New Zealand tour selector

Select your tour itinerary according to the time of the year:  January   February   March   April   May   June   July   August   September   October   November   December   Summer  Autumn  Winter  Spring  Summer Average daytime temperatures: 75°F 80°F 70°F 65°F 60°F 55°F 55°F 55°F 60°F 65°F 70°F 75°F 23°C 25°C 20°C 18°C 15°C 12°C 12°C 13°C 15°C 17°C 20°C 22°C

Select your tour itinerary according to your interests:

Nature is one of the main attractions of New Zealand, and all my tours grant a substantial amount of time for its discovery. See the list of all tours to decide on your preferred one. Many unusual bird species can be observed all around New Zealand; my South Island tour offers the most opportunities, but some bird species can be found only on North Island, i.e. on my Wonders tour. New Zealand has no endemic land mammals (except 2 rare species of bats), but my South Island tour allows you to see some marine mammals in the wild. Geology can be part of any of my tours. North Island offers more volcanic landscapes; South Island has more glacial landscapes and fiords. The picture above was taken on the Tasman Glacier lake, amidst floating icebergs (South Island tour and Splendour tour). Active and semi-active volcanoes are part of my Wonders tour, Splendour tour and Revisited tour. The most impressive rainforests can be seen on South Island's west coast, on my tours South Island and Splendour. Trekking and walking is moderately part of all my tours. There is no need to walk a lot to see New Zealand's specific nature; most walks are under half an hour. If you feel like walking - no problem! - There are plenty of tracks here and there and this can be improvised during your tour. National Parks are included in almost all my tours. New Zealand is in fact so unspoilt that it can easily be seen as one huge National Park. The itinerary that includes the most National Parks is my Splendour tour. Meeting the locals is part of all my tours, as we are often accommodated in small luxury lodges and we get to talk and socialize with their owners. New Zealanders are very friendly, and the small size of our tour allows us to have a real insight into their lives. Many wineries are featured in my Revisited tour; other tours also include a good introduction to local wines, but with less winery tours. If you have a special interest in gardens and gardening, the best time of the year to visit them is October. I will put together a personalized itinerary for you. I will gladly prepare your custom itinerary for any other special interests: agriculture, anthropology, archeology, history, art history, art, architecture, music, fashion, film, museums, etc. Just use my custom tour enquiry form.

Select your tour itinerary according to the time available:

New Zealand is the size of Colorado - half of France. Its coastline is almost the equivalent of a trip half around the world. The country is very varied and diverse. Please do not underestimate it. Three to four weeks is a reasonable amount of time to see the major attractions at an average pace. There are no real highways or motorways in New Zealand (except a few miles around some cities), and travelling around the country is done on small roads. The average speed is 40-50mph (70-80km/h). The shortest suggested itinerary I offer on this website is my Wonders tour in 10 days (on North Island only). The shortest itinerary including both North Island and South Island is my Essential tour in 14 days. If you wish a shorter itinerary, I will be delighted to design one for you - but please note that I have a 10-day minimum. Please use my custom tour enquiry form. Some travelers try to visit New Zealand as an extension to Australia, or to tour both countries at once. If you do that, you run the risk of being frustrated twice. Both countries are very different (in fact, they are as different as two countries can be - they have hardly anything in common!) and each of them deserves at least 3 weeks to get an introduction. If you are interested in Australia, I also guide private tours there on request. The longest New Zealand itinerary I offer on this website is my Splendour tour. It is also the most popular. It lasts 25 days and covers both islands; its duration can be easily reduced to 20 days. Of course, I can make it longer if you so wish. The truth is that you'll need at least one month per island (2 months in total) to discover all of New Zealand's attractions at a reasonable pace, and without repetitions.