New Zealand coach tour itinerary for groups: 12 days.

The programme.

1. Day 1Auckland

   Arrive Auckland and transfer to the hotel. A short orientation of the harbour and waterfront.

2. Day 2Hobbiton and Rotorua

   South to Matamata, about two hours, for the Hobbiton Movie Set tour, then about an hour on to Rotorua.

3. Day 3Rotorua

   Te Puia at Whakarewarewa and the geothermal valleys, and an evening Māori cultural experience with a hāngī, delivered by a Māori-owned operator.

4. Day 4Taupō to Wellington

   Huka Falls and Lake Taupō, then the Desert Road past the Tongariro volcanoes to Wellington, a long day of around six hours with stops.

5. Day 5Wellington

   Te Papa, the cable car and the waterfront.

6. Day 6Cook Strait to Kaikōura

   The Interislander or Bluebridge ferry to Picton, around three and a half hours through the Marlborough Sounds, then the coach south along the coast to Kaikōura.

7. Day 7Kaikōura to Christchurch

   A morning on the Kaikōura coast, with whale watching sold as weather-dependent, then two to two and a half hours to Christchurch.

8. Day 8Lake Tekapo

   Across the Canterbury Plains to Lake Tekapo, about three hours. The Church of the Good Shepherd and the dark-sky reserve after nightfall.

9. Day 9Aoraki / Mount Cook to Queenstown

   About an hour and a quarter to Aoraki / Mount Cook for a short walk, then over the Lindis Pass to Wānaka, around two and a half hours, and about an hour and ten minutes over the Crown Range to Queenstown.

10. Day 10Queenstown

    A free day on Lake Wakatipu, which also gives the driver a rest day on a long tour.

11. Day 11Te Anau and Milford Sound

    To Te Anau, about two hours, then about two and a half hours to Milford Sound for the cruise, returning to Te Anau for the night.

12. Day 12Queenstown

    About two hours back to Queenstown Airport for the flight out via Auckland, or direct to Australia.

Drive and ferry times are approximate and depend on stops, weather and road conditions.

When to ask.

Nine to twelve months for December to February departures, when group hotel rooms, ferry space for the coach and Queenstown rooms are the constraint; six months for the shoulder seasons.

Send the brief — party size, dates, hotel category and what the client cares about — to b2b@explera.co.nz and we will quote this programme, or the version you want, at net rates.

Planning the trip yourself? Use the same enquiry form, choose “Traveller”, and we will quote this programme to your dates — or book it through your own travel agent.

Other programmes.

Classic · 14 nights

North and South Island Classic

Auckland to Milford Sound in one direction — geothermal Rotorua, the Cook Strait ferry, Abel Tasman, the West Coast glaciers and Queenstown, with no leg doubled back.

Self-drive · 10 nights

South Island Self-Drive

A Christchurch-return loop through the Mackenzie Country, the southern lakes, Fiordland and the Otago coast — drive days kept to around three hours so the trip is not spent behind the wheel.

Campervan · 12 nights

South Island Campervan Loop

Twelve nights round the South Island in a campervan, with every night pre-booked at a holiday park so nobody spends the evening looking for a place to stop.

Culture · 7 nights

North Island Culture and Geothermal

Glowworm caves, Rotorua’s geothermal valleys and Māori cultural experiences, Lake Taupō and Art Deco Napier — the North Island in a week, with time given to the culture rather than a single evening show.

Luxury · 6 nights

Queenstown and Fiordland Lodges

Lake Wakatipu, Glenorchy, a night in Fiordland and Central Otago wine, from luxury lodge bases with a private driver — short transfers, no long drive days.

MICE · 5 nights

Queenstown Incentive Programme

A five-night incentive built on Queenstown’s compact layout — a conference morning, lake and mountain activities, a Central Otago wine afternoon and a gala dinner, without long coach transfers.

Incentive · 4 nights

Auckland and Hauraki Gulf Incentive

Four nights in Auckland with the Hauraki Gulf as the venue — harbour sailing, a Waiheke Island winery day and the black-sand west coast, all within an hour of the hotel.

Food & wine · 8 nights

New Zealand Food and Wine

Three wine regions in eight nights — Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough and Central Otago — linked by domestic flights rather than long drives, with cellar doors, producers and the Marlborough Sounds.

Ski · 7 nights

Queenstown and Wānaka Ski

Four ski areas from two bases — Coronet Peak and The Remarkables from Queenstown, Cardrona and Treble Cone from Wānaka — in the southern-hemisphere winter.

Walking · 9 nights

Guided Milford Track and Aoraki

The Milford Track on a guided walk with lodge nights, preceded by Aoraki / Mount Cook and Queenstown — the Great Walk most clients ask for by name, with the warm-up and the recovery built in.

Family · 8 nights

North Island Family Programme

Auckland, Coromandel beaches, Rotorua’s geysers and Hobbiton, paced for children — no drive longer than about three hours and two- or three-night stays throughout.

Wildlife · 7 nights

South Island Wildlife and Stars

Whales and dusky dolphins at Kaikōura, Hector’s dolphins at Akaroa, a dark-sky night at Lake Tekapo, Aoraki / Mount Cook, and the penguins and albatross of the Otago coast — eight days down the east of the South Island.

Nature · 6 nights

North Island Nature and Culture

An island bird sanctuary in the Hauraki Gulf, the Waitomo glowworms, kiwi and Māori culture in Rotorua, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and a night at Zealandia — the North Island from Auckland to Wellington in a week.

Signature · 13 nights

Bucket-List New Zealand

Thirteen nights built from New Zealand’s signature experiences: Hobbiton, glowworms and Māori culture in the north; bungy, a night on Milford Sound, a glacier heli-hike, the TranzAlpine, a ski-plane landing and a dark-sky night in the south.

Honeymoon · 11 nights

New Zealand Honeymoon

The Bay of Islands, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Aoraki / Mount Cook and the dark skies of Lake Tekapo, paced for two — one domestic flight, short drives and a lodge or boutique stay at every base.

Highlights · 6 nights

Auckland to Queenstown in 7 Days

Hobbiton, Rotorua’s geysers and a Māori cultural evening in the north, then one flight south for Queenstown and a Milford Sound day — both islands in a week, without a long drive day.

Short break · 4 nights

Queenstown and Milford Sound in 5 Days

Four nights in Queenstown for first-timers: Lake Wakatipu, a full Milford Sound day, Arrowtown and a Gibbston wine afternoon — one base, no packing and unpacking, any hotel category.