Overview
Book online and enjoy exclusive savings on G Adventures 14 Day Solo-ish New Zealand. New Zealand is an outdoor lover’s dream, and on this two-week Solo-ish adventure, you’ll explore with new mates while still carving out time for yourself. Dive into nature’s wonders in Franz Josef and Queenstown, and satisfy your taste buds with a delicious Kiwi cooking experience in Auckland. Immerse yourself in the rich traditions of Māori culture with your local hosts in Rotorua. Discover the charm of Hokitika, a quirky west coast gem, as you journey from the North Island to the South. This is your chance to read more tick New Zealand off your bucket list in the most unforgettable way.
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Our Price From
US$3,817 per person
Price shown based on multi share
Save up to $1,272 per person
Trip Length
14 Days
Trip Starts
Auckland
Trip Ends
Queenstown
Departures
May 2026 to Dec 2027
Countries Visited:
Operator
G Adventures
Trip Style
Solo-ish Adventures
Budget
Affordable
Age Range
6-99 Years
Max. Group Size
16
Pace
Moderate
Guide Style
Fully Guided
Tour Code
ONRQ
Itinerary
Kia Ora and welcome to New Zealand! After taking your included arrival transfer to the hotel, join your fellow solo-ish travellers for a welcome meeting. Then get hands on with a cooking class! Alongside your new mates, cook up a fresh and delicious Kiwi meal while getting to know the people you're travelling with.
Accommodation:
Oaks Auckland Hotel
Included Meals:
Dinner
Included Experiences
- Dinner Party: Food is a universal language, and there's no better way to get to know a new friend, or a new community, than by breaking bread together and digging in to a delicious meal. New Zealand is famous for having extremely fresh and local ingredients in their dishes. Use these beautiful ingredients to make an amazing meal of Ika Mata, coconut milk ceviche, and Horopito roasted Lamb Rump, then sit down with your fellow solo-ish travellers and enjoy the feast!
- Meet Your CEO and Group: Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards.
Optional Experiences
- Auckland Sailing: America's Cup Experience (Pre Tour): As part of the boat crew, you'll work together with your teammates to sail around Auckland's Waitemata Harbour in this competitive yacht. Either take the helm and participate or sit back and enjoy the spectacle - the choice is yours.
After grabbing your first Kiwi breakfast, join your CEO for a guided walk up to the Mt Eden Summit. The views of Auckland at the top are incredible-so don't forget to take some photos. Later, make your way south to Rotorua where you can choose to enjoy a lunch stop at Eat Street, a local block of popular food stalls and restaurants. In the afternoon, join your fellow Solo-ish travel mates and board a boat to cross Lake Rotoiti, with a surprise en route. Together we'll relax lakeside in hot springs, nestled within the bush. A pretty awesome day to enjoy Rotorua and to get to know your group.
Accommodation:
Sudima Lake Rotorua
Included Meals:
Dinner
Included Experiences
- Lake Rotoiti Hot Pools: Take a water taxi across Lake Rotoiti to the geothermal pools. Jump between the cold lake water and the hot springs, walk through the bush that engulfs the spring pools and grab a beer or coffee from the cafe onsite.
- Mt Eden Summit Walk: With your incredible CEO at the helm, get to know the local community and your Solo-ish travel mates on a day packed full of interesting and engaging adventures. Join your CEO for a trek up Mt Eden, or Maungawhau, which means ‘mountain of the whau tree’. This area was one of the largest and most elaborate Māori settlements in the region. At the top, enjoy spectacular 360 views over Auckland.
Together we head to the Maori-owned Kohutapu Lodge, to explore New Zealand's Indigenous culture on this full day excursion. Learn how a hangi lunch is prepared in an underground pit, the traditional way, and enjoy the feast with your Maori hosts. Learn about traditional eel traps and be welcomed into a traditional marae. Walk through the 800-year-old podocarp trees in the Whirinaki Rainforest to learn about the history of the forest and spot endemic birds and medicinal plants. Today's adventure is one of New Zealand's most authentic and community-based Indigenous programs, and will surely stand out as a highlight of your Solo-ish Adventure.
