What New Zealand trips are there, and how long do you need?
Sixty trips, from a day at Hobbiton to twelve days down the South Island. Day trips run from Auckland and Christchurch from $239. The multi-day loops are 7 to 12 days, and the South Island is where most of them go — it is the one with the mountains, the fiords and the glaciers.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
New Zealand is two islands that feel like two countries. The North has the volcanoes, the Maori culture and Hobbiton; the South has the Alps, the fiords and the glaciers. Most people who have a week pick one, and most who pick the South do not regret it.
Day trips
| Day trip | From | What you see | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day Hobbiton | Auckland / Auckland | The Hobbiton movie set, in the Waikato farmland | $239 |
| 1 Day Mt Cook & Lake Tekapo | Christchurch / Christchurch | Mt Cook and Lake Tekapo — the Southern Alps in a day | $259 |
| 1 Day Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves | Auckland / Auckland | Hobbiton plus the Waitomo glowworm caves | $359 |
| 1 Day Bay of Islands | Auckland / Auckland | The Bay of Islands, north of Auckland | $375 |
Prices are per person and update on their own.
The South Island
Christchurch and Queenstown are the two ends of it. Seven days does a loop, nine gets you across the island properly, and twelve reaches everything including the west coast glaciers.
| Trip | Length | Route | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Day Southern Crossing | 8 days, 7 nights | Christchurch / Christchurch | $1550 |
| 7 Day Southern Loop | 7 days, 6 nights | Christchurch / Christchurch | $1940 |
| 7 Day Southern Voyager | 7 days, 6 nights | Christchurch / Christchurch | $1985 |
| 9 Day South Island Express | 9 days, 8 nights | Christchurch / Christchurch | $1866 |
| 8 Day South Island | 8 days, 7 nights | Christchurch / Christchurch | $2279 |
| 8 Day South Island Westbound | 8 days, 7 nights | Christchurch / Christchurch | $2401 |
| 9 Day Christchurch to Queenstown | 9 days, 8 nights | Christchurch / Queenstown | $2199 |
| 12 Day Essential South Island | 12 days, 11 nights | Christchurch / Wellington | $1815 |
The North Island
| Trip | Length | Route | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Day North Island | 8 days, 7 nights | Wellington / Auckland | $1264 |
| 7 Day Northern Voyager | 7 days, 6 nights | Auckland / Auckland | $1940 |
| 9 Day North Island Adventure | 9 days, 8 nights | Auckland / Wellington | $2099 |
| 4 Day Far North Escape | 4 days, 3 nights | Auckland / Auckland | $1852 |
Walking trips
Fiordland is the one people plan a trip around — Milford Sound, the Great Walks, and country that looks like nowhere else.
| Trip | Length | Based | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Day Fiordland Great Walks | 3 days, based in Te Anau | Te Anau / Te Anau | $1642 |
| 4 Day Fiordland National Park Walk | 4 days, 3 nights | Queenstown / Queenstown | $2015 |
How long do you need?
- A day — Hobbiton from Auckland, or Mt Cook and Lake Tekapo from Christchurch. Both are long days and both are worth it.
- A week — one island. The South if you want mountains and fiords, the North if you want geothermal country and coast.
- Nine to twelve days — the South Island properly, including the west coast glaciers and Queenstown.
- Two weeks or more — both islands, with the ferry crossing between them, which is a trip in itself.
The trips
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Where this comes from. Each trip's own route, duration and inclusions sheet, as held on its page here. Prices are the current from price and update on their own.