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Best price guarantee Learn More
- Platinum Operator
- G Adventures
- In-depth Cultural
- Immerse yourself in rich history and local traditions
- Group Tour
- Join a group and forge lifelong friendships
- Fully Guided
- An experienced guide will be with you for the entire tour
- Medium Intensity
- Travelers should be comfortable with somewhat-demanding activities
- Guided in English
- Group Size 10 - 16
- Age range 12 to 90
Places You’ll See
Highlights
- Meet your group and CEO in Auckland
- Explore Waitomo Glowworm Caves by boat
- Experience Maori culture and Hangi meal in Rotorua
- Sip local wines at a vineyard in Kaikoura
- Cruise through the stunning Doubtful Sound
Itinerary
- Introduction
- Day 1 Auckland
- Day 2 Auckland/Rotorua
- Day 3 Rotorua (1B, 1D)
- Day 4 Rotorua/Wellington (1B)
- Day 5 Wellington
- Day 6 Wellington/Kaikoura (1D)
- Day 7 Kaikoura/Hanmer Springs
- Day 8 Hanmer Springs/Franz Josef (1B)
- Day 9 Franz Josef (1B)
- Day 10 Franz Josef/Queenstown
- Day 11 Queenstown (1B)
- Day 12 Queenstown (1B, 1L)
- Day 13 Queenstown to Tekapo (1B)
- Day 14 Tekapo to Christchurch
- Day 15 Christchurch (1B)
What's Included
- Accommodation
- Guide
- Meals
- Additional Services
- Transport
- Free eSIMTourRadar offers the lead traveler (the person who booked) a free 1GB eSIM for the trip. The eSIM is redeemable only through the TourRadar app 72 hours before departure.
What's Not Included
- Flights
- Insurance
- Optional
- Additional Services
Where You'll Stay
Nesuto Stadium Hotel & Apartments
Hotelday 1Sudima Lake Rotorua
HotelDays 2, 3Naumi Studio Hotel Wellington
HotelDays 4, 5The White Morph
Hotelday 6Drifters Inn Hanmer Springs
Hotelday 7Rainforest Retreat
HotelDays 8, 9Heartland Hotel Queenstown
HotelDays 10, 11, 12Godley Hotel
Hotelday 13Bealey Quarter
Hotelday 14
Customer Photos
Operated by
G Adventures
Number of tours
894
Age Range
12 to 90 years old
Response time
less than 1 hour
Response rate
96%
G Adventures gives you the opportunity to explore interesting and unusual...
Read moreSustainability Initiatives
Animal Welfare
Supporting Destinations
Sustainability Programs
Customer Reviews
- Overall RatingExcellent
- ItineraryExcellent
- GuideExcellent
- TransportGood
- AccommodationExcellent
- FoodGood
RODRICK· March 7th, 2025The New Zealand North to South tour was an incredible experience! The itinerary was well-planned, offering a perfect blend of breathtaking landscapes, cultural experiences, and exciting activities. From the stunning beaches of the North Island to the majestic fjords and mountains of the South Island, every destination exceeded our expectations. A special thank you to our tour leader, Peter Fletcher, whose knowledge, enthusiasm, and excellent organization made the journey even more enjoyable. His insights and friendly approach added a personal touch, ensuring that everyone had a fantastic time. Highly recommended Tour Rod from Malta, EUShow more
G Adventures commented on this reviewThank you so much for your feedback, Rodrick! We are delighted to know you enjoyed your time in New Zealand with Peter and hope to welcome you on another adventure in the near future!Trip date: February 2025- Derin· December 23rd, 2024The guide, Josie, was wonderfully knowledgeable and exceptional driver. She kept us not only in the loop all the time, but also used her personal knowledge living in NZ to our advantage throughout the journey. The only drawback that we have seen is the sequence for Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo's planned day is way too consolidated and the accomodation in Lake Tekapo should be changed to a better available option.Show moreG Adventures commented on this reviewThank you for sharing your experience with us, Derin. We are so glad you enjoyed your time in New Zealand with Josie and will pass on your concerns to the appropriate teams.Trip date: December 2024
