With spectacular scenery and many adventure opportunities, this 8-day South Island adventure starts and finishes in the diverse city of Christchurch. Turquoise lakes, majestic glaciers, dramatic mountain peaks and the picture-perfect towns of Queenstown, Wanaka and Franz Josef are all a part of this epic road trip.
With accommodation and some activities included (see below), our tours are hassle-free, authentic experiences for those short on time.
With spectacular scenery and many adventure opportunities, this 8-day South Island adventure starts and finishes in the diverse city of Christchurch. Turquoise lakes, majestic glaciers, dramatic mountain peaks and the picture-perfect towns of Queenstown, Wanaka and Franz Josef are all a part of this epic road trip. With accommodation and some activities included (see below), our tours are hassle-free, authentic experiences for those short on time.
Days
- 8 days, 7 nights
Group size
- Max 24
Start / finish
- Christchurch / Christchurch
Return
- See itinerary for details
Accommodation
- 7 nights — a Christchurch hotel, two nights at Rainforest Retreat in Franz Josef, one at Lake Hawea or Wanaka, then three nights in Queenstown. Named on the page as Hotel Give, Rainforest Retreat, Hawea Hotel and Nomads Queenstown, or similar.
Transport
- An air-conditioned mini bus with a driver guide throughout, plus a two hour boat cruise on Milford Sound.
Meals
- A pizza dinner at Rainforest Retreat on day 2, and breakfast before the early start for Milford Sound on day 7.
Route
Included experiences
- Milford Sound — a two hour cruise into Fiordland National Park
- Franz Josef — a free day, with a rainforest walk to the glacier viewing area
- Pounamu carving — carving your own greenstone jewellery, and the story behind it
- Franz Josef wildlife centre — a guaranteed live kiwi in the nocturnal house, plus tuatara
- Lake Matheson — the mirror reflection of Aoraki Mt Cook and the Southern Alps
- Arthur's Pass — the coast to coast drive over the Southern Alps
- Castle Hill — the walk among the limestone boulders
- Devil's Punchbowl — the waterfall walk in Arthur's Pass
- Thunder Creek Falls and the Fox Glacier lookout
- #ThatWanakaTree — one of the most photographed trees in the country
- Kawarau Bridge — where bungy jumping started, then a stop in Arrowtown
- Queenstown — a free day for bungy, jetboating, rafting or skydiving, or none of it
- Lake Tekapo — the Church of the Good Shepherd, and Lake Pukaki on the drive back
Pictures / Videos
Reviews
5.0
Based on 40 reviews
Verified from
Real reviews from travellers who've done this tour, gathered from around the web and paraphrased.
AI summary of 40 reviews
Travellers consistently praise the driver-guides, who are described as knowledgeable, friendly, safe and passionate about New Zealand, often sharing stories, local tips and answering questions along the way. Many highlight the stress-free, all-planned format as ideal for solo travellers, noting how easy it is to see numerous highlights and take part in a range of optional and included activities, from nature walks and alpine hikes to black water rafting and adrenaline pursuits. The tours are also frequently valued as a way to meet like-minded people and form lasting friendships. The most common caveats concern the vehicles and accommodation, with some reports of older or cramped buses, dorms holding more people than promised, and limited or disappointing breakfasts. A few reviewers also mention feeling rushed in winter, activities costing more than booking elsewhere, and certain experiences not matching how they were advertised.
How we collect and publish reviews
Where they come from. Our reviews are gathered from independent review sites and from guests who share feedback with us directly after their trip. They come from people who have actually travelled on the tour.
Why some are edited. Many of our guests travel in their second or third language. Where a review is hard to read, we lightly edit spelling, grammar and punctuation, or paraphrase a sentence for clarity. We never change the rating, the meaning or the sentiment, and we never write a review on a guest's behalf.
Reading the originals. Reviews sourced from public review sites appear there in their original form, and can be read in full at their original source at any time.
