Getting around the East Coast
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Lord of the Rings IRL
New Zealand fits an implausible amount of planet into two islands: glowworm caves you raft through in the dark, fjords you cruise then fly out of, glaciers you skydive between, and a town, Queenstown, whose entire economy is adrenaline. Hobbiton and geothermal Rotorua handle the culture; the Shotover's 360-spinning jet boats handle the rest.
It's the natural encore to an East Coast run: three hours' flight, zero wasted days, and the strongest 'best trip of my life' rate in our catalogue.
New Zealand
9 Hours, 30 Minutes
5 (1,837 · Google)
The no-compromise Milford day: a max-16 small group along the famous Milford Road, a two-hour nature cruise on the fjord, then a 40-minute scenic flight back to Queenstown instead of five more hours in a seat.
New Zealand
3 Hours
5 (1,456 · TripAdvisor)
Fourteen rapids, three waterfalls and the 7-metre Tutea Falls, the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world, on NZ's warmest river, with Māori history woven through the canyon. First-timers welcome.
New Zealand
35 Minutes
4.9 (871 · Google)
The Helicopter Line's signature flight circles the whole Wakatipu Basin, Shotover River, Skippers Canyon, Coronet Peak, then lands you high in the Remarkables at 1,528m to stand in the alpine air.
33 ways to do New Zealand, compare length, route and price, then pick your trip.
New Zealand
21 Days
4.6 (980 · TourRadar)
Our Ultimate New Zealand Highlights is a unique and once in a lifetime adventure for backpackers, hitting all the best spots in New Zealand. Experience the wonders of the North Island and adrenaline of the South Island.
New Zealand
9 days · 8 nights · Auckland → Wellington
4.9 (575 · Trustpilot)
Glowworm caves, the real Hobbiton, Rotorua's geothermal wonderland and a Māori village experience, then sailing on Lake Taupo and Wellington's craft-beer laneways, the North Island's icons in nine days.
New Zealand
9 days · 8 nights · Christchurch → Queenstown
4.9 (575 · Trustpilot)
Dark-sky hot pools at Lake Tekapo, Aoraki/Mount Cook, kayaking glacial Lake Wanaka, a Milford Sound cruise and a jet-boat finale in Queenstown, the South Island's big-ticket scenery, organised.
New Zealand
17 days · 16 nights · Auckland → Queenstown
4.9 (575 · Trustpilot)
Both islands, one booking, Hobbiton to Milford Sound with the inter-island flight included. Everything from the North and South 9-day Adventures back to back, 100% carbon neutral.
New Zealand
2 Days
4.9 (88 · Google)
A fully hosted private luxury tour from Auckland: Cathedral Cove, digging your own spa at Hot Water Beach, Hobbiton, geothermal Rotorua, Huka Falls, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and Waitomo's glowworms, in seven days.
New Zealand
2 Days
4.9 (88 · Google)
Three days of private touring through the far north: a twilight walk to Tāne Mahuta among the giant kauri, the Waitangi Treaty grounds, the Hole in the Rock, Kawiti's glowworm caves and the famous Hundertwasser toilets.
New Zealand
2 Days
4.9 (88 · Google)
A two-day private luxury run down the Thermal Explorer Highway: the Waitomo Glowworm Caves by boat, Rotorua's geothermal country and lakefront, and the Hobbiton Movie Set on the return. Your guide, your pace.
New Zealand
3 Hours
4.9 (544 · TripAdvisor)
Jump from 10,000ft over the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area: 30 seconds of 200km/h freefall with Aoraki/Mt Cook, Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers and the Tasman Sea all in frame at once.
New Zealand
2 Hours
4.6 (132 · TripAdvisor)
New Zealand's #1-rated skydive on TripAdvisor: a 12,000ft tandem jump with all gear supplied, Hummer transport to the plane, a free buff and a certificate to wave at your doubters.