- RKRobert· November 23rd, 2024kat was a great leader clean bus, excellent driving skills, and a commitment for timelines was appreciated.. negative- too many of the rooms were on second floors with no elevator music was played the instant the bus moved, rock and roll was the dominant theme very little reflected native/local cultureShow moreG Adventures commented on this reviewThank you for sharing your honest feedback with us, Robert. We are glad you enjoyed your tour leader, but will pass on your negative comments to the appropriate teams.Trip date: November 2024
- Douglas· September 30th, 2024Overall this was an excellent tour. There was a good variety of activities offered to cover all ages. Our CEO Siobahn was amazing. Her local knowledge and presentation were exemplary. The pace was generally good except for one day from Franz Joseph to Queenstown. It was a very early start due to the long distance. The hotel could not provide an early breakfast so there were some complaints. Our CEO went out and bought some cereals, muffins and bread so we could eat in the common kitchen. We found that this tour was aimed more to the younger crowd, so we had to adjust our expectations somewhat. We have toured quite a lot and we have been spoiled with luggage transportation from bus to room and back, eg: Gate1, Viking etc. There were 6 elders on this tour. Perhaps pre-trip advisories might mention that luggage would be self handling and there may be some stairs involved. The only thing that caught us off guard was the following. We have never been on a tour that left guests dead ending in a location far away from the starting point. I didn’t carefully read into this until well after I had booked air tickets Vancouver-Auckland return. Thus, I had to do re- booking from Christchurch to Auckland. This could be a bold letter warning for future travellers. Another little glitch that we experienced was a lack of information sharing between the TourRadar app and the Gadventure app. Our CEO was telling us in the beginning that daily info would be posted on the Gadventure site. Our trip didn’t even show up on the Gadventure site for many days. Also I need to complain about the E-sim for New Zealand that I bought through TourRadar. I think it’s called Alio. It didn’t work for phone calls. It worked well for Google Maps and it worked for ordering an Uber. It also rendered the Apple Messaging app useless on my phone and iPad. I should have dumped it early on the tour and bought a local sim.Show moreG Adventures commented on this reviewHi Douglas, We are glad you had such a great time in New Zealand. Yes, many of our tours do start and end in different cities, so I am sorry that you didn't see that. We'll let product know to see if they can make this clearer. We hope to see you on... Show moreTrip date: September 2024
- JFJanet· April 4th, 2024The tour guide was exceptional! The accommodations could have been better.Show moreG Adventures commented on this reviewThanks Janet, This looks like such a great trip. We were glad to hear that you had such a great time with our guide. See you back on the road with us soon, we hope.Trip date: March 2024
- DBDonni· November 22nd, 2023Fantastic guide, beautiful country.Show moreG Adventures commented on this reviewHello Donni, Thanks for taking the time to post your review. we are so glad to hear that you had a wonderful experience with our guide (CEO) in New Zealand. See you back on the road with us again soon, I hope.Trip date: November 2023
- AEmily Sawicz· October 30th, 2022Would recommend the trip to anyone and our CEO was excellent, we just need a bigger busShow moreG Adventures commented on this reviewThanks for your feedback! I appreciate it very much.Trip date: October 2022Review collected by G Adventures
- AIan Hageman· October 28th, 2022Good tour group, excellent tour leader, great sceneryShow moreG Adventures commented on this reviewOur world deserves more you!Trip date: October 2022Review collected by G Adventures
- AJudith Hageman· October 28th, 2022Great tour, tour leader and company.Show moreG Adventures commented on this reviewOur world deserves more you!Trip date: October 2022Review collected by G Adventures
- ALynette Carr· October 31st, 2022I always say "You get what you pay for" and G Adventures provides holidays for a modest cost, probably for a young market. The trip exceeded our expectations , providing excellent value for money for a diverse group of ages , interests, and Nationalities.Show moreG Adventures commented on this reviewThanks so much! Our world deserves more you.Trip date: October 2022Review collected by G Adventures
