New Zealand 8-Day Self-Drive Tours & Itineraries

Explore 4 self-drive trips designed by local kimkim specialists to get ideas for your trip to New Zealand.
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Rotorua
Map of Self-Drive New Zealand: The North Island Bucket List - 8 Days
Self-Drive New Zealand: The North Island Bucket List - 8 Days

Experience the highlights of New Zealand's North Island on this eight-day self-drive adventure from Auckland to Wellington. Explore national parks and hot springs, see real Hobbit homes, and immerse yourself in the rich Indigenous culture and history. This journey includes many options for an adrenaline rush, as well as relaxing spa treatments to unwind and rejuvenate. This is the best way to see the North Island at your own pace!

You'll drive alongside striking turquoise Lake Tekapo on the South Island
Map of Self-Drive New Zealand: Lakes, Mountains & Glaciers - 8 Days
Self-Drive New Zealand: Lakes, Mountains & Glaciers - 8 Days

Explore the beauty of New Zealand's South Island at your own pace with this self-drive tour. You'll start in Christchurch and drive through incredible villages to Queenstown. Next, you'll explore national parks before taking one of the world's greatest train journeys back to Christchurch. Get your adrenaline rush in along the way by bungee jumping, heli-skiing, and mountain biking!

Wellington's iconic century-old furnicular
Map of New Zealand North Island Road Trip: Auckland to Wellington - 8 Days
New Zealand North Island Road Trip: Auckland to Wellington - 8 Days

See the North Island from top to bottom on this eight-day New Zealand road trip. Get to know the "City of Sails" in Auckland, then set out into the rainforests of Waitakere and the lush farmland of Waikato. Visit Hobbit houses in the real Middle-earth and venture into glowworm-illuminated caves, then follow the smell of sulfur to Rotorua and its geothermal wonders. After hiking to the dormant volcanoes of Tongariro National Park, end your adventure among the quirky urban charm of Wellington.

Stay two nights in Wanaka where you'll have free time to hike
Map of New Zealand South Island Nature Tour - 8 Days
New Zealand South Island Nature Tour - 8 Days

This adventurous eight-day road trip across New Zealand's South Island combines a number of unforgettable nature experiences. Pick up a rental car in Christchurch, then venture south to the therapeutic hot pools at Lake Tekapo. Capture views over Aoraki / Mount Cook and Westland National Park with a scenic flight, then leap from a plane above beautiful Wanaka. Finally, discover enchanting glowworm caves in Te Anau, and embark on a mesmerizing fjord cruise across Milford Sound / Piopiotahi.

Other durations: 7 days · 8 days · 9 days · 10 days · 11 days · 12 days · 13 days · 14 days · 15 days · 16 days · 17 days · 19 days · 20 days · 21 days