New Zealand Customized Tours and Trips

New Zealand Customized Tours and Trips

627 reviews on bookmundi

New Zealand has a habit of making travelers overestimate what they can fit into one trip. Auckland, Rotorua, Queenstown, Aoraki/Mount Cook and Milford Sound all look achievable—until you account for mountain roads, hikes, scenic stops and the fact that they span two islands. New Zealand custom tours help you make those trade-offs before you arrive. Build around Māori culture and geothermal landscapes in the North Island, dedicate your trip to the mountains and fjords of the South, or connect selected highlights of both. Our local experts can modify an existing itinerary or create custom New Zealand tours around your available days, interests, budget and preferred way of traveling.

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How Our Custom Tours Work

Simple, transparent process to create your perfect personalized trip

Tell us what your trip looks like

Complete a short trip questionnaire and share your requirements regarding the holiday.

Connect with a travel expert

We'll match you with an expert trip designer who has first-hand, local knowledge of your trip destination(s). Together with them, build the perfect trip.

Securely book your trip

Book when you are 100% satisfied with your planned itinerary and the price. Sit back and relax!

Create a 100% personalized trip to New Zealand

Work with a local travel expert to create a one-of-a-kind tour to New Zealand—designed just for you.

  • Geoff Venning travel expert
    Geoff VenningTravel Expert in Australia & New Zealand
  • David Tupper travel expert
    David TupperTravel Expert in Australia & New Zealand
Recommended by
  • BBC
  • Independent
  • Lonely Planet

Planning a Trip to New Zealand: Essential Travel Tips & Insights

Get expert travel insights for New Zealand - discover the best time to visit, ideal trip duration, and must-visit destinations to help you plan and customize your perfect tour.

When to go to New Zealand

Temperatures are ideal for hiking and mountain biking from December to March, but September and October are pleasant too. In the summer months of December and January, the weather is warm, and Kiwi families head to the beaches. If you are planning to ski in winter (between April to August), book your tailor-made New Zealand holiday in advance.

How long to stay in New Zealand

New Zealand may not be a very large country but it is full of so many natural wonders and spectacular sights that you would want to spend at least a week there. If you are looking for a long weekend only, you can limit yourself to a specific part of the country or focus on your favorite outdoor activity, like hiking or canoeing. However, we suggest that you spend ten days in the country if you want to cover its major sights. Given the superb transport network that the country has, you can tick off most of the highlights of New Zealand within this duration. Learn more .

Must-visit destinations in New Zealand

The scenic vistas of this remarkable land encompass snow-capped mountains, primeval forests, and idyllic vineyards. Get wowed by the towering peaks, cliffside forests, and deep dark waters of the astonishing Milford Sound. Enjoy the thriving arts scene and cuisines of big cities like Auckland and Wellington on your personalized New Zealand adventure. Take a deep dive into the Māori culture of Northland, which is also home to gigantic kauri trees. Relax on the golden beaches of the Coromandel Peninsula, explore the magical glowing caves of Waitomo and sample the country’s finest wines in Marlborough. For The Lord of the Rings fans, the lush grounds of the shire and a tour of Hobbitland are essential.

Why Choose a Customized Tour

Your perfect trip, where every detail is tailored just for you, ensuring unforgettable memories and a sense of true freedom.

Tour Description1

Local Insight

Whatever your interests, our expert trip designers have local knowledge of all the best spots to eat, sleep and visit, including famous sites and the off-the-beaten-path hidden gems. They know the places you want to go and will ensure you have the most memorable experiences.

River2

Personalized Experience

Travel where and when you want, with only places and activities you choose. We'll build a trip that matches your unique interests and special requirements 100%.

Meditation3

Stress-Free Travel

Our trip designers will book your accommodation, transport, activities etc. to ensure that you get a completely stress-free tour. If you need support during the trip, you can always write or call the local specialist for help and recommendations.

Nature Hikes4

Travel like a pro

Think of our trip designers as your ticket backstage. Special access, great prices, and local tips. Their job is to make sure your entire trip is perfectly planned, secure, and completely stress-free.

Tour Description1

Local Insight

Whatever your interests, our expert trip designers have local knowledge of all the best spots to eat, sleep and visit, including famous sites and the off-the-beaten-path hidden gems. They know the places you want to go and will ensure you have the most memorable experiences.

River2

Personalized Experience

Travel where and when you want, with only places and activities you choose. We'll build a trip that matches your unique interests and special requirements 100%.

Meditation3

Stress-Free Travel

Our trip designers will book your accommodation, transport, activities etc. to ensure that you get a completely stress-free tour. If you need support during the trip, you can always write or call the local specialist for help and recommendations.

Nature Hikes4

Travel like a pro

Think of our trip designers as your ticket backstage. Special access, great prices, and local tips. Their job is to make sure your entire trip is perfectly planned, secure, and completely stress-free.

Meet our Local Travel Experts

Our expert trip designers are carefully vetted, well-traveled, and share your passion for exploration.

Geoff Venning travel expert
Active a moment ago

Geoff Venning

I have been involved in tourism in New Zealand since August 1992. I am a past member of the Canterbury Tourism Council where I represented the local adventure tourism industry operators. I'm extremely passionate and caring about what I do in life, and together with awesome fellow Kiwi staff, promise to give you the very best vacation experience possible while you explore our beautiful land, Aotearoa, New Zealand. On a personal note, I am a past competitor in our famous "Coast to Coast" Endurance Race World Championship event and have competed in numerous marathons and multi-sport races. I absolutely love our world-famous great outdoors, our majestic mountains, beautiful lakes and rivers, fiords, glaciers, ancient rain forests, golden sandy beaches, our unique Maori heritage and much more. I always feel privileged to be able to share New Zealand’s beauty and special uniqueness and look forward to showing it all to our visitors.

