New Zealand Itineraries | Cheeky Kiwi Travel

Here's a little secret most visitors miss: you don't need to book a two-week coach tour to see New Zealand properly. Our small-group tours link together like stepping stones. One drops you in Franz Josef, the next picks you up for Queenstown. Leave a free day in between, and you've got a trip that moves at your pace, not a timetable's.

We've put together a growing collection of tried-and-tested itineraries to get you started. Each one links our fully guided day and one-way tours, with days off built in to explore, sleep in, or simply sit by a lake and do nothing at all.

Trust Us with Your Whole Itinerary

We're the only small-group tour company covering this much of New Zealand, from the Bay of Islands in the far north to the Catlins in the deep south. That means one crew, one standard of service and one team looking after you, from your first pick-up to your last drop-off.

You already trust us with the must-dos. Our Milford Sound and Hobbiton tours both feature among the top experiences in the South Pacific on Tripadvisor, and our Milford Sound tour from Queenstown was named the #1 activity in New Zealand in Tripadvisor's Best of the Best Awards. With thousands of five-star reviews behind us, why not trust us with the rest of your trip?

Why Let Us Do the Driving?

You could hire a car. Plenty of people do, and spend their holiday staring at the white line while the Southern Alps slide past the passenger window. Here's what you get when you link our tours instead.

No driving, no stress

Everyone gets the views. Nobody has to be the driver, so nobody misses the mountains, the lakes or the glowworms.
No unfamiliar roads. Alpine passes, one-lane bridges, winding coastal roads and driving on the left are our job, not yours.
No car hire costs. No rental, fuel, insurance or parking to budget for, and no worrying about the excess if a stone hits the windscreen.

Guided, not just driven

Local knowledge. Our guides know which lookout is worth the stop, where the kea hang out, and the stories behind every place you pass.
We plan the day. Timings, tickets and the order of stops are sorted, so you're at Milford Sound for your cruise, at Wai-O-Tapu for the geyser and at Hot Water Beach when the tide is right.
We read the conditions. Weather changes fast in New Zealand. Your guide adjusts on the day so you don't have to.

Small group, big difference

Get to know people. Chat with your guide, swap travel tips with fellow travellers, and finish the day with new friends.
More flexible than a coach tour. A small group is quicker on and off the bus, which means more time at each stop and room for impromptu photo stops and surprise detours.
You set the pace of the trip. Because you link individual tours, you choose where to pause and how many days off to take. Try doing that on a 10-day coach tour.

How Linking Our Tours Works

One-way tours do the heavy lifting. Our one-way tours aren't just transfers. They're full guided days with photo stops, short walks and stories, and they finish in your next town.
Days off are part of the plan. A free day lets you add a heli-hike, a jetboat ride, a spa soak or a long lunch. We'll point you to our favourites in each blog.
You book your own beds. Most of our tours don't include accommodation, so you can choose a hostel, a boutique hotel or a lakeside lodge to suit your budget. Where a tour does include a hotel, we'll say so.
Small groups, big comfort. Every leg is led by one of our famously passionate guides. Kiwi owned. Kiwi operated.

Pick Your Itinerary

South Island from Christchurch (6 days, from Christchurch): Franz Josef Glacier, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Aoraki Mt Cook
10 Days in the South Island (10 days, from Christchurch): Mt Cook, Milford Sound, The Catlins, Dunedin, Queenstown, the West Coast
3-Day North Island Highlights (3 days, from Auckland): Hobbiton, Waitomo glowworms, Rotorua, Taupō, Hamilton Gardens
5 Days in the North Island (5 days, from Auckland): Bay of Islands, Auckland, Hobbiton, Waitomo, Rotorua, Taupō
5 Days Based in Auckland (5 days, from Auckland): West Coast beaches, Rotorua, Hobbiton, Waitomo, the Coromandel
7 Days in the North Island (7 days, from Auckland): Bay of Islands, Waitomo, Rotorua culture and spa, Hobbiton, Auckland

Which One Suits You?

Short on time: the 3-Day North Island Highlights packs Middle-earth, glowworms and geothermal Rotorua into one long weekend.
Prefer one hotel: 5 Days Based in Auckland means no packing and unpacking. Day tours only.
Want the big South Island icons: the 6-day loop from Christchurch covers glaciers, Queenstown, Milford Sound and Mt Cook.
Want to go deep: 10 Days in the South Island adds the wild Catlins and Dunedin's wildlife.

Your Trip, Your Way

Want to swap a leg, add a day, or go fully private? Our Custom & Private Tours team can build an itinerary around you. Get in touch and tell us what you're dreaming of. We take care of the details, you take care of the memories.

Follow the kiwi.