Accommodation:
Sudima Lake Rotorua
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch
Included Experiences
- Kohutapu Tribal Tour: With your incredible CEO at the helm, get to know the local community and your Solo-ish travel mates on a day packed full of interesting and engaging adventures. Travel to Kohutapu Lodge, a social enterprise owned by a local Maori family who are making a difference in their local community through community-driven initiatives. Led by your Maori guide, start the dat at Lake Aniwhenua Domain and be welcomed onto tribal lands by your guide. Watch as the guide sets the traditional eel traps, a method still being used today. Next, witness the laying of a ground cooked hangi that you will have the opportunity to taste later in the day. Continue with your Maori guide and enjoy a number of additional activities, all based around the community and what may be happening the day of your visit. Finally indulge in a delicious hangi lunch-the very same you watched be put underground to cook. Conclude the day in Whirinaki rainforest- a Jurassic Podocarp forest- where you will be led by your Maori guide to discover more about the Maori culture and learn about the history of the forest. Spend a final few moments bathed in the forest’s sights and smells while indulging in a cup of hot kawakawa tea.
A full day free gives you the opportunity to explore this unique town how you want. With seemingly endless options, choose to visit some hot springs, go white water rafting or explore from the treetops on a Rotorua Canopy Tour.
Accommodation:
Sudima Lake Rotorua
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Included Experiences
- Free Time: Enjoy a free day to explore this lakeside adventure town.
Optional Experiences
- Whitewater Rafting: Get your adrenaline fix on this exhilarating white water rafting trip. Enjoy the amazing scenery along the way, but don't forget to paddle!
- Rotorua Canopy Tours: Experience life among the treetops of a Kiwi forest through this one-of-a-kind nature tour. Gain a whole new perspective on the plants, animals, and insects that call this environment home, and learn about conservation efforts to protect the region's subtropical forests. Opt to book the Original Canopy Tour (3 hrs) or the Ultimate Canopy Tour (3.5 hrs). (199-269 NZD per person)
- Hot Springs: Soak tired muscles in the area's natural hot springs and let the mineral water work its magic. Rotorua is home to a number of amazing geothermal parks – be sure you don't miss the healing and relaxing benefits of the city's naturally heated waters. (50-360 NZD per person)
This morning we drive from Rotorua to Waitomo to see the magical glow worms illuminate the caves. Ride a boat through the water filled caves, and as the sunlight fades, see how the bright blue glow brightens from the silk worms hanging from the ceiling. After, drive to Auckland for the night, our last evening on the North Island.
Accommodation:
Oaks Auckland Hotel
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Included Experiences
- Waitomo Spellbound Cave Excursion: Enjoy a peaceful boat ride through 30 million year old caverns covered with magical glowworms that are unique to New Zealand. Hundreds of thousands of these tiny creatures radiate luminescent light in underground caves carved by rivers and time. Take in more than 136 years of cultural and natural history on this unique excursion.
Together we fly to New Zealand's South Island this morning. After arriving, drive to North Canterbury, stopping for lunch along the way. Then continue the drive to Kaikoura. In the afternoon, visit the giant and adorable fur seals that live on the peninsula.
Accommodation:
The White Morph
Included Experiences
- Seal Colony Visit: Stop to experience a close encounter with the many southern fur seals lying about on rocks just off the highway.
- Plane: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.
Kaikoura is one if the best places in all of New Zealand to see wildlife. Spend today however you wish, but of course we recommend trying to see some of these amazing animals in the wild. Opt to go on a Giant Sperm Whale watching tour or out for a tour in hopes to swim with the Dusky Dolphins.
Accommodation:
The White Morph
Included Experiences
- Free Time: Spend today at leisure in the seaside town of Kaikoura.
Optional Experiences
- Whale Watching: Follow in the path of Paikea, the Maori "whale rider", and set out in search of Giant Sperm Whales as they spray and dive their way through the waters off Kaikoura.
- Dolphin Tour: Hop aboard a boat and head out to the open seas to search for wild dusky dolphins. If we come upon them, depending on conditions, most groups have 20-40 minutes of swim time with the dolphins.
Drive to Hokitika, a town nudged between the Tasman Sea to the west and the Hokitika River to the south. Full of beautiful nature, wildlife and a history of ship wrecks, gold and green stone miners, Hokitika is not to be missed. The drive can make for one of our longer days, but we'll make some pitstops along the way to break up the journey. After arrival, enjoy free time to explore the town.
Accommodation:
Beachfront Hotel Hokitika
Included Experiences
- Free Time: Enjoy a free afternoon in Hokitika.
