Take on the ultimate 18-day adventure across New Zealand's North and South Islands, travelling in a small group of no more than 18 at a relaxed, personal pace. From golden beaches to jaw-dropping mountain views, we take in the country's most iconic landscapes and its vibrant Māori culture.
We swim in the Kai Iwi Lakes, stand beneath Tāne Mahuta in the Waipoua Forest and share a Hāngī dinner at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, then work our way south through Coromandel, Rotorua's geothermal country and Taupō before crossing to the South Island for Tekapo's Dark Sky Reserve, three nights in Queenstown, a Milford Sound cruise and the glaciers of Franz Josef.
Days
- 18 days, 17 nights
Group size
- Max 18
Start / finish
- Auckland / Christchurch
Return
- See itinerary for details
Accommodation
- 17 nights in 3-star hotels and flashpacker dorms — one at Omapere, two at Paihia, one in Auckland, one at Hahei on the Coromandel, two in Rotorua, two in Taupō, one in Raglan, one in Christchurch, one at Lake Tekapo, three in Queenstown and two at Franz Josef.
Transport
- A Mercedes Sprinter with your guide, the flight from Auckland to Christchurch on day 11, and a cruise boat at Milford Sound.
Meals
- A traditional hāngī dinner at Waitangi on day 3. No other meals are named in the itinerary.
Route
Included experiences
- Milford Sound — a fiord cruise past waterfalls and towering mountainscapes
- Waitangi Treaty Grounds — with an included combo pass, and a hāngī dinner that evening
- Waipoua Forest — Tāne Mahuta, the country's largest living kauri tree
- Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach on the Coromandel
- Hobbiton — the movie set on the road to Taupō
- Waitomo — caves and glowworms, wet or dry, whichever you fancy
- Raglan — a surf lesson on the black sand beach
- Tongariro Crossing — one of the best one-day walks in the world
- Franz Josef — a free day for a glacier hike, a helicopter flight or the hot pools
- Lake Tekapo — lakeside hot springs and the Dark Sky Reserve
- Queenstown — three nights and a free day for skydiving, luging or jet boating
- Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland — colourful geothermal features on the way to Rotorua
- Rotorua — luging, zorbing and rafting, or an optional Mitai Māori Village evening
- Huka Falls — the thundering water and the trout-filled rivers below
- Kai Iwi Lakes and the Kauri Museum at Matakohe in the Far North
- Haast Pass and Arthur's Pass — two of the great alpine drives
- Bay of Islands — a free day for cruising, dolphin spotting or kayaking
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