“Southern Crossing - Small Group Tour”
I really enjoyed getting a taste of the South Island on the Southern Crossing small group tour. Our guide offered alternative sightseeing options depending on the weather forecast, so we made the most of each day instead of being let down by a viewpoint hidden in cloud or fog. He was upfront on day one that some activities and sights were weather-dependent, and we just had to go with it.
“Absolutely loved traveling with Kiwi Experience! ”
I did the 8 day Southern Crossing route and my driver guide Tawh was all that I hoped a guide would be -- very knowledgeable, fun, flexible, and caring (and a safe driver with great playlists haha!). You can tell that he truly loves his country and sharing it with all of us. The group size of 15 of us was perfect, not too big, which I appreciated. For this being my first solo trip, I liked that everything was planned out for me, definitely made it a stress free experience. Would have loved to do a 2 week tour, so I’ll be back for the North Island!!!
This was a really fun tour with a small group. Accommodation was comfortable, food was good, and everything was well organised. Anthony was a fantastic, entertaining guide who made sure we had what we needed. I'd do this again.
“Great time with Tina!!”
Had an amazing time on the 7/8 day Northern Crossing small group trip. Tina was an incredible guide - accommodating, kind and respectful, with a great mix of activities and good value for money. Itinerary details were a bit slow from admin, though that wasn't down to the guide. Would definitely recommend.
“The trip 7days north island”
I spent seven days touring the North Island, and what a trip. Our guide and driver Tina shared so much information, culture and personal stories - if you get the chance to travel with her, take it. We saw and experienced so much, and became a close group along the way. If you're travelling solo, don't hesitate to socialise with others; you're guaranteed memories for life.
“7 days tour, what an amazing experience!”
I loved every minute of this tour. The company was great and Tina, our guide and driver, was easily a ten out of ten - caring and lovely throughout. It's a great option if you're short on time but want to see plenty. A highlight was visiting a Maori village, where the family welcomed us warmly and we learned a lot about the culture, partly thanks to Tina, who is Maori herself. I'd happily do another tour with her again.
“The most amazing tour!”
I had the best time on this trip - I did the 7/8 day Northern Crossing and Tina was the most caring, amazing guide and driver anyone could ask for. There were so many great stops and I learned a lot along the way. Our group was excellent and the value for money was great, with nicer-than-expected accommodation and a good range of included and optional activities. Couldn't have asked for better - ten out of ten.
“Perfect day”
It was tons of fun! The people were great! Shout out to Guy for being a fun guide! The only thing that was kind of disappointing was the breakfast options. Pretty limited options and were not the most nutritious which wasn't the end of the world but could have been better.
“You won’t regret it”
Had the best time and Cowboy was amazing!
“Loved this trip, great sights and cultural events!”
Kia Ora Marina, Thank you for leaving such a great review! Glad to hear you had such a good trip with us and enjoyed the beautiful Aotearoa :) All the best for you and your future travels. Kind regards, the Kiwi Experience Team.
“Highly recommend it.”
The kiwi experience was absolutely brilliant and best way to get around New Zealand. Our bus driver lightening ⚡️made our trip! He was knowledgeable, funny and willing to answer questions we had.
“Fantastic Experience”
Amazing tour!!
“Overall very enjoyable and would highly recommend.”
We saw all the highlights of New Zealand and hidden gems thanks to our excellent guide. We made wonderful friends. It was truly wonderful to travel without the stress of planning accomodations, activities, and transport.
“Very well done! ”
Amazing team and Experience. Kiwi are the best way to know all NZ
“A good way to meet other people if travelling alone.”
Fantastic experience, a great way to fit in lots of activities and see lots of different places in New Zealand in a short space of time. The drivers are very helpful and informative and everything is very easy.
“We lucked out with the best weather!”
What an adventure! But, beware of the snoring, the breakfast at Waitomo Valley, and the showers/toilets at the River Lodge! The meal at the River Lodge was spectacular, so you must take the good with the bad.
