Experience the best of New Zealand on this iconic guided tour. Your private guide will meet your group at the airport and take you on an insider’s tour of New Zealand, visiting iconic landmarks and local secrets alike.
Offering New Zealand’s top escorted tour operators and highly experienced tour guides, we cater for groups between 1-20 people. With no date or itinerary restrictions, your New Zealand tour can be completely customised.
10 Day Iconic New Zealand Guided Tour Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive Auckland
Your fantastic guided holiday begins in New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland. Home to 1/4 of New Zealand’s population and bordered by two stunning harbours, Auckland is thriving, diverse city surrounded by natural wonders.
Explore Auckland with your guide, visiting top attractions such as the Sky Tower, Mt Eden’s volcanic crater, Waiheke Island, Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World, or Piha Beach.
Stay 1 night in Auckland.
Day 2 Hobbiton + Rotorua
Travel time Auckland to Matamata – 2 hours
Experience the magic of Middle-Earth as you tour the Hobbiton Movie Set, where the charming village from The Lord of the Rings has been brought to life.
Travel time Matamata to Rotorua – 1 hour
Enjoy the scenic drive through rolling farmland to Rotorua, the geothermal capital of New Zealand. Tour the exciting geothermal attractions with your guide, visiting sulphur springs, mud pools, geysers, and sinter terraces.
Stay 2 nights in Rotorua.
Day 3 Geothermal Wonders + Skyline Gondola Buffet Dinner
Stroll through Hells Gate Geothermal Reserve in the morning, where you will have the opportunity to experience the rich Maori culture and soak in a relaxing sulphur spa.
In the evening, enjoy a sumptuous dinner at Rotorua’s most spectacular location – the top of the Skyline Gondola!
Day 4 Waitomo Glowworm Caves
Travel time Rotorua to Waitomo Caves – 2 hours
Venture off the beaten track as your guide takes you on a scenic drive to the Waitomo Caves. The land is wilder around here, with limestone outcroppings emerging from farmland and densely forested hills rising all around, but the wildest landscape of all lies underground.
Witness the marvels of these vast caverns as you explore two fantastic caves – the Ruakuri Cave, home to a dizzying array of cave formations, and the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, where you will be dazzled by a galaxy of glowworms overhead.
Travel time Waitomo Caves to Auckland – 2.5 hours
Return to Auckland in the evening and relax in the city.
Stay 1 night in Auckland.
Day 5 Queenstown – The Adventure Capital of New Zealand!
Board a domestic flight today from Auckland to Queenstown (price of flight not included in holiday package). Upon arrival in Queenstown, your guide will collect you at the airport and take you to your accommodation.
In the afternoon, you have the option to visit the historic mining community of Arrowtown with your guide or visit a few top wineries in the Gibbston Valley.
Stay 3 nights in Queenstown.
Day 6 Shotover Jet + Glenorchy Tour
In the morning, get ready for the world’s most exciting jet boat ride – Shotover Jet!
Explore the Lord of the Rings locations around Queenstown with your guide in the afternoon on an excursion to the stunning Glenorchy region. Stop along the way for majestic views up Lake Wakatipu, and visit the stunning Paradise Valley and Dart Valley at the head of the lake. Along the way, you will get the chance to see the filming locations for Isengard, Lothlorien, and Ithilien Camp.
Stop in Glenorchy for a coffee or a relaxing lunch, and soak in the incredible views of snow-capped peaks and turquoise rivers.
Day 7 Milford Sound Tour
Embark on a scenic coach journey to Milford Sound, known as the “eighth wonder of the world.” As you venture deep into the heart of Fiordland National Park, you will get the chance to stop and view a number of must-see destinations along the way.
At Milford Sound, witness the grandeur of this mighty fiord up close on a 2.5-hour nature cruise.
Day 8 Wanaka
Travel time Queenstown to Wanaka – 1 hour
Your scenic tour will continue as you enjoy the drive over the Crown Range to Wanaka. Your guide will stop along the way for photos at fantastic viewing points.
Explore the alpine town of Wanaka in the afternoon – your guide could take you to Puzzling World or Rippon Winery, or you could simply relax on the lakefront and do a bit of boutique shopping.
Stay 1 night in Wanaka.
Day 9 Franz Josef Glacier + Heli Flight with Snow Landing
Travel time Wanaka to Franz Josef – 4 hours
The Haast Pass Highway is one of the most scenic alpine routes in New Zealand. Explore the pass with your guide, stopping to view cascading waterfalls, broad alpine meadows, craggy snowcapped mountains, and the turquoise depths of the Blue Pools.
Continuing along the West Coast, your guide will take you to the base of Fox Glacier, where you have the option to enjoy a 1-hour return walk to a viewing point over the mighty glacier.
