15 Self-Guided Tours in New Zealand to Build a Day Around

Queen Charlotte Track: Cruise & Self-Guided Hike from Picton - Leaving Picton through the Marlborough Sounds

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 383 reviews · 8h 30m · from $66Our pick

Cruise from Picton to Ship Cove, hike the Queen Charlotte Track through native bush, and return by water for a full day in Marlborough Sounds.

“Great walk although a long day for my poor feet! Beautiful scenery all along the way. FYI there is a small shop at Resolution Bay, selling icecream, coffee and cake. Yes, cake! BYO keep cup for free tea/coffee on the boat. Cups bot provided as they kept blowing off the boat into the pristine Sound! The beer at Furneaux Lodge at the end was the perfect end to an excellent NZ outdoor experience.”

Check availability →Read our full review

Cycling Tours, Guided, Marlborough Tours, Self-Guided Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Wine Tours, Wine Tours in Marlborough

Self-Guided Wine Tours by Bike with Lorelle & Greg

2.Self-Guided Wine Tours by Bike with Lorelle & Greg

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 304 reviews · from $43Top rated

Cycle quiet Marlborough roads between Renwick wineries with bikes, wine panniers, shuttle service, tasting tips, and flexible self-guided routes.

“Jo and Steve provided great guidance on creating a memorable biking wine tasting route. Their bikes were comfortable and well maintained. It’s a great way to enjoy the Marlborough wine region!”

Check availability →Read our full review

Guided, Hiking & Trekking, Rotorua Tours, Self-Guided Tours, Tour Reviews, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Rotorua

Volcanic Valley Self Guided Walking and Hiking at Waimangu

3.Volcanic Valley Self Guided Walking and Hiking at Waimangu

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 248 reviews · from $46

Walk Waimangu Volcanic Valley at your own pace, seeing steaming lakes, Inferno Crater, native bush, and Lake Rotomahana with a shuttle back.

“Was a lovely area Lil disappointed I couldn’t do the full walk or boat due to renovations but what I did was mesmerising. Thankful the bus journey back up and the lil tour guide chat from the driver as I went in to explore areas he’d spoken about”

Check availability →Read our full review

Abel Tasman Cruises & Walks, Cruises & Boat Tours, Guided, National Parks, Nelson & Abel Tasman Tours, Sailing, Self-Guided Tours, Tour Reviews, Walking Tours

Abel Tasman National Park: Sailing and Self-Guided Walk

4.Abel Tasman National Park: Sailing and Self-Guided Walk

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 238 reviews · 8 hours · from $80

Sail past seals and Split Apple Rock, then walk from Anchorage Bay through Abel Tasman National Park to Marahau for $80.

“The boat was enjoyable and hosts and skipper were great. It was not overbooked so room to move around the boat easily. The walk back was easy and mostly shaded with access to beach stops. Would recommend”

Check availability →Read our full review

Cycling Tours, Full-Day, Guided, Marlborough Tours, Self-Guided Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Wine Tours, Wine Tours in Marlborough

Marlborough: Full-Day Self-Guided Biking Wine Tour

5.Marlborough: Full-Day Self-Guided Biking Wine Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 221 reviews · 1 day · from $41

Cycle Marlborough’s flat vineyard roads, visit up to 12 nearby wineries, and enjoy a flexible self-guided wine day with hotel transfers.

“Roo was a fantastic driver/bicycle set up & tour/map guide! Even though it was cold and rainy, we had a great time, got some exercise and drank good wine. 🍷 Cheers!!”

Check availability →Read our full review

Cycling Tours, Full-Day, Guided, Marlborough Tours, Self-Guided Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Wine Tours, Wine Tours in Marlborough

Self-Guided Biking Wine Tour (full day) in the Marlborough Region.

6.Self-Guided Biking Wine Tour (full day) in the Marlborough Region.

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 206 reviews · from $43

Cycle Marlborough’s flat vineyard roads at your own pace with bike hire, hotel pickup, wine map, bottle collection, and winery choice.

“Andy presented us with a map and gave a quick guide on the local area vineyards. Unfortunately it was very busy as a cruise ship was in and we hadn’t booked any wine tours or lunch in advance. Managed to get lunch as we booked straight away: a lot of people were happy to have platters though. We also did tasters on our own.”

Check availability →Read our full review

Geothermal Parks & Hot Pools, Guided, Self-Guided Tours, Taupo & Tongariro Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Self-Guided Geothermal Tour in Orakei Korako

7.Self-Guided Geothermal Tour in Orakei Korako

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 178 reviews · from $35

Explore Orakei Korako’s geysers, mud pools, silica terraces, and rare geothermal cave on a flexible self-guided walk near Taupo.

