Christchurch (1 night) is our very civilized starting point. We’ll meet our local guide for a stroll through “the most English city outside England.” Decidedly un-English is the Banks Peninsula—created by volcanoes, site of a lovely vineyard where we lunch, and home to the world’s rarest dolphins which we can watch or even join for a swim in the bay’s pristine waters.

Into the Southern Alps (prominently featured in The Lord of the Rings), we spend a day on a working merino sheep station near Arthur’s Pass (2 nights). We’ll walk in gorgeous beech forests, go birding in wildflower meadows and see our hosts put their sheepdogs through their paces. Then it’s on to dramatic Fox Glacier (1 night) that ends, of all places, in a parrot-bedecked rainforest. On the shores of mirror-smooth Lake Matheson we’ll enjoy fine nature walks. From our lodge at Lake Moeraki (2 nights), our guides lead us on a flat, easy rainforest track to beautiful Munro Beachwhere wemingle with local wildlife that seasonally includes the Fiordland crested penguins.

A scenic drive to Queenstown (2 nights) includes an exploration of an historic gold mining village. Our final day, a riverboat safari on the Dart River, with snow-capped peaks in the background, leads to a guided ramble filled with Maori legends and memorable views.