In the afternoon, take an unforgettable helicopter flight over Franz Josef Glacier, where you will land in the snow to enjoy incredible views of the majestic Southern Alps.
Stay 1 night in Franz Josef.
Day 10 TranzAlpine Train Journey
Travel time Franz Josef to Greymouth – 2.5 hours
Train travel time Greymouth to Christchurch – 4.5 hours
Leave the rugged West Coast behind today as you board the TranzAlpine Train for a fantastic journey through Arthurs Pass. Travel past the soaring peaks and braided rivers of the Southern Alps, through the gorges of the Waimakariri River, and past the rolling Canterbury Plains.
Your guide will meet you at the train station and bring you to your accommodation.
Stay 1 night in Christchurch.
Day 11 Depart Christchurch
Your guide will deliver you to Christchurch Airport for your departing flight.
Pricing
As guide prices are split between travellers, the pricing will vary depending on the number of travellers on your tour.
1 Traveller: NZD$20,999
2 Travellers: NZD$11,399 per adult | NZD$10,799 per child
3 Travellers: NZD$8649 per adult | NZD$7999 per child
4 Travellers: NZD$7299 per adult | NZD$6649 per child
5 Travellers: NZD$6449 per adult | NZD$5799 per child
6 Travellers: NZD$5899 per adult | NZD$5249 per child
7 Travellers: NZD$5499 per adult | NZD$4849 per child
8 Travellers: NZD$5199 per adult | NZD$4549 per child
9 Travellers: NZD$5099 per adult | NZD$4449 per child
10 Travellers: NZD$4899 per adult | NZD$4249 per child
11 + Travellers: Please enquire for your custom quote
Highlights Include:
- Experiencing the magic of Middle-Earth as you explore the exquisitely rendered Hobbiton movie set.
- Exploring the geothermal wonderland of Rotorua – see geysers, bubbling mud pools, turquoise sulphur springs, and colourful sinter terraces.
- Relaxing in a sulphur pool and marvelling at the geothermal wonders of Hells Gate Reserve.
- Dining in style atop the Skyline Gondola, with views of Rotorua spread out below.
- Witnessing a fantastic galaxy of glowworms at Waitomo Caves.
- Exploring the beautiful Ruakuri Cave, filled with delicate formations and echoing waterfalls.
- Staying in Queenstown, the vibrant adventure capital of New Zealand.
- Hurtling through the gorges of the Shotover Canyon on a thrilling jet boat ride!
- Journeying down the incredible Milford Highway and experiencing the grandeur of Milford Sound on an unforgettable nature cruise.
- Venturing into paradise on a stunning scenic tour of Glenorchy, where you will find countless Lord of the Rings film locations surrounded by snow-capped mountains and turquoise river valleys.
- Driving over the lofty Crown Range and stopping for sweeping views of the valley below.
- Travelling through Haast Pass, past hanging glaciers and pounding waterfalls and turquoise rivers.
- Flying over the magnificent Franz Josef Glacier on a helicopter tour, and landing in the pristine snow!
- Riding the TranzAlpine Train through the spectacular Arthurs Pass.
Your privately guided tour includes:
- All transportation (except flights) within New Zealand – you will be collected at the arrivals hall of Auckland Airport and dropped off at the departures hall of Christchurch Airport
- Excellent 4-star accommodation
- Private tour guide/driver
- Sightseeing and Photo Stops En Route
- Hobbiton Movie Set Tour
- Hells Gate Geothermal Reserve Walk and Sulphur Spa
- Skyline Gondola and Buffet Dinner Rotorua
- Waitomo Glowworm Caves and Ruakuri Cave Combo Tour
- Milford Sound Nature Cruise ex Queenstown by Scenic Coach
- Shotover Jet – the world’s most exciting jet boat ride!
- Scenic Helicopter Flight over Franz Josef Glacier with Snow Landing
- TranzAlpine Train Journey Greymouth to Christchurch
** Your privately guided tour does NOT include flights, food (except where included in activities) or travel insurance. **
Pricing
As guide prices are split between travellers, the pricing will vary depending on the number of travellers on your tour.
1 Traveller: NZD$20,999
2 Travellers: NZD$11,399 per adult | NZD$10,799 per child
3 Travellers: NZD$8649 per adult | NZD$7999 per child
4 Travellers: NZD$7299 per adult | NZD$6649 per child
5 Travellers: NZD$6449 per adult | NZD$5799 per child
6 Travellers: NZD$5899 per adult | NZD$5249 per child
7 Travellers: NZD$5499 per adult | NZD$4849 per child
8 Travellers: NZD$5199 per adult | NZD$4549 per child
9 Travellers: NZD$5099 per adult | NZD$4449 per child
10 Travellers: NZD$4899 per adult | NZD$4249 per child
11 + Travellers: Please enquire for your custom quote
