10 Day Iconic New Zealand Guided Tour

Experience the best of New Zealand on this 5* reviewed iconic private guided tour. We offer flexible New Zealand tours by locals, including the highlights of both islands. Your private tour package has no date or itinerary restrictions.

Our New Zealand guided tours by locals are all-inclusive and fully customisable. Travel with a personal tour guide in your private tour vehicle, with accommodation and activities included. Each of our experienced guides are New Zealand locals, which means they add a vast range of knowledge to their tours.

10 Day Iconic New Zealand Guided Tour Itinerary | Tours by New Zealand Locals

Day 1 Auckland

Your fantastic guided holiday begins in New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland.

Auckland is a multi-cultural urban oasis of food, music, arts and culture. World-class shopping and phenomenal dining is never too far from harbours, islands, native bush and black-sand beaches.

Explore Auckland with your guide.

If you would like to get straight into nature; skipper an America’s Cup Yacht or experience Whale Watching. Or visit top attractions like the Sky Tower and Mt Eden’s volcanic crater.

In the evening the fairy lights of Federal Street will lure you into some of the finest restaurants in Auckland or head down to The Viaduct, a food and drinks hub in central Auckland.

Stay 1 night in Auckland.

Day 2 Hobbiton Movie Set Tour + 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. You will be fully guided around the 12 acre set; past Hobbit Holes, the Mill and into the world-famous Green Dragon Inn. You will be presented with a complimentary, exclusive Hobbit Southfarthing beverage to conclude your own Middle-earth adventure.

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.

Top recommendations for the evening include taking the Skyline Gondola to enjoy a delicious dinner atop the Skyline Complex.

Stay 2 nights in Rotorua.

Day 3 Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa + Te Pā Tū – Evening Cultural Experience & Hangi Dinner

In the morning, step into Wai Ariki, a place where Ngāti Whakaue culture, healing traditions, and warm hospitality converge. Nestled by the captivating Lake Rotorua, its name, ‘Chiefly Waters,’ reflects the majesty it holds. Owned and curated by the local iwi, you’ll discover the Wai Whakaora, a path to restoration, and the exclusive sanctuary, Āhuru Mōwai, both deeply rooted in Māori values. Experience a world of uniqueness that transcends borders and touches hearts. Wai Ariki awaits to embrace you with its magic.

Relax and explore Rotorua in the afternoon, with the option to take a trip to one of the surrounding towns. One destination you may want to visit is Hamurana—this small township with 900 dwellings is located 15 kms (20 mins drive) northeast of Rotorua, and is renowned for the stunning Hamurana Springs. A stream-side walk runs through a redwood grove with beautiful views of the crystal-clear water that runs into Lake Rotorua.

In the evening, immerse yourself in Māori culture with the Te Pā Tū Evening Cultural Experience & Hāngi Dinner. Enjoy traditional storytelling, song, and dance before sharing a delicious seasonal hāngi feast cooked in an earth oven. This unforgettable evening celebrates Māori heritage, connection, and hospitality in a truly authentic setting.

Day 4 Waitomo Glowworm Caves & Ruakuri Cave Tour

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 – 3 hours

Explore Auckland with your guide this evening. You may want to do a spot of shopping at the Britomart Shopping Precinct, Britomart is a treasure trove for fashion, beauty and specialty boutiques. Its hip bars and eateries are also the perfect place to wind down after you’ve shopped up a storm.

Stay 1 night in Auckland.

Day 5 Queenstown + Things To Do In Queenstown

Board a domestic flight today from Auckland to Queenstown (price of flight not included in holiday package). Upon arrival in Queenstown, your guide will take you to your Queenstown accommodation.

Queenstown sits on the shore of Lake Wakatipu among dramatic alpine ranges. Let Queenstown awaken your inner-explorer.

Option to visit Arrowtown. Arrowtown is charming and quirky. The heart of its history is Buckingham Street, a procession of heritage buildings that stretches into a tree-lined avenue of tiny miner’s cottages. The buildings in this lovely precinct house shops, galleries, bars and restaurants.

You also have the option to visit top wineries in Gibbston Valley with your guide.

World-renowned for its adventure, Queenstown is home to a huge choice of adrenaline activities including jet boating, bungy jumping, white water rafting, skydiving and even indoor thrills – all guaranteed to get your blood pumping! Add any adventure activity to your tour.

