Early Explorers from Queen Charlotte Sound to Akaroa

We celebrate arriving in Blenheim with a wine tasting and lunch at Brancott Estate restaurant overlooking the vineyards.

Later we visit Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre to see Sir Peter Jackson’s collection of WW1 and WW2 aircraft and memorabilia. We drive to Picton and stay three nights at the Picton Beachcomber Inn and dine in this evening.

We take a private discovery cruise out on magnificent Queen Charlotte Sound to Ship Cove near the entrance to the Sound. We lunch at the Cove and enjoy time soaking up the atmosphere at this historic site.

Maori valued Ship Cove's sheltered waters and it’s easy to see why Captain Cook did too, returning four times to drop anchor in this idyllic cove. We cruise back to port in the mid afternoon.

We visit the “Edwin Fox” sitting in a dry dock on the Picton waterfront. Built in 1853 it’s a massive and fascinating restoration project.

Later we meet our private guide at Marlborough Museum for insights into the early history of the Wairau Bar Boulder Bank which in 1250 was the home of the first Polynesian settlers.

We drive around the perimeter of Yealands vineyard to enjoy the expansive views to Cook Strait. We call into The Store for lunch before heading down the dramatically changed coastline. 

At Kaikoura the museum tells the story of the earthquake with the "New Normal" exhibition and we take a guided tour of historic Fyffe House and visit the seal colony. We stay at The White Morph Inn.

Continuing down the Kaikoura Coast and across the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch we tour the inner city rebuild zone before continuing to Banks Peninsula.

At Birdlings Flat we visit the Burkes’ gemstone collection found nearby on the beach. We stay at the Bruce Apartments on the Akaroa waterfront for two nights and dine out this evening.

There are panoramic views along the Summit Road. At Okains Bay we visit the Maori and Colonial Museum, a diverse collection of treasures.

Back in Akaroa Josie Martin’s Giant’s House, a six star Garden of International Significance, features Josie’s quirky mosaic sculptures. We dine out in Akaroa this evening.

After breakfast at Bully Hayes, named for an early American “pirate” visitor and a stroll in the village, we visit Akaroa Museum where exhibits tell the stories of the Ngai Tahu, whalers and French settlers.

Returning over the Peninsula we stop at Little River on the way to Christchurch airport.