Dates & Availability
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- From Thursday3 Jul, 2025To Thursday17 Jul, 2025This departure date is not available or sold outSold outFrom:$6,459
- From Thursday31 Jul, 2025To Thursday14 Aug, 2025This departure date is not available or sold outSold outFrom:$6,459
- 1 Other Unavailable Departure
- Instant ConfirmationFrom Thursday28 Aug, 2025To Thursday11 Sep, 2025EnglishAlmost Sold OutThis departure date is available and will 100% departGuaranteed departureFrom:$6,459
- Instant Confirmation-10%From Thursday11 Sep, 2025To Thursday25 Sep, 2025EnglishFilling FastThis departure date is available and will 100% departGuaranteed departureMultiple Room TypesFrom:$7,199$6,479
- Instant Confirmation-10%From Thursday25 Sep, 2025To Thursday9 Oct, 2025EnglishFilling FastThis departure date is available and will 100% departGuaranteed departureMultiple Room TypesFrom:$7,199$6,479
- Instant ConfirmationFrom Thursday9 Oct, 2025To Thursday23 Oct, 2025EnglishAlmost Sold OutThis departure date is available and will 100% departGuaranteed departureMultiple Room TypesFrom:$7,199
- Instant Confirmation-10%From Thursday16 Oct, 2025To Thursday30 Oct, 2025EnglishFilling FastThis departure date is available and will 100% departGuaranteed departureFrom:$7,199$6,479
- Instant Confirmation-10%From Thursday23 Oct, 2025To Thursday6 Nov, 2025EnglishFilling FastThis departure date is available and will 100% departGuaranteed departureMultiple Room TypesFrom:$7,199$6,479
- Instant Confirmation-10%From Thursday30 Oct, 2025To Thursday13 Nov, 2025EnglishThis departure date is available and will 100% departGuaranteed departureMultiple Room TypesFrom:$7,199$6,479
- Instant ConfirmationFrom Thursday6 Nov, 2025To Thursday20 Nov, 2025EnglishAlmost Sold OutThis departure date is available and will 100% departGuaranteed departureMultiple Room TypesFrom:$7,639
What our customers ask about this tour
The content in our FAQ section is subject to change.- S
Shelley
Asked on May 12th, 2025Asking do you do the highlights of NZ but only in the South Island tour. I've done the north island before?
G AdventuresOperator•Written May 2025Unfortunately both islands are covered in our Classic New Zealand tours, we do offer the South only but this is on an 18-39 option, which is more basic.
- S
Shelley
Traveler•Written May 2025How many of yr trips visit Hammer springs?
- G AdventuresOperator•Written May 2025
Most of our New Zealand tours include Hammer Springs.
- S
Shelley
Traveler•Written May 2025Is there discount off of the highlights of NZ in January 2026 please
- G AdventuresOperator•Written May 2025
Currently we have no 2026 departures on sale. Tour Radar might be running promotions.
- S
Shelley
Traveler•Written May 2025Hi I have booked this tour and I'm trying to do good to go, why can't I do the twin bed room! It's not giving me an option. I do not want double bed as I'm travelling with family member?
- G AdventuresOperator•Written May 2025
Please message us via your booking page so we can take a look at this for you.
S6 more answers - D
Darren
Asked on February 7th, 2025whats the package rate for single occupancy
- G AdventuresOperator•Written February 2025
The cost for the My Own Room starts at $2039.00.
- D
Darren
Traveler•Written February 2025So 3739USD is for 2 people?
- D
Darren
Traveler•Written February 2025do you have a whatsapp number i can talk to someone?
- G AdventuresOperator•Written February 2025
No, the price on the website is the price per person for the date you were looking at. To add on your own Single Supplement room, it's an extra $2039 on top of that. Please note that the screenshot you sent is the "From" price, dates may have different pricing. We don't have a whatsapp number but we can ask Tour Radar to contact you to discuss the tour fi you wish.
DD3 more answers - J
Janice
Asked on January 28th, 2025Is it possible for me to participate in this tour with my baggage of 23 kilograms + 10 kilograms backpack?
