New Zealand Bucket List Adventure

 Detailed Itinerary*

Day 1

Arrive in Auckland and meet your SheTravels guide at our rendezvous hotel any time before dinner. Get checked in and enjoy a day of exploration around the city. After a loooong day and night of travel, Day 1 is all about getting acclimated to your new time zone, and finding fun ways to stay busy so you aren’t tempted to go to sleep! Luckily your SheTravels guide will have maps and a number of recommended activities to explore within walking distance of our hotel. Take a short ferry to check out the restaurants and shops of Devonport, visit a local museum, take a walking tour, bungee jump off of Sky Tower, or relax outside at one of the many waterfront restaurants. In addition to beautiful weather, as New Zealand’s largest city Auckland has a lot to offer.

We’ll officially kick-off at an early dinner, where your SheTravels guide will fill you in on what to expect for the next 10 days. Your guide will also facilitate community building by leading conversation that help us get to know one another and set intentions for our time in New Zealand.

We won’t keep you too late, as your bed will be calling your name! We hope you’ll get some rest for the adventures ahead.

Meals provided: Dinner

Day 2

We’ll rise early, grab breakfast at our hotel, then board a comfortable coach bus to visit the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. We’re not simply visiting though - we’ll be fitted for wetsuits and floating tubes, then will head underground to float and climb our way through an underground river, occasionally even jumping down small waterfalls! All under a canopy of bioluminescent organisms dotting the cave ceiling like starts in the sky.

After drying off and warming up, we’ll have lunch in Waitomo before heading back to Auckland, where you’ll have a free evening.

Meals provided: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 3

Another early morning start to catch a flight to our next destination: New Zealand’s most famous wine region, Marlborough. Marlborough is located at the northern tip of the South Island, its vineyards lining the valley for miles on end. Here, we’ll rent e-bikes and visit several vineyards for wine tastings and lunch. This is a great day to have your “good” camera out, as both the close-up and far away views are incredible. Each wine cellar has a unique personality, and you’ll get to learn all about some of the very wines you may purchase regularly at home!

After our tour we’ll drive via private transfer to our AirBnB located about an hour away in Nelson, where our next adventure awaits…

Meals provided: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 4

After grabbing a quick breakfast we’ll be driven to Abel Tasman National Park - one of New Zealand’s most visited parks. You’ll understand why once we get the chance to explore it through a combination of sea kayaking and hiking. Abel Tasman boasts of golden beaches met by the turquoise waters of Tasman Bay, all situated at the bottom of lush, forested mountains.

Our kayak adventure will start with a ferry ride out of Kaiteriteri Beach. From there we’ll land on our kayak launch beach, get outfitted with safety gear and have some paddle instruction from our guides (first-time kayakers, we’ve got you!). We’ll spend a couple hours kayaking north, stopping on a beach for lunch along the way. Our kayak adventure ends a couple miles from the ferry pick-up, giving us a chance to complete a relaxed hike through part of the park, exploring the land features from up close. After arriving on the beach, we’ll hop back on the ferry to make our way back to Kaiteriteri, then drive back to Nelson in time for you to explore the town for dinner.

Meals provided: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5

Our final day in Nelson will allow for some down time and rest, should you choose. On the itinerary is a relaxed tour of the area via e-bike, however you may opt for spending the day relaxing at home and taking in views of the water, or exploring town on your own. Nelson has a vibrant art scene with many outdoor murals, and a beautiful backdrop between the sea and multiple mountain ranges.

Meals provided: Breakfast

Day 6

We’ll start early again to head to our final New Zealand destination: Queenstown, a bustling town located on the South Island. We’ll arrive in Queenstown around mid-day, leaving lots of time for exploration and adventure. Once we drop our bags off at the hotel, you’ll have a few free hours to explore town. It’s a great time to ride up the gondola that overlooks Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu (or hike up if you’re looking for a physical challenge!), shop for souvenirs (or a little something for yourself), take advantage of the many restaurants, or simply take in the lake and mountain views from a gentle walking trail. Queenstown has a lot to offer!

Meals provided: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 7

After grabbing breakfast at your leisure, we’ll begin our coach bus journey to Milford Sound. The journey itself is quite an experience, as you get to see so many beautiful things. The drive begins by circling the less-populated side of Lake Wakatipu, then heads through miles of rolling green hills where you’ll see many more sheep than humans. After a stop for lunch in Te Anau, we head into the alpine region where the rolling hills turn into steep, towering mountains. Along the way our driver will share tons of information about the environmental history of the land and the very brief history of humankind in New Zealand, and will answer any questions we have about flora, fauna, geology, history, or whatever is on our minds.

We’ll arrive at Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park in the late afternoon, and will board our overnight cruise. Once we set sail there are more opportunities to learn from guides aboard the boat, or to explore the sound up-close-and personal on a kayak excursion. Weather depending, we’ll sail out to the Tasman Sea either in the evening or the following morning. Either way we will anchor in a sheltered location for the night (i.e. the boat will be very still for our overnight experience).

Meals provided: Lunch, Dinner

Day 8

Awake to the full glory of Milford Sound. If it’s raining you’ll have fun trying to count the hundreds of waterfalls cascading off the steep granite slopes surrounding us. If it’s clear then the sunrise will bring amazing colors as it touches the snow-capped mountaintops first, then makes its way down the cliffs. Regardless of what the weather is doing, you’ll likely be outside spotting dolphins and penguins, and taking in every possible minute of this breathtaking place.

The boat docks around 9:30am, then we’ll re-board our bus to head back to Queenstown. Weather depending, our driver may stop for a few quick walks along the ride back in order to show us alpine rainforests, beautiful waterfalls, or bird species unique to that part of the country and world. Our bus will arrive in Queenstown in the late afternoon, where you’ll have a free evening.

Meals provided: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 9

Day 9 begins with a sunrise hot air balloon experience over Queenstown! We’ll meet our balloon guides and help them “blow up” the balloon, then climb in the basket to float up over the clouds for a peaceful yet awe-inspiring experience. Queenstown is nestled among multiple mountain ranges, all visible from the height of the balloon. Once we come down we’ll help the guides deflate the balloon, then get rewarded for our efforts with some breakfast snacks and a champagne toast.

Following the balloon ride is a free day in Queenstown - your opportunity to chase your wildest adventure dreams! Queenstown has the nickname of “the adventure capital of the world” for a reason. You can bungee jump, skydive, paraglide, hang glide, speed boat, raft, hike, and so much more! Or you can relax for the day at a local spa and experience some well-deserved pampering. Or you can explore town or take advantage of the many hiking options with trailheads in town..the options are plentiful and your SheTravels guide will help point you in the right direction depending on what you’d like to do. 

We’ll connect over a group dinner to learn about everyone’s adventure for the day, and to reflect on our time in New Zealand during our closing circle. 

Meals provided: Dinner

Day 10

Sadly, our journey must come to an end. We’ll catch one last early flight together into Auckland. We will land in Auckland by 11:00am, in time for you to catch an afternoon flight home.

*All SheTravels itineraries are subject to change based on weather, safety conditions, and activity availability at the time of our adventures.

**If you are flying from the U.S. to New Zealand, you will cross the International Date Line and lose a day, which has implications for booking your flight. To arrive on Monday, October 28, you need to book your flight for Saturday, October 26th. To arrive on Monday, March 17, you need to book your flight for Saturday, March 15th. You will receive additional detailed information about travel once you register, but if you have any questions about booking flights, please reach out to your SheTravels guide for support, or melinda.spooner@gmail.com info@shetravels.com.