The 10 Best Small Group Tours in New Zealand 🚐 [2024]

© Backyard Roadies

Backyard Roadies – South Island Explorer

One of the best-value fully guided small-group tours in New Zealand, Backyard Roadies‘ 10-Day South Island Adventure gets you to see the major highlights, as well as a few surprises in between. Travel with a small group of like-minded travellers and enjoy a generous list of included activities, such as a Milford Sound cruise, a greenstone carving workshop in Franz Josef and not to mention day trips to Mt Cook and Arrowtown! With small groups and a mix of male and female guides, Backyard Roadies offers fun, safe and great-value tours for all.

Tour Highlights

Tour Length: 10 days
Age Range: 18-40+-year-olds
Maximum Group Size: 16
Accommodation: Lodges and boutique hostels
Meals: All breakfasts and one dinner

Destinations

• Christchurch
• Lake Tekapo (with Mt Cook day trip)
• Wanaka
• Lake Te Anau (with Milford Sound day trip)
• Queenstown (with Arrowtown day trip)
• Franz Josef
• Punakaiki
• Arthur’s Pass (day trip)

Find out more about this tour company, including their full 21-day tour covering both islands of New Zealand, on backyardroadies.com. Plus, check out more tours for 10 days in The 10 Best 10-12-Day Tours of New Zealand.

© Wild Kiwi

Wild Kiwi – Northern Voyager

A small-group tour in luxury Mercedes vehicles, Wild Kiwi knows how to get travellers around in style. The custom vans fit up to 18 people for a more intimate experience. What’s more, the tours are especially for 18-30-something-year-olds so you know you’ll be with like-minded people.

The Northern Voyager is an excellent way to explore the North Island in one week, looping back to Auckland via the geothermal hub of Rotorua, the volcanic Tongariro National Park and the bohemian surf town of Raglan. Accommodation in hostels and lodges is included – with the option to upgrade to a private room, as well as all breakfasts and one group dinner.

Tours of the South Island are also available, as listed in The 5 Best 7-Day Tours of the South Island.

Tour Highlights

Tour Length: 7 days
Age Range: 18-30-something-year-olds
Maximum Group Size: 18
Accommodation: Hostels and lodges
Meals: All breakfasts and one dinner

Destinations

• Auckland
• Coromandel
• Rotorua
• Taupo
• Raglan

Find out more about this tour on wildkiwi.com. For more week-long tours on the North Island, see The Best 7-Day North Island Tours.

© Haka Tours

Haka Tours – South Island Lick

To explore the South Island, consider this small-group tour with Haka Tours. The South Island Lick tour starts and ends in Christchurch, taking young travellers via mini-coach to highlights like Queenstown, Wanaka and the Franz Josef Glacier. The tour also includes a scenic train journey through the Southern Alps, as well as all accommodation in hostels and lodges and daily breakfast.

Tour Highlights

Tour Length: 7 days
Age Range: 18-39-year-olds
Maximum Group Size: 16
Accommodation: Hostels and lodges
Meals: All breakfasts

Destinations

• Christchurch
• Lake Tekapo
• Queenstown
• Wanaka
• Franz Josef

Find out more by comparing Haka Tours on Tourradar. For more week-long tours around the country, including small-group tours of New Zealand, see The 10 Best 7-Day Tours of New Zealand.

© Active Adventures

Active Adventures – Ultimate South Island Adventure

Offering hiking tours of various durations across the North Island and South Island, Active Adventures’ most popular choice is the Ultimate South Island Adventure tour. This tour can be catered to what you prefer with a choice of multiple day hikes and multi-day hikes. You’ll explore hotspots of the South Island that very few visitors get to experience, with gorgeous hikes in the Fiordland National Park, Franz Josef, Queenstown and more.

Tour Highlights

Tour Length: 14 days
Age Range: 16+-year-olds
Maximum Group Size: 14
Accommodation: Hotels, lodges, inns and huts
Meals: All breakfasts, lunches and dinners (except for on the “free day” in the itinerary)

Destinations

• Christchurch
• Kaikoura
• Nelson Lakes
• Hokitika
• Franz Josef
• Makarora
• Queenstown
• Te Anau
• Mt Cook

Find out more about this tour by comparing Active Adventures on Tourradar.

© G Adventures

G Adventures – Highlights of New Zealand

Explore both islands in just over two weeks with G Adventures. The small-group tour specialists offer the Highlights of New Zealand tour for active travellers, including experiences like digging your own hot pool in the Coromandel, guided walks, a cruise of Doubtful Sound and more. A few meals are included in the tour, as well as accommodation in hotels, motels and a Maori village.

Tour Highlights

Tour Length: 15 days
Age Range: 12-99-year-olds
Maximum Group Size: 16
Accommodation: Hotels and motels
Meals: Eight breakfasts, one lunch and two dinners

Destinations

• Auckland
• Rotorua
• Wellington
• Kaikoura
• Hanmer Springs
• Franz Josef
• Queenstown
• Lake Tekapo
• Christchurch

Find out more about this tour and others by comparing G Adventures on Tourradar. For more national tours of New Zealand, see The Best 20+ Days Tours of New Zealand.