New Zealand
8 Hours
4.7 (507 · Google)
The flexible way to walk Abel Tasman: sea shuttles drop you at a different point in the park across three separate day trips, cover most of the coastal track and still sleep in your own bed each night.
New Zealand
1 Day, 8 Hours, 15 Minutes
4.5 (657 · TripAdvisor)
Two days sea kayaking Abel Tasman National Park with a guide who does the cooking: double kayaks, all camping gear, every meal, and a night at a beachside campsite. You paddle; everything else is handled.
New Zealand
6 Hours, 30 Minutes
4.8 (712 · Google)
Shuttle up to gold-rush Arrowtown, then ride 34–36km back to Queenstown on the Arrow River Bridges and Twin Rivers trails, swing bridges, river gorges and mountain views, self-guided on a hardtail or e-bike.
New Zealand
8 Hours
4.7 (507 · Google)
A full-day cruise from Kaiteriteri deep into Abel Tasman: past Split Apple Rock and a fur seal colony to Awaroa's golden beach, laze all day or walk the comfortable track to Tonga Quarry before pickup.
New Zealand
4 Hours, 30 Minutes
4.9 (245 · Google)
Island Getaway's small-group cruise through the Bay of Islands: out to the Hole in the Rock and Cape Brett Lighthouse, a stopover on Roberton Island, and wildlife likely the whole way. Max 22 aboard.
New Zealand
5 Hours
4.8 (11 · Google)
The cruise-passenger special from Waitangi Wharf: Kawiti Glow Worm Caves, the Puketī kauri forest, the Hundertwasser Toilets, Makana Chocolate Factory and Haruru Falls, with an on-time return guaranteed.
New Zealand
7 Hours, 30 Minutes
4.7 (507 · Google)
Wilsons' signature Abel Tasman day: cruise from Kaiteriteri to Torrent Bay, then guided sea kayaking past granite headlands to a beach picnic and the fur seals of Pinnacle Island. Max eight paddlers per guide.
New Zealand
5 Hours
4.8 (2,433 · Google)
Waitomo's biggest adventure: five hours underground with a 35-metre abseil, a flying fox, blackwater tubing, waterfall climbs and jumps, with glowworms overhead. Ages 16+, abseil training included.
New Zealand
3 Hours
4.8 (2,433 · Google)
Three hours in Ruakuri Cave on the trip that started blackwater rafting: float the underground river in a tube, clamber through the dark, and launch yourself off a small waterfall. Ages 12+.
New Zealand
6 Hours, 30 Minutes
4.8 (1,302 · Google)
The Dart River double: a jet boat run deep into Mount Aspiring National Park from Glenorchy, then a guided float back down in inflatable Funyak kayaks, side-streams, the Rockburn chasm and a gourmet picnic included.
New Zealand
4 Hours
4.8 (2,087 · Google)
Swim with wild dusky dolphins, the ocean's acrobats, off Kaikoura with New Zealand's original dolphin swim operator: 30+ years' experience, purpose-built boats and one of the world's highest success rates.
New Zealand
2 Hours, 30 Minutes
4.8 (26,585 · Google)
The 12-acre Hobbiton set is still standing in Matamata farmland, and you get 2.5 hours inside it, past Bag End, into a fully themed hobbit home, finishing with a free Southfarthing ale at the Green Dragon Inn.
New Zealand
3 Hours
5 (1,456 · TripAdvisor)
Fourteen rapids, three waterfalls and the 7-metre Tutea Falls, the highest commercially rafted waterfall in the world, on NZ's warmest river, with Māori history woven through the canyon. First-timers welcome.
New Zealand
9 Hours, 30 Minutes
5 (1,837 · Google)
The no-compromise Milford day: a max-16 small group along the famous Milford Road, a two-hour nature cruise on the fjord, then a 40-minute scenic flight back to Queenstown instead of five more hours in a seat.
