all lovingly restored over a 40 year period, you will go on a private tour of this one of kind museum and learn how dreams were turned into a passion. You will also go on a private tour of another outstanding museum, rightfully named Motorcycle Mecca, where you can see and physically touch almost all the exhibits.

With plenty of options for dinner, your concierge driver/guide will bring you to a restaurant of your choice.

Breakfast

The Lodges at Transport World

Invercargill | Peace, Quiet & Adventure

It isn’t often you get to have peace, quiet & adventure all on the same day or in the same place. With a population density of less than 0.25 people per square kilometer (0.60 people per square mile), Stewart Island is the perfect place for your day out.

Fly on a private charter flight to the Island, where you will be met by the famous Ms. Ulva (even an Island is named after her). Ulva or one of her team will take you on a magical private guided tour of Ulva Island, one of  the many pest-free open sanctuaries in New Zealand. In this unspoiled rainforest with an expert guide, you can see rare birds and plants at close quarters in an environment mostly unchanged by human activity. After the guided tour, you will return to the quaint town of Oban, where you will visit the Rakiura museum and learn about the the island’s history and beginnings.  Either before or after the visit to the museum, enjoy lunch at a local eatery where you will find local residents usually hangout, before you return to the airstrip for your flight back to Invercargill.

The rest of the afternoon and evening is at your leisure.

Breakfast, Lunch on Stewart Island

The Lodges at Transport World

Dunedin | The Catlins - The Lost World

Instead, of driving a shorter inner route to Dunedin, you will take the heritage trail along the east coast via The Catlins.   The Catlins is a place where time stopped during the Jurassic period (170 million years back) and never moved forward since then. It is the remotest inhabited part of New Zealand.  There are few places around the world that have petrified forests, however, the petrified forest (170 million years old) at Curio Bay is of global significance due to its living counterpart close by that you can walk through and see how the petrified forest would have looked before it was fossilized. Along with Curio Bay, you will stop by Nugget Point, Purakanui & McLean Falls, which are about a 15 to 20-minute return walk each from the car park.

In the evening, there are plenty of choices for your dining pleasure in Dunedin

Breakfast

Fable Dunedin

Dunedin | Wilderness Unleashed

The Otago Peninsula headland is probably the most precious wildlife habitat in New Zealand. It is high and rugged on the ocean side, warm and sheltered on the harbourside. The Reid family farm is located at the headland at the end of the Otago Peninsula. The working beef and sheep farm sits on 750 acres (about the area of Central Park in New York City) of the headland. All the land is preserved and is continually being restored the way Mother Nature intended it to be for the penguins, seals, and cormorants to successfully live and breed in their natural surroundings. You will go on an exclusive and private eco indulgence tour today. The tour is on rugged and untamed land and you will be escorted privately by one of the Reid family members on an Argo 8-wheel driver all-terrain vehicle and bring you to key viewing points, where you can see wild marine animals going about their normal life. You will be visiting Seal beach, where during the breeding season (late November to early January), you may even be lucky and see the birthing of seal pups. You will also be visiting the natural Penguin beach, where you will get to see the second rarest Penguin, Yellow-Eyed and the smallest penguin, Blue, in the world. After the exhilarating wildlife tour, you will get to see how the farm side of life is and learn about sheep farming in this part of the world, with a demonstration of live sheep shearing and working dogs herding the sheep.

Later in the evening, you will visit a Jacobean architecture historic home, where you will enjoy a private dining experience along with a detailed walk through of this authentic and original historic home showcasing the life of a wealthy merchant family, who built this home for his family in the early part of the twentieth century.

Breakfast, Hisoric Home Dining Experience

Fable Dunedin

Christchurch | Breezy Drive

The drive to Christchurch is pleasant with quality pit stops along the way on this picturesque route.  You can take your time to reach Christchurch, or get in by early afternoon in case you want to buy some locally produced items to take back home as gifts for friends and family or for keepsakes.

Christchurch has many dining options from simple and tasty to elaborate.  Simply choose whatever option you prefer and your concierge driver/guide will bring you there.

Breakfast

Distinction Hotel

Depart Christchurch

Your breathtaking holiday ends today as you make your way to the airport for your flight back home. Hope you loved what we designed for you, and we look forward to your feedback on your journey.

Breakfast