© Exodus Travels

Exodus Travels – Trekking in New Zealand

Explore both New Zealand islands with a small group on the Trekking in New Zealand tour. This 19-day hiking tour with Exodus Travels starts in Auckland and ends in Christchurch, taking you to hiking highlights like the Tongariro National Park, Milford Sound and the Fox Glacier. All activities listed in the action-packed itinerary are included in the tour, such as a heli-hike in Mt Aspiring National Park, a short flight between Wellington and Nelson, and a water taxi cruise in the Abel Tasman National Park. All meals and accommodation are also included in the rate.

Tour Highlights

Tour Length: 19 days
Age Range: 16+ years old
Maximum Group Size: 11
Accommodation: Hotels, lodges, cabins and huts/camping
Meals: 14 breakfasts, 16 lunches and three dinners

Destinations

• Auckland
• Rotorua
• Whirinaki Forest Park
• Tongariro
• Wellington
• Abel Tasman
• Murchison
• Paparoa National Park
• Fox Glacier
• Wanaka
• Queenstown
• Te Anau
• Mt Cook
• Christchurch

Find out more about this tour by comparing Exodus Travels on Tourradar. Plus, check out more tours with a small group count in The Best Small-Group Tours in New Zealand.

© Adventure Junkies

Adventure Junkies – NZ Adventure

Experience the more adventurous side of New Zealand with Adventure Junkies! Their NZ Adventure tour is an ultra small-group tour taking up to 10 people to some of the highlights of the South Island. The tour starts in Christchurch and ends in Queenstown, taking adrenaline junkies to go white water rafting on a grade 5 river, stunning forests for hiking, kayaking in Milford Sound, and your choice of adventure in Queenstown. Other inclusions are accommodation, and both breakfast and lunch daily.

Tour Highlights

Tour Length: 10 days
Age Range: 18-65-year-olds
Maximum Group Size: 10
Accommodation: Apartments and motels
Meals: All breakfasts and all lunches

Destinations

• Christchurch
• Methven
• Lake Tekapo
• Wanaka
• Queenstown
• Te Anau
• Milford Sound

Find out more about this tour by comparing Adventure Junkies on Tourradar. Plus, check out more tours from Christchurch in The 5 Best New Zealand Tours Starting from Christchurch.

© Intrepid Travel

Intrepid Travel – New Zealand South Island Adventure

A more active tour of New Zealand from Christchurch taking you to more destinations on the South Island, the New Zealand South Island Adventure tour with Intrepid Travel is well worth considering. The small-group tour lasts 12 days starting in Christchurch and ending in Queenstown. While there are plenty of highlights on the itinerary, including a Milford Sound cruise, it’s the off-the-beaten-track locations that are sure to stick with you, such as the historic mining towns of Reefton and Westport, the less-visited but no less impressive Fox Glacier and even the sub-antarctic Stewart Island!

Tour Highlights

Tour Length: 12 days
Age Range: 15-99-year-olds
Maximum Group Size: 12
Accommodation: Hotels, motels and cabins
Meals: 11 breakfasts

Destinations

• Christchurch
• Westport
• Kumara and Hokitika
• Fox Glacier
• Wanaka
• Te Anau
• Milford Sound
• The Catlins
• Stewart Island
• Queenstown

Find out more about this tour, including prices, by comparing Intrepid Travel on Tourradar. For more small-group adventures, head to The Best Small-Group Tours in New Zealand.

© Kiwi Experience

Kiwi Experience – Southern Crossing

If you’ve only got just over a week to explore the South Island and you’re on a budget, you might as well join the small-group adventure with Kiwi Experience. Their Southern Crossing is a top choice, starting in Christchurch and hitting the highlights of Franz Josef via Arthur’s Pass, the adventure capital Queenstown and a day trip to Milford Sound.

For more tours from Christchurch, check out The Best New Zealand Tours Starting in Christchurch.

Tour Highlights

Tour Length: 8 days
Age Range: 18-49-year-olds
Maximum Group Size: 16
Accommodation: Hostels
Meals: All Breakfasts and one dinner

Destinations on the 8-Day Tour

• Christchurch
• Franz Josef
• Lake Hawea (Wanaka)
• Queenstown
• Milford Sound

Find out more about this tour by comparing Kiwi Experience on Tourradar.

© Inspiring Journeys

Inspiring Journeys – The Long White Cloud

Finally, to combine some sightseeing of the North Island with exploring the south of the South Island, consider The Long White Cloud tour with Inspiring Journeys. The 19-day tour starts in Christchurch, taking travellers of all ages on a small-group tour to experience the glacial hub of Franz Josef and Milford Sound, winding through the South Island and crossing the Cook Strait to Wellington and beyond. Tours also include luxury hotel accommodations, most meals and more.

Tour Highlights

Tour Length: 19 days
Age Range: 12-99-year-olds
Maximum Group Size: 20
Accommodation: Hotels
Meals: 18 breakfasts, three lunches and nine dinners

Destinations

• Christchurch
• Franz Josef
• Queenstown
• Milford Sound
• Dunedin
• Wellington
• Hawke’s Bay
• Rotorua
• Auckland

Find out more about this tour by comparing Inspiring Journeys on Tourradar.