Special Interest Tours - Adventure Tours
11 Day New Zealand Tour: From Bay of Islands to Milford Sound
price from
NZ$ 4359
per person (twin share)
New Zealand - Both Islands 
Adventure Tour 
11 days 
Auckland 
Christchurch 11 Day Adventure Tour | Cape Reinga Country to Fiordland | 10 Breakfasts and 2 Dinners | Max. 18 Guests | Domestic Flight Included | For 18-39 Year Olds
Ask an American what they want to see in New Zealand and Milford Sound comes up first, usually followed by Queenstown and a glacier. The problem is that all three sit at opposite ends of a country the length of California, and most 11 day plans collapse under the driving. This New Zealand tour with Milford Sound fixes the math with an internal flight on day four. You spend the first half in the Far North among kauri forests and the Bay of Islands, then land in Christchurch and work south through the mountains.
From there the trip hits every name on the list. You stargaze at Lake Tekapo inside the largest dark sky reserve on earth. You get three nights in Queenstown, which is long enough to skydive, jet boat and still have a slow day. Cruise the fiord itself, then cross Haast Pass to hike or heli onto Franz Josef Glacier. Because this New Zealand tour with Milford Sound caps at 18 guests, your guide books every optional activity on the road and adjusts when the Fiordland weather turns, which it will.
If you want more time in one region instead, compare our small group tours or the full range of North and South Island itineraries. For the fiords specifically, our Fiordland day trips page covers the cruise options in detail.
Why Book a New Zealand Tour with Milford Sound Rather Than Driving It
Self-drive works beautifully in New Zealand until you try to reach Fiordland. The road into Milford Sound is a 12-hour round trip from Queenstown, single-lane in places, frequently closed by rockfall or avalanche risk, and it demands full concentration on the wrong side of the road for a US driver. Doing it yourself after a long-haul flight is how vacations go sideways.
On this itinerary, someone else drives. You sit in a Mercedes Sprinter with WiFi, big windows, and USB charging, and you look out the window instead of at the centerline. Meanwhile, the internal flight removes the single biggest time sink in any both-islands plan, which is the Cook Strait ferry plus the long haul south afterward.
Three nights in Queenstown is the other structural choice worth noting. Most tours give it one night and rush you out. Three nights means you can book the big-ticket activity, have it canceled for weather, and still get a second shot.
Tour Photo Gallery
Tour Information, Departure Dates & Price
Transportation
- Comfortable private vehicle
Tour Departures
- Check the tour departures below
Airport Transfers
- N/A
Pricing
-
From NZD 4,359
Meals
- 10x Breakfast
- 2x Breakfast
Accommodation
- Backpackers
Cities/Regions Visited
-
Auckland – Omapere – Paihia – Auckland – Christchurch – Tekapo – Queenstown – Milford Sound – Franz Josef – Christchurch
Group Size
- maximum 18 travelers
Tour Code
- WK09252026
Pre & Post Accommodation
- Available
11 Day New Zealand Tour: From Bay of Islands to Milford Sound Days
Head north out of Auckland. Stop at the Kauri Museum in Matakohe for the story of the giant kauri and the settlers who felled them. After lunch in Dargaville, swim at the Kai Iwi Lakes, then walk into Waipoua Forest to stand in front of Tane Mahuta, the largest living kauri in the country. Overnight on the west coast at Omapere with an included fish and chips dinner.
Accommodation: The Sands Hotel (or similar)
Cross the Far North to the east coast, with a tasting stop at Marsden Wineries on the way. Arrive in Paihia mid-afternoon. The evening is free for the waterfront, an optional cruise, or nothing at all.
Accommodation: Scenic Hotel (or similar)
Build the day yourself. Cruise out to the Hole in the Rock, chase dolphins, kayak to an empty beach, or use your included Waitangi Treaty Grounds combo pass. The group reconvenes in the evening for a traditional Hangi dinner cooked in an earth oven at Waitangi.
Accommodation: Scenic Hotel (or similar)
Travel south with a stop at Matakana Village for lunch, galleries and tastings at The Vintry. Continue to Auckland Airport for your included flight to Christchurch.
Accommodation: Lylo Auckland (or similar)
Cross the Canterbury Plains to the turquoise water of Lake Tekapo. Ride the local trails, visit the Church of the Good Shepherd, then soak in the lakeside hot pools after dark. Tekapo sits inside the largest International Dark Sky Reserve in the world, so the stargazing here is the real event.
Accommodation: Lakes Edge Tekapo Holiday Park (or similar)
Continue south into Central Otago and arrive in Queenstown, your base for the next three nights. Settle in, then start working through the list: skydiving, bungy, canyoning, ziplining or the gondola and luge if you want the views without the freefall.
Accommodation: Lylo Queenstown (or similar)
The centerpiece. Travel into UNESCO-listed Fiordland past ancient beech forest and hanging valleys, then cruise beneath Mitre Peak among waterfalls, fur seals and dolphins. Back in Queenstown, settle the day with a Fergburger. Background on the park is available from the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
Accommodation: Lylo Queenstown (or similar)
Whatever your nerves allow. Canyon swing, horse riding, jet boating up the Shotover, mountain biking, or one of the most scenic skydives anywhere. Quieter options include the Gibbston Valley wineries and a lake cruise.
Accommodation: Lylo Queenstown (or similar)
Break in Wanaka, then run north over Haast Pass. The road drops out of the mountains into rainforest and follows a coastline of black sand and driftwood all the way to glacier country.
Accommodation: Rainforest Retreat (or similar)
Get on the ice. Heli-hike onto the glacier, walk the valley to the terminal face, or take a scenic flight over the neve. At ground level, there is quad biking, kayaking and the glacier hot pools.
Accommodation: Rainforest Retreat (or similar)
Stop at Hokitika on the coast, then climb through Arthur’s Pass between the snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps. Arrive in Christchurch mid-afternoon. Book onward flights for after 5pm domestic or 7pm international.
Inclusions & Highlights
- Fully guided travel in a Mercedes Sprinter with WiFi, USB ports and oversized windows
- Domestic flight between the North Island and the South Island
- Local guide driver for the full 11 days
- 3 nights in three star hotels, twin share, plus 7 nights in flashpacker accommodation
- 10 breakfasts and 2 group dinners
- Return transport to Milford Sound from Queenstown
- Waitangi Treaty Grounds combo pass and traditional Hangi dinner
- Guided 40 minute walk to Tane Mahuta in Waipoua Forest
- Wine tasting at Marsden Wineries
- Lake Tekapo Dark Sky Reserve and the Church of the Good Shepherd
- Castle Rock walk
- Your guide books every optional activity on the road
Read this before you book: transport to Milford Sound is included, but the cruise on the fiord is an optional extra. Budget roughly NZ$145 upward for it. International flights, most lunches and dinners, and adventure activities such as skydiving and heli hiking are also extra. Private rooms are available on request.
Tour Departure Dates
2026: Tuesday 8 December
2027: Tuesday 19 January, Tuesday 16 February, Tuesday 2 March, Tuesday 16 March, Tuesday 23 November, Tuesday 7 December, Tuesday 21 December
2028: Tuesday 4 January, Tuesday 18 January, Tuesday 1 February, Tuesday 15 February, Tuesday 29 February, Tuesday 14 March
Accommodation
This tour uses a mix of 3-star hotels in the Far North and social, backpacker-style hostel accommodation for the rest of the journey. Private rooms can be added for an additional cost, subject to availability, contact our team to check current pricing.
Included activities
Accommodation
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