New Zealand
3 Hours
4.6 (66 · TripAdvisor)
Skydive Mt. Cook runs the only helicopter-lifted jump in New Zealand: 10 minutes to altitude with Aoraki, Lake Pukaki and Tekapo filling the windows, then up to 30 seconds of freefall over all of it.
New Zealand
3 Hours
4.6 (66 · TripAdvisor)
The bigger Mt. Cook jump: a 10–15 minute scenic flight to 13,000ft over Aoraki, then up to 45 seconds of freefall above turquoise lakes and glaciers, with an operator holding nearly 100,000 successful jumps.
New Zealand
3 Hours, 30 Minutes
4.6 (1,415 · Google)
The full-height Queenstown jump: out the door at 15,000ft, up to 60 seconds of freefall touching 200km/h, strapped to a professional who does this every day. You just have to say yes.
New Zealand
25 Minutes
4.8 (7,418 · Google)
The world's most famous jet boat ride: twin V8s hurling you through the narrow Shotover Canyons at up to 90km/h, with full 360-degree spins centimetres from the rock. Sixty years of this, four million grins.
New Zealand
3 Hours, 30 Minutes
4.6 (1,057 · Google)
Te Pā Tū's summer evening in a forest pā near Rotorua: the Ahi Tuku fire welcome, fireside storytelling and games, a kapa haka performance and a hangi-cooked Māori fusion feast, with Rotorua transfers included.
New Zealand
1 Hour, 30 Minutes
4.8 (228 · Google)
Run off the side of Coronet Peak with a certified tandem pilot, New Zealand's highest commercial take-off at 4,000ft. Gentle glide or full roller-coaster: you set the dial. Courtesy van from Queenstown.
New Zealand
35 Minutes
4.9 (871 · Google)
The Helicopter Line's signature flight circles the whole Wakatipu Basin, Shotover River, Skippers Canyon, Coronet Peak, then lands you high in the Remarkables at 1,528m to stand in the alpine air.
New Zealand
45 Minutes
4.5 (13,408 · Google)
Walk Waitomo's limestone chambers, including the towering Cathedral, then board a silent, hand-steered boat and glide beneath thousands of native glowworms lighting the dark like a galaxy.
New Zealand
3 Hours, 30 Minutes
4.9 (245 · Google)
A small-group cruise through the Bay of Islands to the Hole in the Rock, with two island stopovers including Roberton Island, snorkel, paddleboard, hike and swim, with dolphins, penguins and seals often about.
Pricing TBD
New Zealand
2 Hours, 45 Minutes
4.5 (2,461 · TripAdvisor)
New Zealand's original whale watch takes you into the Kaikoura Canyon, home to resident sperm whales, tracked by hydrophone, spotted on 95% of tours, and backed by an 80% refund if they don't show.
Pricing TBD
The world's first commercial bungy jump still runs off Kawarau Bridge, and somewhere in the 43 metres between you and that glacier-blue river you'll get why Queenstown calls itself the adventure capital of the world. Work up to the Nevis, 134 metres, eight and a half seconds of freefall, or keep it marginally saner in a jet boat ripping through canyon walls close enough to touch. Come June to September and the whole town flips to snow mode: two ski fields under an hour away and après that runs long past sensible. Every Wanderlust South Island trip routes through here, and nobody leaves on schedule.
Milford Sound is a four-hour drive from Queenstown, and the road is half the show, through Te Anau, up the Eglinton Valley, into the Homer Tunnel and out into scenery that genuinely doesn't look rendered. Then the cruise: Mitre Peak rising over 1,600 metres straight out of dark water, fur seals sprawled on the rocks, dolphins if you're lucky, and waterfalls falling from cliffs so high the wind shreds them before they land. Locals will tell you to hope for rain, a downpour spawns hundreds of temporary falls. Kipling called it "the eighth wonder of the world". He wasn't exaggerating much.