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    Geoff Venning travel expert
    David Tupper travel expert

Travelers love our Personalized Tours to New Zealand

Read reviews from travelers we've created tailor-made trips in New Zealand.

Anonymous | Traveled in July

It was a nice balance of travel and exploration, having a couple of days in Franz Josef Glacier and Queenstown was fabulous while also exploring lots of Te Waipounamu. Our guide was really passionate about Aotearoa New Zealand and shared her love beautifully. She also managed all our free time add-on activities so smoothly. The coach was comfortable, clean, and expertly driven on some wild roads! The accommodation was clean and well located, though a kettle would have been nice in Queenstown lol.

Isabella | Traveled in July

Highly recommend booking this trip if you want to explore New Zealand. Our trip manager was so informative about the places we were driving through/staying as well as the Māori myths, legends and history. I’d recommend visiting in winter especially between July and early September as there’s more chance of snow in Queenstown and the other towns. The accomodation was good, mostly four per room then in Queenstown it’s a room of 8 pods that were super fun. Super easy to eat a lot and eat healthy with the included breakfasts and dinners. I can honestly say I was never hungry. Queenstown you get food vouchers for fergs for breakfast and they have so much to choose from! There’s lots of free time add-ons to do and lots of adrenaline ones if that’s your thing. I enjoyed the kayaking and quad biking in Franz Josef and the e-bike tour in Queenstown is a must if you want to explore the lake. Fair warning it is about 3-4 hours of biking and you go up and down hills but the scenery is stunning. I would’ve liked another day in Lake Ōhau as there was fog there the whole 24 hours we were there so we didn’t see the lake or mount cook but the three course dinner was 10/10 and it was such a cute place with the fireplaces. We also had to take a detour to Christchurch as the roads were closed from ice and it was sad not going through Twizel and Geraldine. If you’re thinking about doing this trip, it’s a nice one to start with and the views are extraordinary!

Anonymous | Traveled in July

Overall, this was a great trip! All of the included activities were culturally relevant to New Zealand - the kiwi hatchery, going to a Maori village and the tour of the founding grounds. It was really awesome to see the cultural significance embedded into it from the start. The free-time add ons also highlight the adventurousness of NZ as well! Our Trip Manager was extremely knowledgeable, laid back, and level headed. He worked as hard as he could to ensure everyone was able to get onto every single activity that they wanted to and really worked to accomodate everyone's needs and free time wants on the trip. One thing to mention is that this a modular trip - some people will be joining halfway through, and other will be leaving. There are obviously dynamics internally that will arise because of this. All in all, this was a fantastic trip with people that are kind and respectful. I would recommend it to others! I wish I had stayed on for the South Island as well :)

Anonymous | Traveled in July

The trip was amazing! Our trip manager and driver did such an amazing job at making sure everything ran smoothly and that everyone got a chance to do everything they wanted!

Courtney S. | Traveled in July

Perfect for a first time traveller to dip their toes in! Not too overwhelming or rushed, still very much a choose your own adventure type trip and a really good way to introduce yourself to the contiki vibe! Would love to do the panorama trip next to explore the rest of NZ!

Anonymous | Traveled in July

Amazing trip managed, bus driver had such a great attitude and was great when things went wrong. Beautiful tour, so many fun activities to do, and so many lifelong friends made!

Customized And tours in New Zealand

Frequently asked questions about customized tours in New Zealand

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Geoff Venning travel expert
Your top questions answered by Bookmundi's specialists and Geoff Venning, one of our trusted local travel experts in New Zealand.
Can I customize an existing New Zealand tour instead of starting from scratch?
Should I spend more time on the North Island or South Island?
Should I drive between the North and South Islands or fly?
Do I need to book New Zealand's Great Walks far in advance?
Can I build a custom New Zealand trip around Māori culture rather than just sightseeing?
Can my itinerary include Hobbiton without making the whole trip about movie locations?
Can you create a luxury custom tour of New Zealand without turning it into a resort holiday?

Why Book a Personalized Trip with Bookmundi

Tailored journeys for the modern explorer, designed for those who crave adventure but lack the time to plan every detail.

Hand-Picked Local Travel Experts

We work only with carefully vetted specialists, backed by years of experience. They bring insider knowledge and proven service quality to ensure your trip runs seamlessly.

Trip Happiness Guarantee

Our mission is to deliver unforgettable journeys. Every customized trip is backed by our Happiness Guarantee, so we'll go the extra mile to ensure your experience exceeds expectations.

Simple & Direct Bookings

Confirm your trip easily and book directly with trusted local experts, all through Bookmundi's secure platform.

Hand-Picked Local Travel Experts

We work only with carefully vetted specialists, backed by years of experience. They bring insider knowledge and proven service quality to ensure your trip runs seamlessly.

Trip Happiness Guarantee

Our mission is to deliver unforgettable journeys. Every customized trip is backed by our Happiness Guarantee, so we'll go the extra mile to ensure your experience exceeds expectations.

Simple & Direct Bookings

Confirm your trip easily and book directly with trusted local experts, all through Bookmundi's secure platform.