New Zealand Trails

30/06/2024

76% of our summer trips for the upcoming season are now sold out! With our small group sizes and guests booking well in advance, there’s never been a better time to get in touch with the friendly team down here at New Zealand Trails.

Check here for current availability of our New Zealand guided walking tours.

29/06/2024

New Zealand’s penguins are mostly found on the southern coast of the South Island and Stewart Island. Our guests have a chance of spotting Fiordland Crested Penguins on our October and November tours when the penguins come ashore to breed.

With their bushy yellow eyebrows, the Fiordland Crested Penguins, or tawaki, that we’re often lucky enough to see, always bring a smile to the faces of guests and guides alike.

28/06/2024

When you decide to travel with New Zealand Trails, our small yet mighty team will look after you. From the moment you request that brochure, until you arrive back home after the trip of your lifetime, we’ll know your name and you’ll know ours. That’s the New Zealand Trails difference.

27/06/2024

Our team will enjoy a long weekend with family and friends in the name of the Māori New Year, Matariki. If you are interested in immersing yourself in Māoritanga (Māori culture and traditions), our Sweet North trip is just for you! This trip is designed with cultural experiences in mind, as well as spectacles unique to the North Island, including natural geothermal wonders, pristine golden sand beaches and glow worm caves.

26/06/2024

Tomorrow here in New Zealand we celebrate Matariki, the signalling of the Māori New Year. It’s a time for communities to come together and celebrate, with a focus on remembrance, peace and joy. Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. The special cluster is visible for 11 months of the year, and thanks to our dark skies and stargazing spots, you may see it during your trip!

Find out more about the best spots for stargazing in New Zealand and the marvellous features of the New Zealand night sky.

25/06/2024

Each season more and more solo women are joining us on our small group guided trips. Whether you’re treating yourself to a birthday adventure, you’re newly retired and keeping busier than ever, you’ve just conquered one bucket list item and are looking for the next, or you’re heading our way on a girls' trip, we love helping you plan your New Zealand trip of a lifetime! Over the many years that we’ve been running trips, we’ve perfected small group travel for the solo female adventurer.

24/06/2024

Our Kiwi Classic is a true-blue New Zealand hiking adventure that gets you off the beaten track experiencing incredible multi-day hikes, day walks and activities in New Zealand’s remote National Parks. On this tour, you’ll explore places that other guests just don’t get to see, whilst ticking off the bucket list favourites too.

23/06/2024

It’s certainly starting to look and feel like Winter here in New Zealand, which is always when we find ourselves reflecting on the recent walking season, and what a season it was! If you joined us last season, what’s your fondest memory? For many, it’s the cheeky kea, one of our mischievous native birds!

23/06/2024

We understand that the best way to experience a new country is with the locals. That’s why all of our guides are proud New Zealanders! These knowledgeable guides bring so much energy to each trip, and we know you’ll wave goodbye having become great friends. What’s your favourite guide memory from your trip with New Zealand Trails?

21/06/2024

For many guests, time spent in Abel Tasman National Park is a highlight of the trip. With golden sand beaches, crystal clear waters, hidden lagoons and secluded bays, this New Zealand gem is the ideal place to relax, adventure and explore. Understandably popular with guests from both near and far, Abel Tasman can be a busy part of the country. Luckily, here at New Zealand Trails we know the best ways to avoid the crowds. Deserted beaches await!

Planning an Abel Tasman National Park visit? Explore like a local, kayak Abel Tasman or hike the Abel Tasman Coast Track and discover some hidden gems.

20/06/2024

A highlight of our job is hearing of the friendships made on our trips. Whether travelling alone, with a partner, friend, or part of a larger group, we know that you’ll leave with more friends than you arrived with, from the world over!

Whilst our guests range in age, come from different backgrounds and lead different lives, the string that ties everyone together is their love for the outdoors! All our guests are here for the same reason, to explore New Zealand with the locals who know it best!

19/06/2024

Many of our guests have questions about how fit they need to be, but there’s no need to worry. If you enjoy being active in the outdoors at any level, then you’ll love our trips. Whether you're a seasoned hiker or prefer a more relaxed pace, New Zealand Trails has just the adventure for you.

With our small group size and multiple guides on activities and walks, we are always able to offer you different options so that you can scale your activity level up or down depending on how you’re feeling each day.

Your guides are experts in making sure that you’ll never feel like you’re holding anyone up, or that you’re getting an extra challenge if that's what you're after!

19/06/2024

Picturing yourself here? Until 23 June, Air New Zealand has a sale on a number of America – New Zealand routes. And with the season filling up fast, there’s never been a better time to book flights for your dream trip down under.

18/06/2024

Many people, including us locals, believe that the best time to walk the Milford Track is when the magnificent waterfalls flow from the cliff tops as a result of rainfall or snowmelt. Just look at those waterfalls!

17/06/2024

Whilst we don’t want to wish winter away, we know that just around the corner is Spring, one of our favourite periods of the hiking season, and for good reason.

New Zealand is home to over 40 endemic birds, including the iconic kiwi, cheeky kea and curious kakapo, and Spring is a great time to spot them! Chicks are hatching, so hard-working parents are busy collecting food and you’re more likely to see them in action.

16/06/2024

Did you know that Spring in New Zealand is ‘waterfall season’? Thanks to the snow-melt after Winter, Spring is a great time to visit if you want to experience the best of mother nature. From the towering falls of Milford Sound to the picture-postcard of Little Homer Falls on the Hollyford Track, New Zealand in the Spring really is waterfall heaven.

