New Zealand 360°: From Auckland to Queenstown
New Zealand 360°: From Auckland to Queenstown
The trip in a nutshell
Self-driven tour
This is a self-driven tour: Please let us know if you are willing to drive on this trip.
Watch out because you are one step closer to realizing one of your dreams: a trip to New Zealand! New Zealand comprises two main islands, the North Island and the South Island, along with numerous smaller islands, and is characterized by breathtaking scenery, with snow-capped mountains, pristine lakes, fjords, rolling hills and sandy beaches. We will visit both islands, enjoying an on-the-road itinerary all about nature and adventure - which is just what is great about these lands so far from home.
Our journey starts in Auckland, where we will take possession of our cars and head to Rotorua, but not before stopping at Hobbiton, the famous film set of The Lord of the Rings. We will visit geysers, lakes and waterfalls, fully immersing ourselves in the nature of this incredible country, before arriving in Wellington, where we will take a ferry to the South Island. In Kaikoura we will have the opportunity to join a whale-watching excursion before proceeding to Christchurch and then on to the Franz Josef Glacier, which drops to just 300 meters above sea level. The trip will end in Queenstown, a vibrant city where we will enjoy the last few days before returning home.
Trip type
360º - it's our great classic that allows you to discover the destination in all its aspects. We recommend packing a backpack rather than a suitcase as there will be lots of moving around.
Physical rating
MODERATE - this itinerary may involve hiking or other activities that require a moderate amount of physical effort. Be prepared for some potential long transfers and early wake up calls!
Entry requirements
For UK nationals, please visit the gov.uk website. For all other passport holders, please refer to your national government website.
Arrival and departure
This trip begins in Auckland and ends in Queenstown. Aim to arrive by 5pm on the first day, on the last day you are free to leave whenever!
What's included
13 nights accommodation in shared rooms
Rental car from day 2 to day 13
Ferry from Wellington to Picton
Travel coordinator services
Free cancellation with 100% refund up to 31 days before departure
Itinerary
Welcome to NZ!
Check-in: our adventure begins in Auckland!
Roundtrip flights or transportation to reach the destination are not included in the package, so you can decide from where and when you want to leave! This gives you complete freedom of choice to adjust your travel itinerary to your needs.
Welcome to New Zealand! An exciting step onto this far-off land. Our journey commences in Auckland, not the capital, so mind the geography! Let's explore and find the perfect spot for our first evening together. Adventure awaits!
Included: overnight stay
Not included: airport transfer, food and drinks
Hobbiton Village
Hobbiton Village
Our New Zealand wilderness journey commences today. We collect our rentals and head south. Recognize the Shire? The same from Lord of the Rings, where Frodo and Bilbo resided. Our day includes a Shire tour before we proceed to Rotorua, our final stop.
The Geothermal Park of Te Puia
Onwards to Rotorua! Our destination, the adventure hub of the North Island. After our journey, we'll check in at the hotel, freshen up, and embark on a night tour to Te Puia Geothermal Park. Ever witnessed a geyser at night? If not, it's time to catch up and check this off our list too!
Included: overnight stay and rental car
Money Pot: petrol and overnight excursion to Te Puia geothermal park
Not included: food and drinks
Rotorua
Time for some fun!
Rotorua, a mesmerizing city blending nature's charm, geothermal marvels, vibrant Māori heritage, and thrilling escapades. Up for a dash of adrenaline? Begin with morning rafting, then unwind. Afternoon offers spa serenity or exploration of the surroundings. Tonight, let's savor authentic hangi cuisine, a delectable combo of fish, meat, and veggies oven-cooked.
Included: overnight stay and rental car
Money Pot: petrol and rafting activity
Not included: food and drinks
Taupo Lake: the largest lake in New Zealand
Taupo Lake
Lake Taupo is New Zealand's largest lake and one of the country's most scenic and significant natural attractions. It is located in the central part of the North Island, surrounded by volcanic landscapes and lush forests. Lake Taupo's crystal-clear waters offer opportunities for swimming, boating, fishing and water sports, while the picturesque shoreline offers breathtaking views and a tranquil atmosphere. But before we get to Lake Taupo we will make at least a couple of stops: nearby we have wonderful hot pools, geysers, and we can even take a walk in the Rainbow Mountains - no, of course they are not the ones in Peru, but they are just as beautiful!
