8 Day Glacier & Milford Sound Tour: New Zealand South Island Small Group Tour

Today’s drive takes you coast to coast, crossing the Southern Alps through Arthur’s Pass National Park, widely regarded as one of the most scenic drives in the country. The eastern side rolls through riverbeds and beech forest, while the western side drops into gorged rivers and dense rainforest. Stops along the way include the Devil’s Punchbowl waterfall and the striking limestone formations at Castle Hill. You arrive at Franz Josef in the afternoon, home to a 5-kilometer glacier and your base for the next two nights.

Overnight: Franz Josef 

Included Accommodation: Rainforest Retreat (or similar)

Included Experiences

• Walk the Castle Hill track
• Devils Punchbowl waterfalls
• Enjoy a pizza dinner at Rainforest Retreat

A full day to explore Glacier Country at your own pace. Try your hand at carving your own pounamu (greenstone) pendant, a hands-on cultural experience that comes with a story about the stone’s significance to Māori. Then head out to see the glacier itself, either on the free valley walk to the viewing point around 750 meters from the ice face, or by booking an optional heli-hike that lands you directly on the glacier for a guided walk across the ice.

Overnight: Franz Josef 

Included Accommodation: Rainforest Retreat (or similar)

Included Experiences

• Greenstone jewellery carving

Optional Activity

• Franz Josef Glacier walk (Free)
• Glacier Encounter

Start the day at the West Coast Wildlife Centre, home to New Zealand’s largest kiwi incubation facility, where a live kiwi sighting inside the nocturnal house is virtually guaranteed. From there, stop at Lake Matheson for an easy loop walk around its famous mirror reflections of Aoraki Mt Cook on a calm morning. The drive continues down Highway 6 with stops at Thunder Creek Falls and other scenic pull-offs before arriving in Wanaka, where the lakeside setting and the famous solitary Wanaka Tree make for one of the trip’s best photo opportunities.

Overnight: Wanaka 

Included Accommodation: Adventure Hostel Wanaka (or similar)

Included Experience

• Thunder Creek Falls
• Lake Matheson Mirror Lake

Optional Activity

• West Coast Wildlife Centre

En route to Queenstown, stop at the Kawarau Bridge, the site of the world’s first commercial bungy jump, where you can watch from the viewing deck or take the leap yourself. Once in Queenstown, New Zealand’s self-styled adventure capital, the evening is free to explore the lakefront, grab dinner, or join the rest of the group for a night out.

Overnight: Queenstown 

Included Accommodation: Nomads Queenstown (or similar)

Included Experience

• #ThatWanakaTree
• Kawarau Bridge Bungy Visit
• Arrowtown Visit

A full free day in a town built around choice. Adrenaline seekers can book bungy jumping, jet boating, white water rafting, or skydiving, while a slower pace might mean a bike ride, a lake cruise, a spa afternoon, or a visit to one of the surrounding vineyards. For sweeping views over the town, consider an evening trip up the Skyline Gondola to Bob’s Peak.

Overnight: Queenstown

Included Accommodation: Nomads Queenstown (or similar)

Optional Activity

• NZONE Skydive
• Altitude Day Tours
• Dart River Adventures

No South Island circuit is complete without a visit to Piopiotahi, Milford Sound. The day starts early with breakfast on the road, a stop in the small town of Te Anau, and a scenic drive through Fiordland National Park with photo stops along the way. Once at the fiord, board an included two-hour scenic cruise past waterfalls and towering cliff faces, keeping an eye out for dolphins, fur seals, and the occasional Fiordland crested penguin. The group returns to Queenstown in the evening.

Overnight: Queenstown 

Included Accommodation: Nomads Queenstown (or similar)

Optional Activity

• Day Trip to Milford Sound
• 2-hour Milford Sound boat cruise

The final leg runs back through the Lindis Pass and into the Mackenzie Basin, home to Lake Tekapo. Stop at the small stone Church of the Good Shepherd on the lake’s edge, framed by bright blue water and, in season, fields of lupins. From there it’s on to Christchurch, where the tour concludes in the late afternoon.

Tour concludes in Christchurch

Included Experience

• Lake Pukaki Visit

Optional Free Activity

• Church of the Good Shepherd Stop