New Zealand tours

Without a doubt, whale-watching is near the top of the list for the best New Zealand tours. One of the best places to spot these marine giants is in Kaikoura, 180km north of Christchurch. Just off the Kaikoura Peninsula, you can spot up to 14 species of whales on a designated tour. In terms of timings, sperm whales and dolphins can be seen year-round, while June and July is your best chance to see humpback whales during their migratory period; winter visits will see you more likely to spot orcas, between December and February. The tours themselves come in all shapes and sizes, just like the whales you’ll spot; you can head out on a catamaran, in a light aircraft and even helicopter flights.

One of the best New Zealand tours takes place in its very own national museum, the Te Papa: Museum of New Zealand, which is a six-storey building located on Wellington’s waterfront. With its ever-evolving collection, it’s easy to spend an entire day here, as well as making it seriously tempting for repeat visitors. While the museum is free to enter, you should seriously consider buying a ticket for one of their informative guided tours. These insightful tours cover New Zealand’s landscapes, history and national identity through art. There’s the opportunity to learn about Maori and Pasifika peoples on a specialised tour, plus a shorter twilight tour (45mins instead of 1hr).

If you want to experience a tour with a twist (and a concert), a Maori cultural experience will leave you wanting more. The Maori are an indigenous group in New Zealand, and one of the best places to gain a deeper insight into their traditions and culture is in Rotorua. The ‘tour’, or cultural experience, takes place at a dedicated site (sometimes a hotel), and starts with a fearsome warrior attempting to unsettle the visitors (manuhiri); fear not, as manuhiri select a ‘chief’ to represent them. Next, the Maori women make a karanga welcoming call before a powhiri performance, and then follows the ceremonial touching of the noses and physical and spiritual binding of the manuhiri to the tangata whenua (the original inhabitants). Afterwards, a concert is performed in traditional costume; you might recognise the iconic haka performance and women’s poi dance. It then comes to a close after the feast (hangi) – guests can choose to extend their stay a night or two. If you’re browsing New Zealand holiday packages, this is one of the most unique experiences to be had in the country.

There’s loads of great ways to tour the Whanganui river: canoe, kayak, jetboat, and you can even camp your way through the route. The river starts from Mount Tongariro and ends out at the Tasman Sea, and passes through the eponymous National Park. But one of the most unique and exciting ways to tour this area is by the River Road Mail Tour, a genuine mail-delivery service which begins early in the morning and ends late-afternoon. As it’s an operating service, the van stops at houses along the way, as well as other points of interest and surrounding landscape; think lowland forest, deep gorges and waterfalls.

You can’t go to New Zealand and not take a wine-tasting tour; it’s a country that produces some of the world’s best wines, after all. While there are numerous wineries spread across the country, the most standout region is Marlborough. Some tours include multiple winery stop-offs, while other tours focus on a select few. There are over 55 wineries with cellar-door tastings, most of which include a tour of the vineyards, as well as lunch/dinner (note that meals are not always included in tour price). Other great spots for winery tours and tastings include Upper Moutere, Queenstown, Otago and Auckland’s West Coast.