Christmas in Marlborough

Your included flight departs Auckland mid-morning. We celebrate our arrival in Marlborough with a wine tasting and lunch at Brancott Estate and enjoy the expansive views of the Wairau valley. We visit the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre which features a large collection of First World War flying memorabilia before driving to Picton.

This evening we take a relaxed dinner cruise with wine included to explore the many bays and stunning beauty of Queen Charlotte Sound on a specially chartered boat. We return to Picton in the evening.

This morning we find out the history of the old sailing ship “Edwin Fox” at the exhibit on the Picton waterfront - from troop carrier to immigrant ship, even convict transporter. 

Then we take the launch to Lochmara Lodge Wildlife Recovery and Art Centre in a beautiful setting on the sound’s edge. Kakariki parakeets fly in for feeding and blue cod swim off the jetty. We lunch at the lodge, returning to Picton in the mid afternoon

We breakfast at our hotel and start our Christmas celebrations early at our private lunch with Bill and Margaret McHugh in their Picton lodge.

Later in the afternoon we drive up the Wairau Valley passing vineyards and farms to the little alpine village of St Arnaud close to the shores of Lake Rotoiti a favourite holiday destination in the Nelson Lakes National Park. There's time to stroll the lake edge before enjoying a Christmas barbeque this evening at your accommodation, the Alpine Lodge.

Leaving St Arnaud we drive to the small town of Murchison and through the rugged Buller Gorge. At Tauranga Bay we visit the seal colony near Cape Foulwind.

We lunch at Charleston before boarding the Nile River Canyon train to wend through the rainforest in Paparoa National Park to the sculptured limestone rocks beside the river. The train recreates the colonial era when bush trams logged timber from the region.

Later in the afternoon we reach Punakaiki Resort Hotel on the edge of the Tasman Sea  and dine in this evening.

We take a short walk to the famous sculpted limestone stacks - Punakaiki Pancake Rocks. If the tide is high blowholes will be spreading clouds of spray.

We continue down the beautiful coast road to Greymouth and Shantytown Heritage Park. Turning inland we drive over Arthur’s Pass, stopping to photograph the cheeky Keas at the summit of the Pass. We drive on to Castle Hill and Porter's Pass to Ski Time Lodge in Methven, a small town close to Mt Hutt and a popular winter base for skiers.

We drive through the mid-Canterbury countryside to meet Di and Ian Mackenzie at Akaunui Farm Homestead. Hear about life on the farm, wander the wonderful garden and, over a glass of wine, enjoy a farewell lunch.

This  afternoon we  drive up the Canterbury Plains and on to Christchurch where we tour the city's rebuild zone before arriving at Christchurch airport for your flight to Auckland.