New Zealand's food & wine trail self-drive tour

Enjoy a day at leisure in Dunedin to recover from any jet lag. You may enjoy a trip to the Otago Peninsula to view some wildlife, but there is also a fantastic café culture here and great eating options around the city.

You make your way inland today to the beautiful mountain and lake town of Wanaka. Stay three nights in Wanaka exploring this mountainous lake town.

Perhaps explore the many vineyards around Wanaka today. You could also head to the famous Cardrona Distillery, and explore the beautiful view points at Crown Range Summit.

Today will be all about taking in the stunning scenery in the Wanaka area. Your guide will pick you up and take you in a 4x4 vehicle through a fully working station as well as some of the best places to enjoy a 360-degree view of the area. Over the course of your tour, you will see many of the station's farm animals grazing, ranging from red deer, alpaca, and, of course, sheep.

You make your way up the eastern edge of the Southern Alps today, first driving through the spectacular Lindis Pass before reaching the rolling hills around Lake Tekapo. Your hosts for the next two nights are food and wine experts. Alistair is a post-grad winemaker and viticulturist, and have both previously run their own restaurants. They are able to offer you a four-course dinner if pre-booked.

Spend today exploring stunning Lake Tekapo, visit the Church of the Good Shepherd and perhaps visit the Mount John Observatory tonight to partake in some of the best stargazing in the world. If you are feeling adventurous, you might like to drive into Mount Cook and take a scenic flight over Mount Cook and the glaciers.

Continue your journey today across the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch. Spend some time exploring, perhaps visiting Hagley Park and the Cathedral. This evening enjoy dinner in one of the city's many restaurants.

Today, you travel to Blenheim, in the heart of the Marlborough wine-producing region. This is a long drive as you will take the inland route via Hanmer Springs and Murchison, so be sure to leave early. There are some lovely spots to stop along the way for coffee and lunch, perhaps even a dip in some hot springs! Your accommodation this evening is a beautiful old convent set in among stunning gardens and vineyards and has a superb restaurant on site.

Take a guided cycling half-day wine tour today and visit several of the region's best wineries, sampling some of the produce along the way. Then enjoy the rest of the day at leisure, perhaps enjoying dinner at one of the award-winning local vineyards such as Herzog's.

Today you will drive to Picton and take the ferry across to the North Island. Head out of Wellington to nearby Martinborough. We suggest stopping in at the local winery 'Poppies' on arrival — the owner and winemaker will dazzle you with her delicious wine and tasting platters. We advise pre-booking here as it is very popular.

Explore Martinborough and the surrounding vineyards by bike today, and enjoy lunch at one of the wineries.

Continue to Hawke's Bay today, and Napier. Your accommodation tonight is owned and run by a chef who takes great pride in cooking evening meals in front of the guests, explaining the ingredients and process as he goes, and then serving it all with appropriately matched wines.

Today is at leisure to explore the Hawke's Bay region and Napier town — you might like to stroll around the Art Deco buildings or visit the gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers. This evening, you will experience a progressive dinner and winery tour; this is one of our favourites in all of New Zealand and comes very highly recommended.

Fly to Auckland from Napier this morning, where you will pick up another rental car and drive to the ferry terminal. You will travel by boat over to Waiheke Island and drive to Marino Ridge, your base for the next three nights. Dinner is included here tonight, so you needn't worry about finding somewhere after your journey. Waiheke is famous for its golden beaches and vineyards. Here you can really enjoy a couple of days relaxing and indulging in some simply excellent food and wine.

Today, you will be treated to a full-day wine tour of Waiheke Island, where you will explore the nooks and crannies of this beautiful island and the best wine it has to offer.

A last day at leisure to do as you please, you might like to relax on the beach or pop over to Auckland or Devonport on the ferry for some last-minute sightseeing. Dinner is not included tonight, so you can go out somewhere special for your last dinner in New Zealand.

Return to Auckland by ferry where you will be met and transferred to the airport for your onward flight.