15/06/2024

We know that the best way to experience New Zealand is with a local guide, which is why all our guides are proud kiwis! Our incredible guide Age received this glowing review from a past guest, and we couldn’t agree more…

“Exciting on paper, but the reality delivered so much more, our guide was great at telling us most of what we were going to be doing whilst holding a few little surprises back, adding to the excitement and wonder of exploring this magical country. I described the trip to our group as organised but chilled, and there’s an art to pulling that off, which to a large extent reflects the personality of our guide. We learnt so much from him about NZ beyond its superficial beauty and I really got to look forward to his commentary in the bus as well as chatting generally throughout the week. Our small group was a great coming together of different nations and we shared a lot not just about NZ but other places, customs and cultural quirks too. This experience will stay with me for a very long time, I hope forever, and that isn’t just down to the pure raw beauty of NZ, it’s also the way this trip was delivered. NZ trails is sold as real NZ with real New Zealanders and that was exactly what we got.”

If you’ve joined a trip with us, we’d love to hear your favourite thing about your guide!

14/06/2024

Our Masterpiece trip really is just that! Encompassing the very best of New Zealand’s bucket list National Parks, peaks, wildlife and wonders, if you’re looking to tick everything of your list, the Masterpiece is the one for you.

We've used our 20 years running New Zealand adventure trips to create our Masterpiece New Zealand Adventure Tour. Come see what makes this trip so special

13/06/2024

Comfortable temperatures and quieter walking tracks await the guests that travel with us during the Spring. It’s also the best time to enjoy the spectacle that is our native flora, with many flowers at their peak in October and November. You can expect to spot a few of our springtime favourites, including the Mount Cook Buttercup, Greenhood Orchids and the New Zealand Tree Fuchsia. Spring in New Zealand is simply stunning, and we know you’ll agree.

12/06/2024

Thinking about travelling solo? At New Zealand Trails, more than a third of our guests are solo travellers, so you'll be in excellent company. As frequent solo travellers ourselves, we understand the trepidation of embarking on a group trip, you're sure to have some questions about what it will all be like, so we’ve popped together this handy guide all about solo travel in New Zealand.

Thinking of travelling solo? Look no further than New Zealand for the ultimate solo travel destination. Fun, safe, friendly and full of adventure.

11/06/2024

We only run a limited number of trips each year and since many of our guests plan their trips up to 18 months in advance our trips for the upcoming season are filling up quickly. If you’re thinking about a trip to New Zealand for the 2024/25 hiking season, let’s chat!

09/06/2024

What do we mean when we say small group? As locals who only run trips here in New Zealand we believe in keeping our groups small and personal. With a maximum of 14 guests per trip plus your two New Zealand guides there's plenty of opportunity to get to know your guides and fellow travellers and enjoy a personalised and flexible experience - allowing you to discover New Zealand at a pace that's right for you.

08/06/2024

Stunning Aoraki/Mt Cook in all its glory on a bluebird day in Mt Cook National Park. Standing at 3724m tall, Aoraki/Mt Cook is New Zealand's tallest mountain and boasts a rich and diverse history ranging from native Maori legends to feats of mountaineering achievement. It's a must visit on any New Zealand adventure.

07/06/2024

With a name like Siberia Valley you might expect a bleak frozen tundra but here in New Zealand, it's anything but! Located in Mt Aspiring National Park, Siberia Valley is a colourful and vibrant glacial valley carved out over thousands of years and now home to wildflower meadows and lush native forest. Inaccessible by road we visit Siberia Valley by bush plane or helicopter, landing on the flat valley floor before beginning our journey through the valley on foot. After hiking through some of New Zealand's most stunning scenery we then meet our local jetboat driver for a ride back down the river. Want to explore Siberia Valley with us too? Join us for a Grand Explorer or Pure South trip!

06/06/2024

With some of the darkest skies in the world, stargazing in New Zealand is a must! Be sure to add one of these spots to your New Zealand bucket list.

Find out more about the best spots for stargazing in New Zealand and the marvellous features of the New Zealand night sky.

05/06/2024

Fiordland National Park is a waterfall chaser’s paradise. Thanks to the, on average, 200 rain days per year, Fiordland National Park has many permanent waterfalls as well as hundreds of temporary falls that cascade down sheer granite cliffs. Whether you are on a hike, boat cruise, or driving on the Milford Road, be on the lookout for all of the spectacular waterfalls.

04/06/2024

In our experience, the best way to explore a new country is with a true local. That’s why all of our guides are New Zealanders.

Our guides are hand-picked, knowledgeable, and passionate Kiwis with a wide array of life experiences. From spotting native wildlife to bringing the past alive with stories from the land, from adjusting gear on hikes to providing that little extra encouragement during the last mile, the connections you make with your guides will last a lot longer than the duration of your trip.

03/06/2024

Two words come to mind when thinking about the identity of New Zealand nature – unique and primitive. A staggering 80% of native plant life and 70% of native animal life here is entirely unique to New Zealand. When you explore the depths of the wild and enchanting New Zealand forests, it’s like stepping back in time. Make sure to slow down and appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of your surroundings.

02/06/2024

Nestled within the heart of New Zealand's North Island lies a hidden gem and magnificent natural wonder - the Whanganui River. Renowned for its pristine waterways, lush native forests, and rich cultural heritage, the Whanganui River Journey offers an unforgettable experience for nature enthusiasts and adventurers alike.

Explore New Zealand's most unique Great Walk - The Whanganui River Journey. Journey down its calm waters, discover the Bridge to Nowhere and more!

01/06/2024

Take in views of the whole of Queenstown including the Remarkables, Lake Wakatipu and Cecil Peak from the summit of Queenstown Hill. This easily accessible hike from the centre of Queenstown is a favourite among locals and visitors alike. Climb through pine forest to the summit of Te Tapu-nui (mountain of intense sacredness) and emerge onto the hillside where you will be rewarded with spectacular views of Queenstown.