Stay 3 nights in Queenstown.

Day 6 Shotover Jet + Things to do in Queenstown

Today, get ready for the world’s most exciting jet boat ride! Shotover Jet is the only company permitted to operate in the spectacular Shotover River Canyons. It’s a thrilling ride, you’ll twist and turn through the narrow canyons at breathtaking speeds. A major highlight – hold tight for the world-famous 360º spins!

In the afternoon discover adventure activities or Queenstown’s Gondola.

Enjoy an iconic Queenstown experience and take the Queenstown Gondola up 450 metres to Bob’s Peak. From the top, enjoy panoramic views. Try your hand at the Queenstown Luge and zoom down the course of banked corners, tunnels and dippers. Add dinner to this experience for a truely memorable experience.

Day 7 Milford Sound Scenic Flight & Cruise + Queenstown Activities

Milford Sound is an area of extraordinary beauty. It offers a majestic fiord, dramatic and awe inspiring scenery and prolific flora and fauna.

Enjoy panoramic views as you fly from Queenstown to Milford Sound over mountains, glaciers, and the stunning World Heritage landscapes of Mt. Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks. Your expert pilot provides fascinating commentary throughout this unforgettable journey.

Descend into Milford Sound with breathtaking aerial views of Mitre Peak, Stirling Falls, and sheer alpine cliffs before landing at the remote airstrip.

Board a modern catamaran for a 1 hr 45 min cruise through the Fiord, discover the natural wonders of Milford Sound. Keep an eye out for fur seals, penguins, and dolphins while enjoying complimentary tea, coffee, and water.

After your cruise, rejoin your pilot for a spectacular return flight to Queenstown via a different scenic route – the perfect finale to an incredible day.

In the afternoon option to explore wineries, film locations, adventure activities or spoil yourself with a trip to a spa.

Day 8 Wanaka + Things To Do In Wanaka

Travel time Queenstown to Wanaka – 1.5 hours

Enjoy the scenic drive over the Crown Range to Wanaka. Option to stop at the historic Cardrona Hotel and the Cardrona Distillery.

Wanaka has a reputation for great food and wine, with a wide variety of lakefront bars and restaurants.

You may want to visit Puzzling World, Wanaka’s illusional attraction; the National Toy and Transport Museum or the Wanaka Lavender Farm located just a few minutes from Wanaka, where you can experience 20 acres of beautiful lavender fields, farm animals & display gardens.

Stroll the streets and be inspired by galleries and stylish shops, visit ‘That Wanaka Tree’ for the perfect photo, or enjoy one of the many famous walking tracks such as Mt Iron.

Stay 1 night in Wanaka.

Day 9 Franz Josef + Glacier Helicopter Flight with Snow Landing

Travel time Wanaka to Franz Josef – 4.5 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 Lake Matheson, where you can take a 20 minute walk (one-way) to the jetty, to admire the reflected views of the Southern Alps on the surface of the lake.

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 Hokitika + TranzAlpine New Zealand Train + Christchurch

Travel time Franz Josef to Greymouth – 2.5 hours 

Train travel time Greymouth to Christchurch – 4.5 hours 

Enjoy more West Coast beauty today. You will find an amazing attraction in the West Coast Treetop Walk. The walkway is 450 metres in total and reaches heights of 20 metres giving you fantastic panoramic views. Hokitika is a great location worth exploring, famous for its rugged beach and arts and crafts scene.

Travel north to reach Greymouth where you will climb aboard the TranzAlpine Train, one of the world’s most famous train journeys. Ascend through thick stands of native beech forest before traversing the mighty Southern Alps, where spectacular views of the chiselled alpine landscape will take your breath away at every turn. Enjoy thrilling vistas over deep gorges as you travel alongside the ice-fed Waimakariri River, then cross the fertile farmlands of the Canterbury Plains, before arriving in the Garden City of Christchurch.

Your guide will be waiting for you at Christchurch Railway Station ready to take you to your Christchurch City accommodtion.

Choose from your guide’s range of restaurant recommendations as you celebrate your final night in paradise.

Stay 1 night in Christchurch.

Day 11 Depart Christchurch

Your guide will deliver you to Christchurch Airport for your departing flight.

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