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During this 3-week trip through New Zealand, you will get to see many of the must-see spots of the country and will have the opportunity to partake in a variety of activities such as hiking, kayaking, scenic flights or a cruise in a fjord. It all depends on you! You will also see many of the wide-ranging types of scenery New Zealand has to offer such as geothermal sites, mountains, glaciers and fjords, as well as the country's main cities!
Welcome to New Zealand! This day will be dedicated to your arrival in the "City of Sails". After collecting your baggage and going through customs you will be transferred to your accommodation. Depending on the time of your arrival and if you are not too jet-lagged, you can have a first look at the city! Auckland is the biggest city in New Zealand and in the Pacific Islands! It is often mistakenly assumed to be the capital of the country (the capital is actually Wellington). Read more
Today, you will have more time to visit the city. Being the biggest city of the country, Auckland is the business centre of New Zealand. Despite this, there are many things to see and do here, such as visiting Waiheke Island for a tour of the vineyards and to check out some of its numerous beaches, or going on a scenic flight in a seaplane, kayaking to Rangitoto Island, or kiwi spotting! As we prepare completely tailor-made trips, we suggest activities and all you have to do is tell us what you would like to do for any of the stops throughout your trip! Read more
Once you have picked up your rental car, you will leave Auckland to head for Rotorua. Rotorua is the most touristic city in the North Island, and is known for being right in the middle of the geothermal region of New Zealand. Here you will find multiple geothermal sites where you will see colourful thermal pools and geysers, and during the evening, maybe go relax in the hot polynesian spas! You can also check out Redwood forest where you can go for a walk through the trees lit with many different coloured lanterns, or, if you are looking for something more active, you can go for a bike ride through the forest. Read more
For your second day here, you can continue exploring the area, perhaps even going as far as Taupo although you will be passing through tomorrow anyway. For more suggestions of activities here, you can do some white water rafting for example on Kaituna River, where you will go down a 7 metre waterfall! This is unique in the fact that it is the highest waterfall in the world used in a commercial river-rafting activity. In the South of Rotorua is where you will find the geothermal areas like Wai O Tapu and Orakei Korako: Wai O Tapu is more colourful, but Orakei Korako is less touristic so the choice will be up to you! Read more
Today you will be going to Taupo. Lake Taupo is the biggest lake in the country, so take the time to check it out, but also its surroundings such as Huka Falls: one of the most photographed places in New Zealand with its spectacular turquoise water! Taupo You will also find a Prawn farm, and can go jet-boating on the lake or skydive above it! Read more
Next you will be driving to Tongariro. The region is also famous for featuring in the Lord of the Rigs trilogy, representing Mordor and Mount Doom: if you are a fan, this is definitely a must-see!
The region is also known for its famous full-day hike: The Tongariro Alpine Crossing, but you can also go hiking to various areas, such as Taranaki Falls and the Tama Lakes. You can choose to stop and turn around whenever you want if you the walks are too long!
After a long drive from Tongariro, you arrive in Wellington: the little capital of New Zealand! It is a smaller city than Auckland, but also known for being more colourful and artistic. This is where you will find the Te Papa Museum (national museum) which contains many Maori artefacts and is highly recommended if you want to learn of New Zealand’s history. Read more
Today you will be taking the ferry to the second half of your journey: the South Island! The ferry will dock at Picton, a nice sunny seaside town in the Marlborough Sounds. From here you will drive west to Abel Tasman, where you will be able to take advantage of the beaches.
Abel Tasman is the country’s smallest national park, but is very popular during the summer. It is basically the main choice for beaches in the South Island and is great for the numerous walks you can do (such as the coastal Track), and activities like kayaking.
A brief stop in Punakaiki will allow you to see the famous Pancake Rocks, and go for a walk on some of the surrounding tracks.
Here you will find Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. They are the most well-known glaciers in the country, however they have started retreating since around 2015, so it is now too dangerous to go hiking directly onto them. You can still go on a scenic flight or even land on the glaciers for some hiking if you wish! Read more
While in the area, take the time to check out Lake Matheson and its stunning reflections of the highest peaks in New Zealand: Aoraki (Mount Cook) and Mount Tasman. There is also a very remote beach 30km for Fox Glacier on the Lake Matheson Road : Gillespies Beach and some hot pools in the middle of a rainforest if you want to relax. Read more
Wanaka, a place where you will find diverse landscapes, lake, forest, mountains and glaciers! You will have the opportunity to do various activities here such as jet-boating, hiking, biking, wine tasting… But we highly recommend staying a couple of nights here even if just for the sights and great places that are ideal for walks in the middle of nature! Read more
If you are a wine connoisseur, Wanaka will be especially interesting to you because it is one of New Zealand’s most important wine regions! You will find many places you can do some wine tasting if you wish, such as Mt Difficulty and Rippon Valley which are outstanding.
Te Anau is your stop for checking out the fjordlands. This region is completely cut off from the cities of New Zealand, and is a great spot to get your fill of nature! The main thing most tourists come here to do is a cruise on the Milford Sound: it is the most famous cruise of the country and a beautiful thing to behold whether it be a nice sunny day, or when it is raining because that is when you get to see waterfalls appearing on the sides of the fiord (which has a very high probability of happening in the region, as it rains 200 days a year). Read more
Despite the Milford Sound’s resounding success in tourism, there is another fjord we highly recommend: The Doubtful Sound. This Fjord is not so well-known but is 3 times larger and 10 times longer than the Milford Sound. We also recommend seeing it on an overnight cruise, which will let you see it in all its glory. There are of course other things to see and do in Te Anau, such as checking out the glow-worm caves and the national park where you will see the local wildlife! Read more
Queenstown, the capital of outdoor activities. Here you will be able to do such things as skydiving, jet boating, paragliding and much more! There is also some great scenery around the city, many of the landscapes in the area were actually used during the filming of many movies such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Read more
Lake Tekapo and the Tasman Glacier, the largest glacier in New Zealand. If you have the time you can explore the area, take in the sights, do some hiking or you could go one of many scenic flights which will allow you to see a lot of the surroundings from the air, the longest even going all the way to the West to show you the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers! If you are looking to hike, the Hooker Valley Track is the most popular track in the area. Read more
In Tekapo you will also find some hot pools, great for some relaxation, especially during cooler weather. Tekapo is also known as one of the best places in the world to do some star-gazing as the sky is so clear. If you are lucky, you may even see the southern lights!
Today is the day you depart from Christchurch, the end of your journey. By now you have hopefully taken lots of pictures and made many new memories in New Zealand that will stay with you forever!
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