New Zealand Grand Hikes Guided Tour Hiking New Zealand 15 Days

Overview

Day by day itinerary

1. 1Auckland - Rotorua⌄

   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.

   Arrive in this volcanically active city, the heart of Māori cultural tourism in New Zealand, and enjoy an evening meal in town.

   Meals: Lunch · Dinner

   Overnight: Overnight at the 4-star Distinction Hotel Rotorua, close to the city centre and Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve.

2. 2Rotorua – 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.

   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.

   Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

   Overnight: Second night at the 4-star Distinction Hotel Rotorua.

3. 3Tongariro National Park⌄

   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.

   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.

   In the afternoon, walk to Taranaki Falls, which cascade 20 metres over a 15,000-year-old lava flow in Tongariro National Park.

   Meals: Breakfast · Dinner

   Overnight: Overnight at The Park Hotel, with views of the Ruapehu, Ngāuruhoe and Tongariro peaks.

4. 4Tongariro 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.

   Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

   Overnight: Second night at The Park Hotel, Tongariro National Park.

5. 5Tongariro – Wellington⌄

   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.

   Meals: Breakfast

   Overnight: Overnight at the Copthorne Hotel Wellington Oriental Bay, on the city’s waterfront.

6. 6Wellington – 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.

   Meals: Breakfast · Dinner

   Overnight: Overnight at the 4-star Rutherford Hotel in central Nelson.

7. 7Abel 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.

   Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

   Overnight: Second night at the Rutherford Hotel, Nelson.

8. 8Nelson – Punakaiki⌄

   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.

   Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

   Overnight: Overnight at the Scenic Hotel Punakaiki, in Paparoa National Park with Tasman Sea views.

9. 9Punakaiki – Methven⌄

   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.

   Arrive in Methven, a laid-back rural and winter ski town with the Southern Alps forming a spectacular backdrop.

   Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

   Overnight: Overnight at Ski Time, Methven, at the foot of the Southern Alps.

10. 10Methven – Aoraki/Mt Cook⌄

    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.

    Arrive at Mount Cook village, surrounded by the splendour of Aoraki/Mt Cook — Australasia’s tallest peak — and the surrounding Southern Alps.

    Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

    Overnight: Overnight at the iconic Hermitage Hotel in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park.

11. 11Aoraki/Mt Cook⌄

    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.

    Meals: Breakfast · Lunch

    Overnight: Second night at the Hermitage Hotel, Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park.

12. 12Mt Cook – Wānaka⌄

    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.

    Arrive in Wānaka, a relaxed lakeside holiday town set among the mountains and vineyards of Central Otago.

    Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

    Overnight: Overnight at Oakridge Resort, near Lake Wānaka.

13. 13Wānaka – Te Anau⌄

    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.

    Arrive in Te Anau, the gateway to Fiordland National Park, on the shore of the South Island’s largest lake.

    Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

    Overnight: Overnight at the Distinction Te Anau Hotel & Villas, on the Te Anau lakefront.

14. 14Te Anau – 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.

    Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

    Overnight: Second night at the Distinction Te Anau Hotel & Villas.

15. 15Te Anau – Queenstown⌄

    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.

    The tour concludes in Queenstown, New Zealand’s vibrant adventure capital, on the shores of Lake Wakatipu.

    Meals: Breakfast · Lunch