“Very different experience to thermal pool site previously visited. Less touristy a good alternative to the Rotarua site. Small cafe onsite but be warned no toilets on explore site. The crossover by boat provides a good view of the area. The site is Read more”

Check availability →Read our full review

Bike Tours in Queenstown, Cycling Tours, Guided, Queenstown Tours, Self-Guided Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Queenstown: Self-Guided Gibbston Valley Wineries Bike Tour

8.Self-Guided Gibbston Valley Wineries Bike Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 128 reviews · 5 hours - 450 minutes · from $56

Bike the Gibbston Valley wine trail from Queenstown with shuttle transport, mountain bikes or e-bikes, cellar doors, river views, and flexible stops.

“We had a great day biking around the wineries. We managed to fit 2 into the half day tour enjoying a wine tasting at the first one. Highly recommend the e bike as it is a fair ride to the first winery.”

Check availability →Read our full review

Cycling Tours, Guided, Half-Day, Rotorua Tours, Self-Guided Tours, Tour Reviews

Half-Day Self-Guided Mountain Bike Journey through Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest

9.Half-Day Self-Guided Mountain Bike Journey through Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 124 reviews · from $34

Ride Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa Redwood Forest on a half-day bike hire, with quality bikes, local trail advice, helmets, and 160 km of paths.

“The outfit you with bike and helmet. Remember to bring gloves and water bottle. The mountain biking here is the best I’ve ever experienced, and I only did one percent of the trails. I can’t wait to come back someday and try different trails. The 3 to 4 hour experience was a great idea and Viator was great and communicating and for a reasonable price.”

Check availability →Read our full review

Guided, Milford Sound Tours, Self-Guided Tours, Tour Reviews, Walking Tours

Milford Sound: Self-Guided Milford Track Day Walk

10.Self-Guided Milford Track Day Walk

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 114 reviews · 3h 30m · from $44

Walk Milford Track from Sandfly Point to Giant Gate Falls on an easy 3.5-hour outing with a short water taxi ride and spectacular scenery.

“Great hike! Took us 3 hrs in and back from the waterfall. We waited lass than 5 minutes for a boat pickup when we were done. The only thing I would warn anyone about is those pesky sandflies. We sprayed lemon eucalyptus on ourselves and it pretty much did the trick. Wear a buff at the waterfall if you don’t have a face net. We ate lunch as we walked back because the flies were everywhere and landed on the food.”

Check availability →Read our full review

Guided, Rotorua Tours, Self-Guided Tours, Tickets, Tour Reviews, Walking Tours, Walking Tours in Rotorua

Rotorua: Waimangu Volcanic Valley Ticket & Self-Guided Walk

11.Waimangu Volcanic Valley Ticket & Self-Guided Walk

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 104 reviews · from $38

Explore Rotorua’s Waimangu Volcanic Valley on self-guided trails to Inferno Crater, Frying Pan Lake, hot springs, and native forest.

“Great sites to see and very friendly staff. Highly recommend”

Check availability →Read our full review

Bike Tours in Queenstown, Cycling Tours, Guided, Queenstown Tours, Self-Guided Tours, Tour Reviews

Queenstown: Self-Guided Bike Ride on the Arrow Bridges Trail

12.Self-Guided Bike Ride on the Arrow Bridges Trail

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 96 reviews · 4 hours · from $56

Ride from Arrowtown through river gorges and over suspension bridges to Gibbston wine country on a flexible 15 km bike trail.

“Still the best activity in Queenstown. The bikes are great and the instructions are so on point. Then the rest is up to you, how fast you go, what you stop to see, it is what you make it!! Our family loved it and would recommend to everyone. I would recommend the e-bikes, we love to ride but with the hills it just made the day so much more enjoyable.”

Check availability →Read our full review

Bike Tours in Napier, Cycling Tours, Guided, Napier Tours, Self-Guided Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Hawkes Bay Wineries Self-Guided Bike Tour

13.Hawkes Bay Wineries Self-Guided Bike Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 83 reviews · from $40

Ride flat Hawke’s Bay trails between top wineries, with bike, helmet, map, and summer wine pickup included for $40.34.

“Fabulous bike rental company in the middle of Hawke’s Bay wine region. Great bikes which were easy to ride on the flat bike paths. Fabulous scenery and close to lots of wineries.”

Check availability →Read our full review

Bike Tours in Napier, Cycling Tours, Guided, Napier Tours, Self-Guided Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Wine Tours, Wine Tours in Napier

Great Escape Self-Guided Scenic Cycle Winery Tour from Napier

14.Great Escape Self-Guided Scenic Cycle Winery Tour from Napier

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 75 reviews · from $49

Cycle 28km from Napier through wetlands, coast, river trails, and Hawke’s Bay wineries, with bikes, maps, backup, and a 4pm shuttle included.

“We loved the bike ride, it allowed us to travel at our own pace and stop where we wanted. Appreciated having 4 wineries to tour and if you set it up the bike Co. Will pick up your wine.”

Check availability →Read our full review