“Really recommend it”
Absolutely blew my expectations out of the water. Our driver, Jason (Cowboy) was really fantastic at giving us information about areas we were visiting and passing through, and we got really lucky that he was able to fight for us to get access to some activities that were mostly booked up (traveled in November, and many attractions were still working to get back to full staffing capacity). Format of the trip was great for making new friends, which made each view, adventure, and meal all the more fun and worthwhile.
“Would highly recommend”
Had such an incredible time with Kiwi Experience and met some friends for life.
“Highly recommend!”
Just finished my small group tour with Kiwi Experience and had an amazing amazing time! It was so nice to have everything planned already, especially being new to solo travel. Everywhere we went was beautiful and every optional activity I booked was absolutely worth it. The trip was jam packed but we still had a good amount of downtime. Big kudos to our driver Ricky for making the experience that much better.
“ I could not recommend it more highly.”
Our tour was absolutely amazing! Our driver, Cowboy (Jason), was the best driver we could ever dream of having. He did everything he could possibly do to make sure our trip was the best it could be. From all of the natural beauties we found on our lovely walks to the extra activities we did with the amazing professionals.
“What an amazing trip! !”
ROB and aura are the best at the kiwi crawl #goats
“Our tourguide was very friendly and supporting us all”
It was very exciting and interessting to lern about the Maori culture, to get a feeling and have contact to the people. The alpine hiking was an other highlight and also the other activities like black water rafting. .
“Can’t recommend enough”
Loved every minute. Richie was a legend, so gutted for the guys couldn’t have him for the whole South Island too. Definitely do the white water rafting in River…
“I did the 19 day small group tour.”
Did get to see the highlights of new zealand so that was great . The north island part was great, we had a nice van and our tour guide hd a microphone so he could point out things while he was driving.We stayed in 4 bedroom dorms. But when te south part of the tour began it went downhill. We bad to change vans and we got a very crapy old van with no microphone so our guide couldn’t talk to us while he was driving and some seat were very uncomfortable ( even if you were of average hight) . On the south island we often had to stay with 5, 6 and even 7 people in one dorm ( a 4 bedroom dorm was promised) . Also they say they get you the best deals but that is not true . They were asking 200 dollars for milford sound while on a different website it was only 132 dollars. Also our tourguide drove us that day which resulted in the people who were not doing it had nothing to do while a trip to glenorchy was on the itenaray that day. They should have hired a driver for milford. Our tourguide was but he could communicate a bit more about what time we leave or are picked up etc.
“Thank you”
I have just finished the Southern Kiwi Small group tour and couldn’t speak more highly of it! The days were full of activities ranging from Nature walks to Adrenaline activities! For a first trip as a solo traveler I felt this trip was so comforting knowing that I didn’t have to plan anything and I would still get to see some amazing places. A big shoutout to Ricky for his commentary and advice to anything we had questions about!!
“Amazing day ”
Phil was an amazing tour guide, considering the lack of tour equipment. We were promised a luxury vehicle, definitely not. Only just enough room for the 22 of us, cup holders broken and luggage in the aisle. We were promised a day trip and that was taken away from us due to another option being offered, something too expensive for us,so we lost a day out. The breakfast on two of the days was minimal, not what we expected. The dark sky project that was promised was inside a building in the middle of the day, definitely not as advertised. The company needs to do a complete revamp of its tours and figure stuff out
“Very good times!”
Just completed an 8 day tour of the north island (North Island Revive) as a small group. I can honestly say it was some of the best times of my life. Tina our guide was absolutely incredible and did an amazing job. I met some amazing people who I'm sure will be lifetime friends and went to some outstanding places. I cannot recommend kiwi experience more from my personal experience. Thank you so much for everything. I will absolutely return and do a trip on the south Island in the future. Absolutely perfect for solo travellers like myself and to meet other like minded people and do fun activities.
“Really recommend this!”
