Plan your route
Compare every overnight stop currently available in our tour builder. See when to go, how long to stay and the experiences that make each place worth including.
Volcanic landscapes, living Māori culture, wine country and subtropical coastlines.
Harbour city gateway
New Zealand's largest city sits between two harbours, with island day trips, west coast black-sand beaches and vineyard country all inside an hour's drive.
Top activities
Waiheke Island wineries · Sky Tower · Piha and the Waitākere Ranges
Hidden coves and forested ranges
A scenic peninsula of pale-sand beaches, native forest and quiet coastal towns, with Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach as its best-known landmarks.
Top activities
Cathedral Cove · Hot Water Beach · Driving Creek Railway
Geothermal heartland and Māori culture
Steaming geysers, mud pools and redwood forest sit alongside the country's richest living Māori cultural experiences, with Hobbiton a short drive away.
Top activities
Hobbiton Movie Set · Te Puia geothermal valley · Redwoods Treewalk
Lakeside volcanoes and alpine walks
Set on New Zealand's largest lake beneath the volcanoes of Tongariro National Park, Taupō pairs easy lakeside days with the country's best one-day alpine walk.
Top activities
Tongariro Alpine Crossing · Huka Falls · Lake Taupō cruise
Creative capital by the harbour
New Zealand's compact capital brings together waterfront walks, acclaimed dining, film culture and the national museum in an easy-to-explore harbour setting.
Top activities
Te Papa · Wellington Cable Car · Zealandia ecosanctuary
Volcanic peaks and alpine trails
The gateway to Tongariro National Park, where three volcanoes, tussock plateaus and emerald lakes create the North Island's most dramatic alpine landscapes.
Top activities
Tongariro Alpine Crossing · Taranaki Falls · Whakapapa
Art Deco coast and Hawke's Bay wine
Rebuilt in Art Deco style after the 1931 earthquake, Napier is the walkable centre of Hawke's Bay wine country and one of the sunniest spots in the country.
Top activities
Art Deco walking tour · Hawke's Bay wineries · Cape Kidnappers gannet colony
Surf coast beneath Mount Taranaki
A lively west-coast city with gardens, galleries and a celebrated coastal walkway, all set beneath the near-perfect cone of Mount Taranaki.
Top activities
Mount Taranaki · Coastal Walkway · Govett-Brewster Art Gallery
Island gateway in the subtropical north
The main base for exploring the Bay of Islands, with sheltered beaches, sailing, dolphin cruises and the Waitangi Treaty Grounds close by.
Top activities
Bay of Islands cruise · Waitangi Treaty Grounds · Cape Reinga day trip
Beach life on the Bay of Plenty
A sunny coastal stop centred on Mount Maunganui, combining a long surf beach and harbour with an easy summit walk and lively waterfront dining.
Top activities
Mount Maunganui summit · Main Beach · Tauranga harbour
Alpine lakes, glacier valleys, wildlife-rich coasts and some of the world's great scenic roads.
Gateway to the Marlborough Sounds
A small waterfront town where ferries meet forested sounds, offering scenic cruises, coastal walking and a natural pause between New Zealand's two islands.
Top activities
Marlborough Sounds cruise · Queen Charlotte Track · Picton waterfront
Golden beaches and coastal walks
The sunniest region in New Zealand and the gateway to Abel Tasman National Park, where golden beaches meet native bush and calm turquoise water.
Top activities
Abel Tasman coastal cruise · Kayaking at Kaiteriteri · Nelson arts trail
Wild coast and seal colonies
A laid-back northern West Coast base for rugged beaches, limestone country and the coastal seal colony at Cape Foulwind.
Top activities
Cape Foulwind · Denniston Plateau · Buller Gorge
Pancake Rocks on the wild coast
Rainforest meets the Tasman Sea at this tiny settlement, famous for layered limestone formations, blowholes and one of New Zealand's finest coastal drives.
Top activities
Pancake Rocks · Pororari River Track · Paparoa National Park
West Coast rail and heritage hub
The West Coast's largest town is the terminus of the TranzAlpine railway and a useful base for exploring gold-mining history, rivers and rugged beaches.
Top activities
TranzAlpine railway · Point Elizabeth Walkway · Shantytown heritage park
Creative town by a turquoise gorge
A characterful former gold-rush town known for pounamu carving, driftwood beaches and the vivid blue water of nearby Hokitika Gorge.
Top activities
Hokitika Gorge · Sunset Point · Pounamu studios
Glacier country and rainforest
One of the few places where a glacier flows down into temperate rainforest, only a short distance from the wild beaches of the West Coast.
Top activities
Heli-hike on the glacier · Lake Matheson reflections · West Coast glow worms
Lakeside calm beside the Southern Alps
A relaxed alpine town on a long glacial lake, with Mount Aspiring National Park at its back door and a slower pace than nearby Queenstown.
Top activities
Roys Peak Track · Rob Roy Glacier walk · Cardrona Valley
Adventure capital of New Zealand
Framed by the Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown blends world-class adventure activities with fine dining, Central Otago wine and easy access to Fiordland.
Top activities
Shotover jet boating · Gibbston Valley wineries · Skyline gondola and luge
The calm gateway to Fiordland
A peaceful lakeside town and the most practical base for Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound and the great walks of Fiordland National Park.
Top activities
Milford Sound day trip · Te Anau Glowworm Caves · Kepler Track
Southern heritage and coastal wildlife
New Zealand's southernmost city offers grand heritage streets, motoring history and access to Bluff, the Catlins and Stewart Island ferries.
Top activities
Bill Richardson Transport World · Queens Park · Bluff and Stirling Point
Scottish heritage and rare wildlife
A university city rich in Victorian architecture, with the Otago Peninsula's albatross, penguins and dramatic beaches just beyond its centre.
Top activities
Otago Peninsula wildlife · Dunedin Railway Station · Larnach Castle
Turquoise water beneath dark skies
A high-country lake framed by the Southern Alps, known for its vivid turquoise colour, the Church of the Good Shepherd and exceptional stargazing.
Top activities
Dark Sky stargazing · Church of the Good Shepherd · Mount John Observatory
Garden city and South Island gateway
A reinvented city of gardens, street art and modern architecture, and the natural start or finish point for a South Island journey.
Top activities
Botanic Gardens and punting · Banks Peninsula · TranzAlpine rail journey
Whales, mountains and seafood
A small coastal town where the Seaward Kaikōura Range drops into a deep ocean trench, making it one of the world's most reliable year-round whale watching spots.
Top activities
Whale watching · Swimming with dusky dolphins · Peninsula Walkway
Alpine hot pools and forest trails
A relaxed mountain village built around natural thermal pools, with forest walks, cycling and gentle adventure activities close to town.
Top activities
Thermal pools · Hanmer Forest · Conical Hill Walk