An evening walk to the Franz Josef glacier and a flight by helicopter over the glaciers at sunrise (including landing).

Nestled on the shores of Lake Ohakuri lies "The Hidden Valley" of Orakei Korako Geyserland & Cave. This is a world of gushing geysers, hot springs, boiling mud pools and some of the largest silica terraces in the world.

terraces in the world.

In 1886, Mount Tarawera in Rotorua erupted, and destroyed the surrounding area. The eruption opened the earth along a 17km line, splitting Mount Tarawera in two, exploding Lake Rotomahana to 20 times its original size, and forming the seven craters that today make up the Waimangu Volcanic Valley.

its original size, and forming the seven craters that today make up the Waimangu Volcanic Valley.

The Pancake Rocks that Punakaiki is famous for, are limestone formations that began forming 30 million years ago, when lime-rich fragments of dead marine creatures were deposited on the seabed, then overlaid by weaker layers of soft mud and clay. The seabed was raised above sealevel by earthquakes to form the coastal cliffs and coastline. The sea, wind and rain have since etched out the soft layers to form the unusual rock formations we see today.

overlaid by weaker layers of soft mud and clay. The seabed was raised above sealevel by earthquakes to form the coastal cliffs and coastline. The sea, wind and rain have since etched out the soft layers to form the unusual rock formations we see today.

The famous Moeraki boulders lie scattered along a beach 40 kilometres south of Oamaru. According to Maori legend, the boulders are gourds washed from the great voyaging canoe Araiteuru when it was wrecked upon landfall in New Zealand some 1000 years ago.

wrecked upon landfall in New Zealand some 1000 years ago.