Discover New Zealand with a guided tour! Experience local culture in big cities before venturing out into nature to experience natural marvels and epic trails in national parks.
Choose from an array of tours offering luxury travel, such as flights and first class hotels. Make new friends while hiking mountains, soaking in hot pools, cruising misty fjords, and experiencing Maori culture!
Discover the best of New Zealand
New Zealand tours that provide the ultimate combination of sightseeing and outdoor adventures feature spectacular glaciers, picturesque fiords, unique Maori cultures and vibrant cities with delectable cuisines – making for an unforgettable travel experience!
Guided group tours include hotel accommodation and most meals, entry into many major attractions and optional activities like kayaking in Franz Josef and Milford Sound or cruises along their waters. Tours are often run by local companies to ensure an individualized experience.
New Zealand tours can be enjoyed year-round; however, December through March is the peak season, meaning more tourists and higher prices.
Coach tours of New Zealand are among the most popular ways to explore this stunning country, and some tours cater specifically to backpackers with dormitory-style accommodation. Other luxury tours, like Backyard Roadies’ 10 Day South Island Adventure for 18-35s in custom Mercedes vehicles offer twin share accommodation and include activities. If you prefer something less formal but just as relaxing during your journey consider hop-on hop-off bus services like TranzAlpine Train from Auckland to Greymouth as another alternative.
Take a cruise in Milford Sound
Rudyard Kipling called Milford Sound one of the great natural wonders of the world and it’s hard to disagree. This stunning New Zealand fjord offers some of the finest scenery around; whether taking a scenic flight, hiking along its length, kayaking through its waters or simply admiring it from above will leave you speechless!
On a cruise in Milford Sound you’ll witness the impressive Stirling Falls, with its incredible 151 metre drop – the second highest waterfall worldwide and often featured as one of the highlights on most cruise tours. Lady Bowen Falls stands 162 meters and can often be seen from Milford Sound Pier; to fully experience it hop aboard a boat and complete its Bowen Nature Walk which leads to an observation platform.
Milford Sound cruises provide the ideal opportunity to observe New Zealand’s abundant native birds, seals, and the playful New Zealand alpine parrot known as kea. Don’t forget your camera; Milford Sound offers abundant sightings! Plus keep an eye out for mischievous Keas – New Zealand’s native alpine parrots known for being mischievous enough to walk right up to you and pose as potential photo opportunities!
Visit Abel Tasman National Park
Abel Tasman National Park is one of New Zealand’s must-see spots, famed for its picturesque beaches and golden coastline. A major drawcard here is its Coastal Track – one of New Zealand’s Great Walks where walkers can spend three or four days hiking along its trail, camping on the beach or staying in lodge accommodation along its route. Kayaking or cruising among coves and beaches are other enjoyable ways to experience this spectacular park.
Mild weather makes this park an attractive year-round destination, although mid-December to March (when most visitors come) tends to be the peak season and you shouldn’t expect the beaches or trails to be exclusively yours.
Marahau, a picturesque seaside town, makes the ideal starting point for visiting Abel Tasman National Park. From here, water taxi services or tours into the park can be easily taken advantage of. Motueka and Kaiteriteri towns nearby also make excellent places for enjoying weekend artisan markets and fine dining experiences respectively. Alternatively, book a helicopter flight from Nelson Airport and experience Abel Tasman up-close!
Explore the cities of Christchurch and Wellington
New Zealand is known as ‘the Land of the Long White Cloud, but its cities can also provide plenty of stimulation. To experience some of New Zealand’s vibrant culture and art first-hand visit Christchurch or Wellington – two vibrant examples.
Take a walk along Oriental Bay to admire its golden-sand inner city beach or discover Maori culture at Te Papa Museum, housed in a heritage building. Offering immersive experiences that bring New Zealand’s people’s history alive through replicas of Bond Store and Ballantyne’s department stores which were destroyed by fire back in 1947, this museum provides unforgettable experiences that give a true feel for what life in New Zealand was like at that time.
Explore Weta Workshop and discover who created the special effects for The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies with a guided tour, or check out Wellington Museum – situated on an historic waterfront building – or Christchurch Museum (housed in a stunning, renovated former fire station). Or you could try taking an arts-focused guided walk at one of its boutique galleries.
Enjoy the outdoors
New Zealand is an outdoor playground of volcanoes, glaciers and fiords; discover them on small group tours from North to South Islands with guides and meals included. Meet fellow travellers as you walk or cruise this country that reveres nature while boasting welcoming “Kiwis” (New Zealanders) as well as fascinating indigenous cultures.
The North Island is an outdoor enthusiast’s delight, offering trails from geothermal valleys around Rotorua to volcanic Tongariro National Park and boasting more than nine hundred trampers’ huts located within one day’s hike from one another and often in picturesque settings.
People seeking more physically challenging adventures should try black-water rafting or canyoning – two local favorites – which involves following riverbeds through chutes and over waterfalls, often using ropes, ladders and rappelling gear. New Zealand daredevils have also become adept at bungee jumping from cliffs or gondolas – often above postcard-ready landscapes!
