Day 1: Arrive in Auckland

• What you’ll do: Arrive in New Zealand’s largest city, check into your hostel, and meet up with your group leader and fellow travelers. Spend the rest of the day relaxing or exploring the city before the official adventure begins.

Day 2: Glowworm Caves & Hobbiton

• What you’ll do: Head south from Auckland to witness the world-famous Waitomo Glowworm Caves on a subterranean boat tour. Afterward, journey into Middle-earth for a guided tour of the iconic Hobbiton Movie Set.

Day 3: Explore Rotorua

• What you’ll do: Immerse yourself in the geothermal wonders of Rotorua. You’ll visit Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Wonderland to see bubbling mud pools and unique colorful volcanic features, followed by a soak in the natural, thermally heated Kerosene Creek.

Day 4: Māori Cultural Experience

• What you’ll do: Deep dive into the rich history of New Zealand by visiting an authentic Māori village. You’ll learn about indigenous traditions, see traditional performances, and enjoy a cultural experience.

Day 5: Taupo Sailing

• What you’ll do: Travel to Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand. Board a boat for a relaxing sailing excursion across the crystal-clear waters to view the impressive Māori rock carvings.

Day 6: Waterfalls & Adrenaline

• What you’ll do: Get up close to the roaring, powerful turquoise waters of Huka Falls. The day offers a perfect mix of viewing epic scenery and tapping into the adrenaline-fueled vibes of the region.

Day 7: Travel to Wellington

• What you’ll do: Head further south through the North Island until you reach New Zealand’s quirky, cultural capital city, Wellington. Check into your central accommodation and get ready to explore.

Day 8: Explore Wellington

• What you’ll do: Enjoy a comprehensive Wellington city orientation. Take a ride on the iconic red Wellington Cable Car for sweeping views of the city and harbor, and visit Te Papa Tongarewa (the National Museum of New Zealand).

Day 9: Fly to Christchurch

• What you’ll do: Say goodbye to the North Island as you catch a domestic flight across the Cook Strait to Christchurch, the gateway to the South Island.

Day 10: Christchurch Orientation & Lake Tekapo

• What you’ll do: After a morning orientation tour of Christchurch, journey deep into the Mackenzie Basin to the stunning, turquoise-colored Lake Tekapo. Take a relaxing soak in the Lake Tekapo Hot Pools.

Day 11: Lake Tekapo

• What you’ll do: Embark on a scenic hike up Mount John for 360-degree views of the dramatic Southern Alps and the vibrant lake below. At night, enjoy some of the clearest, starriest night skies in the world (the area is a designated Dark Sky Reserve).

Day 12: Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park

• What you’ll do: Travel to the base of Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest peak. You’ll spend the day exploring the dramatic national park, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and alpine glaciers.

Day 13: Explore Wanaka

• What you’ll do: Head over the scenic mountain passes to the beautiful lakeside town of Wanaka. Hit the water for a kayaking adventure on Lake Wanaka and grab a photo of the famous “That Wanaka Tree.”

Day 14: Discover Queenstown

• What you’ll do: Travel to the adventure capital of the world, Queenstown. Get your bearings with a city orientation tour, and spend the afternoon getting a taste of the vibrant local atmosphere and nightlife.

Day 15: Milford Sound Cruise

• What you’ll do: Take an unforgettable day trip down to Fiordland National Park. Board a boat cruise through Milford Sound, drifting beneath towering waterfalls, sheer rock faces, and dramatic misty peaks. Keep an eye out for local seals, dolphins, and penguins!

Day 16: Queenstown Jet Boating

• What you’ll do: Experience the ultimate Kiwi adrenaline rush with an exhilarating, high-speed jet boat ride through the narrow canyons of the Shotover/Wakatipu region. Spend your final night celebrating a legendary 17 days with your tour crew.

Day 17: Check Out & Onward Travel

• What you’ll do: Your epic New Zealand adventure comes to a close. Check out of your accommodation to head home, continue traveling independently, or start a local working holiday (with help from the Intro Jobs team if you opted into the program).

If you are travelling with others, let us know and we will put you together.
If you make a booking for multiple people you will be grouped automatically.
If you are travelling solo, we will always place you in a room with someone of the same gender if it’s a twin room. If any accommodation are multi-share rooms, we will do our best to keep it to the same gender, however, occasionally it may be mixed.

It’s best to arrive on the actual start date. This is when most people arrive. There are no activities on the first day but the group gets together in the evening for a welcome dinner at around 7pm.

Sometimes people like to arrive a day or two before the trip starts so they can do their own exploring or just have a bit of time to chill before all the fun begins. Our INTRO Travel App has all the important information about arriving into the country, your airport transfer and where to meet when you arrive.

This is a backpacker style trip, aimed at those happy to stay at nice budget accommodation in multi-share rooms from 4 – 10 beds.
This trip covers a large part of New Zealand, which means some long travel days, including potential delays due to traffic. We use private transport along with some public buses on this tour.