New Zealand Grand Hikes Guided Tour Hiking New Zealand 15 Days

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Auckland - Rotorua
2 stops
1
Waitomo Glowworm Caves
Descend into the Ruakuri Cave to see its limestone formations and thousands of glow worms lighting the ceiling like a starlit sky, then walk a loop trail through a striking limestone canyon before continuing to Rotorua.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
2
Rotorua
Arrive in this volcanically active city, the heart of Māori cultural tourism in New Zealand, and enjoy an evening meal in town.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Day 2
Rotorua – Lake Tarawera
2 stops
3
Lake Tarawera
Take a scenic water taxi across crystal-clear Lake Tarawera, then hike back along the forested shore beneath towering tree ferns and ignimbrite cliffs, cooling off at tiny pumice beaches and a natural hot creek along the way. The evening features a Māori cultural performance in Rotorua.
4 hours • Admission ticket free
4
Redwoods, Whakarewarewa Forest
Back in Rotorua, walk the Redwoods Trail through the towering Whakarewarewa Forest and explore the historic lakefront, before an evening Māori cultural performance and dinner.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Day 3
Tongariro National Park
3 stops
5
Huka Falls Tracks
Explore steaming geothermal areas of bubbling mud pools and hot springs, then feel the force of Huka Falls as the Waikato River surges through a narrow rock chasm. Enjoy lunch by Lake Taupō before an afternoon walk to the 20-metre Taranaki Falls in Tongariro National Park.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
6
Lake Taupo
Pause for a relaxed lakeside café lunch at Taupō, on the shores of New Zealand’s largest lake, before heading south to Tongariro National Park.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
7
Taranaki Falls
In the afternoon, walk to Taranaki Falls, which cascade 20 metres over a 15,000-year-old lava flow in Tongariro National Park.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket free
Day 4
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
1 stop
8
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
Hike the world-famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing, climbing past the vivid Red Crater, the Emerald Lakes and steaming volcanic vents on one of the planet’s great day walks. Easier walks around the village are available for those who prefer a more restful day.
7 hours 30 minutes • Admission ticket free
Day 5
Tongariro – Wellington
1 stop
9
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Drive south to New Zealand’s capital, Wellington. Stroll the lively harbour waterfront, trace the country’s history and culture at the Te Papa national museum, and wander the heritage streets and vibrant café scene of this compact city.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 6
Wellington – Nelson
1 stop
10
Nelson
Take a scenic flight across Cook Strait from Wellington to Nelson on the South Island. Enjoy an optional guided hike up Botanical Hill — the “Centre of New Zealand” — for sweeping views over Tasman Bay and the city, before gathering for a group dinner in town.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket free
Day 7
Abel Tasman National Park
1 stop
11
Abel Tasman National Park
Cruise by water taxi along the coastline past golden-sand beaches to Bark Bay, then hike the famed Abel Tasman Coast Track through native forest and past cascading streams to Anchorage, with a refreshing swim at Cleopatra’s Pool along the way.
4 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 8
Nelson – Punakaiki
1 stop
12
Punakaiki Pancake Rocks
Visit natural flames that have burned since the 1920s, with billy tea and hot cakes on a working deer farm, then follow the mighty Buller River through wilderness to the West Coast. End the day watching the sunset over the famous Pancake Rocks and blowholes at Punakaiki.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 9
Punakaiki – Methven
2 stops
13
Hike the Inland Pack Track — part of the Paparoa Track Great Walk — through deep limestone canyons and nikau-palm rainforest. Cross the Southern Alps via Arthur’s Pass and stop among the giant limestone boulders of Kura Tawhiti (Castle Hill) before reaching the rural town of Methven.
3 hours 30 minutes • Admission ticket free
14
Methven
Arrive in Methven, a laid-back rural and winter ski town with the Southern Alps forming a spectacular backdrop.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Day 10
Methven – Aoraki/Mt Cook
2 stops
15
Lake Tekapo
Cross the Mackenzie Basin to turquoise Lake Tekapo and the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd, hike to the Mt John summit viewpoint over the lake, then continue into the alps to the village at Aoraki/Mt Cook.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
16
Aoraki Mount Cook National Park (Te Wahipounamu)
Arrive at Mount Cook village, surrounded by the splendour of Aoraki/Mt Cook — Australasia’s tallest peak — and the surrounding Southern Alps.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Day 11
Aoraki/Mt Cook
1 stop
17
Hooker Valley Track
Climb to Sealy Tarns for views of Mt Sefton’s hanging glaciers and Aoraki/Mt Cook, or take the gentler Hooker Valley Track to glacier-fed terminal lakes beneath the mountain’s towering south face.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 12
Mt Cook – Wānaka
2 stops
18
Tasman Glacier
Take a boat among floating icebergs on the Tasman Glacier’s terminal lake, then cross the Lindis Pass into Central Otago — with an optional award-winning vineyard tasting — before arriving in the lakeside resort town of Wānaka.
3 hours • Admission ticket included
19
Wanaka
Arrive in Wānaka, a relaxed lakeside holiday town set among the mountains and vineyards of Central Otago.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Day 13
Wānaka – Te Anau
2 stops
20
Mount Aspiring National Park
Hike the Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain trails above Lake Wānaka for spectacular views of Mount Aspiring/Tititea and the Southern Alps, then drive over the Crown Range to Te Anau, the gateway to Fiordland.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
21
Te Anau
Arrive in Te Anau, the gateway to Fiordland National Park, on the shore of the South Island’s largest lake.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Day 14
Te Anau – Milford Sound
1 stop
22
Milford Sound
Walk to Key Summit on the Routeburn Track for panoramic mountain views, then cruise magnificent Milford Sound beneath mile-high Mitre Peak and Lady Bowen Falls, watching for fur seals, dolphins and the rare Fiordland crested penguin.
4 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 15
Te Anau – Queenstown
2 stops
23
Kepler Track
Hike a scenic section of the famed Kepler Track to the shores of lovely Lake Manapouri, then travel north to Queenstown with a celebratory lunch at a fine local restaurant, where the tour concludes.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
24
Queenstown
The tour concludes in Queenstown, New Zealand’s vibrant adventure capital, on the shores of Lake Wakatipu.
1 hour • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

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