Walk through remarkable Hokitika Gorge, crossing the suspension bridge and admiring the incredibly blue water. Head back to town for a group lunch. Then drive to Franz Josef, and hike through the rain forest of Franz Josef with views of the beautiful glacier.
Accommodation:
Rainforest Retreat
Included Meals:
Lunch
Included Experiences
- Franz Glacier Walk: Hike the short and easy trek through the Franz Josef rainforest with views of the glacier and snow covered mountains.
- Hokitika Gorge: Visit the crystal blue water of Hokitika Gorge. Hike through the bush and look for the rare blue mushroom, walk across the suspension bridge over the beautiful water and admire the incredible beauty of the South Island.
A free day today in Franz Josef calls for adventure. Opt to take a scenic helicopter flight up to the impressive glacier, or kayak on Lake Mapourika. Or choose to join the Guided Heli Hike, taking a helicopter to the glacier and hiking through the snow capped mountains and over the bright blue glacier.
Accommodation:
Rainforest Retreat
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Included Experiences
- Free Time: Spend today however you'd like in Franz Josef.
Optional Experiences
- Heli Scenic Flight with Snow Landing: Take a once-in-a-lifetime helicopter ride high up on Franz Josef Glacier. Hop out on the snow to soak up the experience, before flying back to land. Cool! (385-655 NZD per person)
- Franz Josef Kayaking: Explore the stunning Lake Mapourika by kayak. This lake was created as the Franz Josef glacier retreated 14,000 years ago, and the still water has created a natural mirror allowing you to soak in the incredible panoramic views. (149-169 NZD per person)
- Guided Heli Hike (Heli Transfer): The sheer size and power of Franz Josef is something you need to see to believe. Board a chopper for a leisurely flight over the glacier before landing directly on the ice. From there, get up close and personal on a three-hour guided hike past towering peaks and stunning blue ice. The constantly shifting ice flows and crevices ensure your visit will be one-of-a-kind! (595-795 NZD per person)
Drive with your fellow solo-ish travellers to the adventure capital of the world, Queenstown. After arrival, settle in and enjoy an evening stroll in this picturesque lakeside town.
Accommodation:
Heartland Hotel Queenstown
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Today is your Me Day, which means today is all about me... well you! With so much to do in Queenstown, opt to spend today exploring the adventure capital however you so wish. Or choose to join your CEO and other solo-ish travellers to ride the famous Queenstown gondola. Ride to the top of the mountain and take in the beautiful view of the lake and mountain peaks. Then tonight, choose to join your CEO for a final group dinner in New Zealand. This may be an early dinner because we have an early morning tomorrow, but come together for a bite and a drink before our final day in New Zealand together.
Accommodation:
Heartland Hotel Queenstown
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Included Experiences
- Queenstown Me Day: Traveling solo alongside your new Solo-ish travel mates means there's always something fun to do and new friends to explore with. But the joy of travel can also be about taking time to yourself to recharge, refresh and reflect on the journey. Today, choose to join your CEO for an incredible activity, or take the time to yourself to enjoy your own company in one of the most incredible places on our planet.
Optional Experiences
- Vineyard Tour: Visit vineyards in New Zealand's fastest growing wine region. Taste some of Queenstown's finest Pinot Noir, as well as Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc and learn more about the grape varietals that flourish here. Pick up a few bottles to savour back home. (189-265 NZD per person)
- Skydiving in Queenstown: Take to the skies and experience the thrill of skydiving. Enjoy a birds-eye view of Queenstown on this unforgettable adrenaline-pumping activity. Enjoy bragging rights after completing your dive, and check another challenge off your list.
- Bungee Jumping: Adrenaline junkies will be happy with a stop at the world's original commercial bungee site (bungy in New Zealand!). Opt to take the plunge or simply observe where it all started from the comfort of solid ground. Shoot some amazing photos of those brave enough to dive into the abyss. (320-805 NZD per person)
Wake early for a visit to one of New Zealand's most spectacular destinations on a day trip to Fiordland National Park. Drive from Queenstown, board a boat and cruise between the breathtaking mountain slopes, cascades and sea. Keep your eyes peeled for dolphins and rainbows made by the waterfalls. After the boat ride, drive back to Queenstown and enjoy one last free evening in Queenstown.