I did the North Island highlights, and the drivers were amazing, organisation fantastic, and I loved that it did feel more like a tour than just transport. Our drivers took us to lots of extra places, and gave us lots of facts about where we were. Also good value for money (though still objectively expensive). A great way for solo travellers to get around New Zealand, and meet likeminded people!
“Great experience. ”
Had a really good time on the South Island hop on hop off. Such a great way to meet people. Couldn't have asked for a better bus driver/tour guide than Taff, he was really friendly and engaging. Only downside is that there are very few buses in winter so some places feel very rushed. There should be a discount for winter timetables.
“Kiwi Experience – Simply Amazing!”
Kiwi Experience was hands down the best road trip I've ever done! The buses are super comfy, and you can customize your trip however you like. Stay as long as you want at the coolest spots – total freedom! The drivers are incredible. Our bus driver was not just a driver but a total legend! He was super chill, always telling us awesome stories and giving us insider tips about the places we were visiting. It felt like having a local friend showing us around – his energy and enthusiasm made the trip even better. Plus, the way he handled the long drives with a smile on his face was impressive. He really went above and beyond to make the experience special for everyone. The places we visited – WOW! From hikes and glaciers to hidden beaches and Queenstown adventures, it was all there. Plus, you get to meet so many cool people from all over the world. What impressed me the most: Everything is totally stress-free! Kiwi Experience takes care of everything, so you can just sit back and enjoy. Final verdict: If you want to explore New Zealand, Kiwi Experience is a must! Unforgettable and highly recommended.
“Enjoyed every minute made our NZ travel easy and enjoyable.”
Brilliant time with Kiwi Experience. Was really simple and helpful our driver Kelvin was always on time and willing to answer any questions we had.
“Wonderful trip”
Honestly didn't know what to expect, but actually had one of the best holidays I have ever had. Great for super adventurous people and those who like to take it slow as its completely up to you which activities you choose to participate in, and no matter what you do you never feel like you're missing out as the driver always has multiple options. If you like meeting and really getting to know new people too, there really is no better way to do it. (Also big up Tim he is the best driver).
“Wonderful trip”
Honestly didn't know what to expect, but actually had one of the best holidays I have ever had. Great for super adventurous people and those who like to take it slow as its completely up to you which activities you choose to participate in, and no matter what you do you never feel like you're missing out as the driver always has multiple options. If you like meeting and really getting to know new people too, there really is no better way to do it. (Also big up Tim he is the best driver).
“Very good times!”
Wonderful informative and enjoyable group of hosts, tours and guests.
“I had the most amazing time on the Kiwi Experience GOAT small gr”
Ahu as a driver and tour guide was knowledgeable and passionate about New Zealand and its culture. He consistently went above and beyond to ensure we were getting as much out of the tour as possible. The locations we visited were beautiful and we covered a lot of ground while still gaining the full effect of each place. The activities (both optional and included) allowed for a very comprehensive New Zealand experience with something for everyone.
“Amazing”
This was truly the most amazing trip - great for solo travellers, and I met wonderful people along the way. Tina was an incredible guide and driver, a real powerhouse who couldn't do enough for us. An unbelievable experience I'd repeat in a heartbeat.
This completely blew away my expectations. Our driver, Jason, known as Cowboy, was fantastic at sharing information about the areas we visited along the way.
I didn't know what to expect, but it turned out to be one of the best holidays I've had - great whether you're adventurous or prefer to relax.
I really enjoyed this tour. We had two guides this time, both kind, friendly and knowledgeable. The included activities were fantastic too.
“Great for solo travelers!”
I took the small-group tour looping from Christchurch back to Christchurch over 8 days, a bit nervous going solo but it turned out great from day one. The group, mostly solo travellers, bonded quickly, and the itinerary mixed included and optional activities like dark sky viewing, walks, and Glenorchy. Guides Arias and Ahu ran things smoothly and found good discounts for us - great value, though 8 days wasn't quite enough to see it all.