- G AdventuresOperator•Written January 2025
We do welcome you to this tour but please be aware that the max luggage allowance on most domestic flights within New Zealand is 1 checked bag (20 kgs) and 1 carry on (7 kgs) per person, so you may have to pay extra when we are checking in on the internal flight, if your luggage exceeds this.
- J
Jose
Asked on January 8th, 2025What is covered under the mandatory travel insurance?
- G AdventuresOperator•Written January 2025
The mandatory travel insurance for the tour must include Medical Expenses coverage, an emergency evacuation benefit, and repatriation to home country.
- J
Jordan
Asked on August 11th, 20241) Is this an escorted tour with a tour leader? 2) When it says Transport-Private Vehicle 08.00-09.00hrs, is it the duration of the day tour or the bus trip? 3) I am a solo traveler. If I wish to share the room with someone, will I just be allocated a person or can I choose?
- G AdventuresOperator•Written August 2024
1. This is an escorted tour with a Tour Leader (CEO) from the start to the end of your trip. The only time Tour Leader is not with you is during free time. 2. Normally that will be the driving duration for that day. An 8-9 hours drive normally would include stops for bathroom, lunch, etc. 3. In the event that you do not want your own single room (My Own Room) you will be paired up with another solo traveller of the same gender. This gets allocated by our local team and not by yourself.
- J
Jordan
Traveler•Written August 2024Can Hobbiton set be included as part of the tour, or do I need to visit Hobbiton before the tour starts?
- G AdventuresOperator•Written August 2024
This is something you would need to organise for before the tour starts.
- J
Jordan
Traveler•Written September 2024If I book this tour on the 13th February which would be the first day of the tour, would it be okay as we meet our Tour leader in the evening on the first day? What will be the luggage allowance for the flight from Wellington to Kaikoura?
- G AdventuresOperator•Written September 2024
Yes you would meet your CEO guide and the rest of the group on Day 1, in the starting hotel. The welcome meeting takes place around 5pm. We have strict luggage restrictions on this tour. We ask all travellers to only bring 1 x 23 kg bag. We recommend using a backpack or a medium-sized suitcase. Heavy luggage is not recommended. Due to space in the trailer, we will not be able to accommodate more than one piece of main luggage per person. A good size day-pack (20-35L) is also essential to carry your personal gear for the day, your lunch and a water bottle.
J4 more answers - C
Carolyn
Asked on August 4th, 2024We are very interested in your Highlights of New Zealand tour for 2025. However we'd like a ten day tour instead of 14days. Does one exist? We are in our 80s and appreciate your age references
- G AdventuresOperator•Written August 2024
Our small-group adventures are sold as complete packages with itineraries crafted by our local teams to provide a unique experience for our travellers. As such, the duration of the trips is also set in stone ahead of time. We have a 12-Day tour available that may interest you; Discover New Zealand with National Geographic Journeys. Our National Geographic Journeys are a more upgraded experience than our Classic tours, with better accommodations and more included activities. The demographic tends to skew towards retirees.
- J
Jacqueline
Asked on August 3rd, 2024I am interested in the Highlights of New Zealand Tour but the only date suitable was departure 13th Feb 25 which is fully booked. I would like a private room so would pay for the single supplement. Any chance there might be a cancellation?
- G AdventuresOperator•Written August 2024
If you want to check the availability in two days there may be space as someone has the trip on a complimentary hold. However, other then that there is no guarantee if there will be future cancellation.
- S
Simon
Asked on July 29th, 2024Is it possible to share accommodation with more than one person?
- G AdventuresOperator•Written July 2024
No, if you share a room, it will only be with one other person.
- I
Irene
Asked on July 15th, 2024What if the tour I requested is not available?
- G AdventuresOperator•Written July 2024
If the tour is not available, you will be issued a full refund.
Íñigo
Asked on July 3rd, 2024How long does it take to confirm 'On Request' bookings?
- G AdventuresOperator•Written July 2024
It can take up to 4 business days to confirm 'On Request' bookings.
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Good to Know
Tour ID: 61423
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