Accommodation:
Heartland Hotel Queenstown
Included Meals:
Breakfast, Lunch
Included Experiences
- Fiordland National Park Day Cruise: Cruise through stunning Fiordland National Park, one of the most untouched, remote places in the world. Depending on the departure, the cruise will be in either Milford Sound or Doubtful Sound – two of the most stunning regions within the park. Marvel at the steep cliff walls and cascading waterfalls, and keep an eye out for area wildlife: dolphins, penguins, seals, and a variety of birds.
You arrived a solo traveller and are leaving with many new friends. Say goodbye to your fellow Solo-ish travellers and depart at any time.
Included Meals:
Breakfast
Trip Inclusions
- Mt Eden Summit Walk.
- Cruise Lake Rotoiti to hot springs.
- Full day immersion with Kohutapu Lodge.
- Waitomo Glow Worm Caves.
- Visit to Kaikoura Seal Colony.
- Hike Hokitika Gorge.
- Franz Glacier Trek.
- Full Day Cruise at Doubtful Sound.
- Dinner Party: Dinner Party, Auckland
- Your Welcome Moment: Meet Your CEO and Group
- We Day: Mt Eden Summit Walk, Auckland
- We Day: Kohutapu Tribal Tour, Rotorua
- Your Discover Moment: Franz Josef
- Me Day: Queenstown Me Day, Queenstown
- Complimentary arrival transfer
- Mt Eden Summit Walk
- Cruise Lake Rotoiti to hot springs
- Free time in Rotorua
- Full day immersion with Kohutapu Lodge
- Waitomo Glow Worm Caves
- Visit to Kaikoura Seal Colony
- Free time in Kaikoura
- Hike Hokitika Gorge
- Franz Glacier Trek
- Free time in Franz Josef
- Full Day Cruise at Doubtful Sound
- Free time in Queenstown
- Transport to/from included activities
- Flight, private vehicle, boat, walking
- CEO (Chief Experience Officer) and local guides throughout
- Hotels (13 Nights)
- 8 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners
- Accommodation, itinerary and inclusions subject to change.
- Price is for land, cruise and internal flights as specified. Flights not specified are not included.
Operator
G Adventures came from a desire to deliver authentic and responsible small group travel adventures that were equally life-changing for travellers and the communities they visit. And we’re been doing just that for almost 30 years. Our award-winning trips span seven continents and over 100 countries, giving you meaningful more experiences with people, cultures, landscapes and wildlife, as well as offering you the freedom and flexibility to explore on your own.
On all of our tours, you get to know locals every step of the way, from the places you visit and stay to where you eat and drink. You’ll also get to experience our ‘G for Good’ social impact initiatives on-trip, including our industry-leading ‘Ripple Score’. This score measures, as a percentage, the amount of money that stays in the local community through on-trip services like accommodation, restaurants and transport.
On all of our tours, you get to know locals every step of the way, from the places you visit and stay to where you eat and drink. You’ll also get to experience our ‘G for Good’ social impact initiatives on-trip, including our industry-leading ‘Ripple Score’. This score measures, as a percentage, the amount of money that stays in the local community through on-trip services like accommodation, restaurants and transport.
Trip Style: Solo-ish Adventures
Travel solo, not alone. Solo-ish tours are designed just for independent travellers who want to see the world with a small group of like-minded people. These tours are exclusively for solo travellers, so you will never feel like the odd one out.
The first few days are designed to build fast connections, with shared meals, group activities, and time to get to know your new friends. With thoughtful perks like an included airport transfer and discounted solo room option, it's solo travel with a social twist.
Dates & Pricing
USD
Sunday
24 May 2026
24 May 26
Auckland
Saturday
06 Jun 2026
06 Jun 26
Queenstown
Details
Definite Departure
Exclusive Savings
Was: $5,089
US$3,817
Save $1,272
Multi Share (Per Personpp)
Note
A definite departure means minimum numbers have been reached for this departure to operate. Your Global Journeys Travel Advisor will check the availability of your departure date when you Inquire. Additional savings may apply. T&C’s apply.
A definite departure means minimum numbers have been reached for this departure to operate. Your Global Journeys Travel Advisor will check the availability of your departure date when you Inquire. Additional savings may apply. T&C’s apply.
Note
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by G Adventures. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from the cruise-line and should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by G Adventures. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from the cruise-line and should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
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