The North Island plays a different game. Two hours south of Auckland, the Hobbiton Movie Set sits in real Waikato farmland, 44 hobbit holes and a proper pint at the Green Dragon Inn. An hour on, Rotorua smells like sulphur and looks like another planet: geysers, boiling mud, and living Māori culture that's the real reason to stay the night. Then Lake Taupō, a lake filling a supervolcano's caldera, where you can skydive from 15,000 feet with Tongariro's volcanoes on the horizon. Hikers: the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, 19.4 km past emerald crater lakes, is the best day walk in the country. Fight us.
Here's the thing about New Zealand: the backpacker trail is so well-worn you'd have to actively try to stay lonely. Hostels in Queenstown, Wanaka, Taupō and Rotorua run quiz nights, family dinners and ski-shuttle carpools. Queenstown's nightlife punches stupidly hard for a town its size, bars stacked around the wharf and Church Lane, après-ski from 4pm in winter, and a famous burger queue that somehow hits harder at 2am. Wellington brings craft beer and Cuba Street's weird little bars. On a Wanderlust group trip, like the 17-day Auckland to Queenstown run, your crew is sorted from day one. The freedom of solo, the crew of a group.
Depends what you're chasing. December to March is summer: long days, warm lakes and prime hiking on the big trails. June to September is snow season, when Queenstown and Wanaka turn into ski towns with serious après. Shoulder months, April–May and October–November, bring thinner crowds and cheaper beds. There's no bad month, just the wrong packing list.
Ten days does one island well. Our NZ Adventure North (9 days, Auckland to Wellington) and NZ Adventure South (9 days, Christchurch to Queenstown) each nail their island, while the 17-day Auckland to Queenstown trip covers both without sprinting. Only got a week? Pick one island, doing both in seven days means watching NZ through a bus window.
It's not Southeast Asia, think Australia-level prices. Dorm beds run roughly NZ$35–55 a night, and adrenaline activities are the real budget-killers, so pick two or three and commit. Save by cooking in hostel kitchens, riding the intercity buses, and leaning on the free stuff: every great hike, lake, lookout and hot-water beach costs exactly nothing.
Do the bungy. Queenstown's Kawarau Bridge is the world's first commercial jump site and, at 43 metres over water, the perfect beginner height, terrifying for seconds, bragged about for years. Not a jumper? The Milford Sound cruise is the best thing in the country that requires zero courage, and Hobbiton wins the North Island. All three feature on our NZ trips.
Fly. Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown all take direct flights from Australia's east coast, roughly three hours from Sydney, slightly more from Melbourne. From further afield, Auckland is the main international gateway. Smart move: fly into Auckland, travel south, then fly out of Queenstown or Christchurch so you never backtrack. Our 17-day trip is built exactly that way.
It's arguably the best country on Earth to start solo. Safe, English-speaking, absurdly friendly, with a hostel network and backpacker-bus culture built for meeting people. Join a small-group trip and you land with an instant crew, the freedom of solo, the crew of a group is basically the national travel style. Solo female travellers consistently rate NZ among the easiest anywhere.
Kea, cheeky alpine parrots, will try to eat your car's window rubber in Fiordland and Arthur's Pass. Waitomo's caves glow with thousands of glowworms year-round, and Kaikōura serves up fur seals, dolphins and sperm whales. Winter means snow from June to September; late November to January brings the lupin bloom around Lake Tekapo. Wild kiwi are near-impossible to spot, a sanctuary visit is your realistic shot.
From Queenstown: Milford Sound (a huge day, always worth it), Wanaka and the Roys Peak track, or Glenorchy at the lake's end. From Auckland: Hobbiton and the Waitomo glowworm caves pair perfectly. From Taupō: the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. From Christchurch: Kaikōura for whales, or Akaroa's harbour for the world's smallest dolphins. Several feature as included days on our NZ itineraries.
Two weeks instead of one? Add a side-trip? We'll build it for free.
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