Included: overnight stay and rental car
Money Pot: petrol and any entrance fees
Not included: food and drinks
Tongariro National Park
Stunning scenery
Greetings, WeRoaders! Rise and shine, our journey continues! Our goal: Tongariro National Park, a natural wonder uniting geology, culture, and adventure. Hike, explore, and immerse in Māori legends amid volcanic marvels, emerald lakes, and rugged peaks. Choose from diverse trails, including the famed Tongariro Alpine Crossing (19.4 km). The day concludes in Wellington, arriving late afternoon/evening. Join us for a day of awe-inspiring experiences!
Included: overnight stay and rental car
Money Pot: petrol and any tickets, entrance fees and excursions
Not included: food and drinks
Discovering Wellington
The capital city
Welcome to Wellington, the capital at the southern tip of the North Island! A cultural hub with stunning harbor views, artistry, and scenic beauty. Nestled amid hills and glistening Wellington Harbor, the city's Oriental Bay waterfront is a local hotspot, boasting beaches, promenades, and breathtaking vistas. Today, we embrace Wellington's charm, bid farewell to the North Island, and tomorrow, a ferry transports us to the enchanting South Island
Included: overnight stay and rental car
Money Pot: petrol and any tickets, entrance fees and excursions
Not included: food and drinks
South Island
Journeying south
Alpine wonders, fjords, idyllic beaches, lively cities, and nature's splendor—the South Island exceeds expectations! Rise and shine, it's ferry time to the South Island. After a three-hour crossing, we arrive in Picton. A delightful lunch awaits before we hit the road toward Kaikoura. Rest up, for tomorrow's sunrise signals a new island adventure!
Included: overnight stay, ferry and rental car
Money Pot: petrol
Not included: food and drinks
Whale watching in Kaikoura and Christchurch
Whale watching
Good morning, South Island! Our journey lands us in Kaikoura, a coastal gem renowned for its vibrant marine life. Nestled along a deep underwater canyon, wildlife thrives here. Whale watching steals the spotlight, and we're all aboard for a Moby Dick spotting at dawn! After the adventure, we're off to Christchurch. Backpacks stowed, we hit the town to uncover its charm in a few splendid hours!
Included: overnight stay and rental car
Money Pot: petrol, whale watching excursion
Not included: food and drinks
On the road to Franz Joseph
A scenic journey
Buckle up for a scenic ride! Today's journey from Christchurch to Franz Josef Glacier is a feast for the eyes. As we clock the kilometers, diverse landscapes and wonders unfold. Highlights en route include Arthur's Pass National Park, a rugged alpine haven, Castle Hill's captivating rock formations, and charming Hokitika, perfect for a seaside lunch or quick snack stop. Let the beauty of the road reward every mile!
Included: overnight stay and rental car
Money Pot: petrol, any tickets or entrances fees
Not included: food and drinks
New Zealand's glaciers: Fox and Franz Jospeh
Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers
Today is all about Westland Tai Poutini National Park, a UNESCO gem housing New Zealand's star glacier, the majestic Franz Josef. We can choose to book an excursion to fly over it in a helicopter combined with a glacier trek, or we can devote ourselves to a beautiful nature walk in the area, venturing through the park's trails-it will be up to us to decide! Words fall short, experience reveals the enchantment. Franz Josef's spellbinding allure awaits!
Included: overnight stay and rental car
Money Pot: petrol and any tickets or entrance fees
Not included: food and drinks
**Helicopter excursion to the glacier is optional and paid for by participants separately
On the way to Queenstown
Lake Wanaka
Back on the road! Our final stop is Queenstown! But before we arrive in town let's enjoy nature again: we will make a rejuvenating stop at Lake Wanaka! Lake Wanaka is indeed renowned for its picturesque beauty and covers an area of 192 square kilometers, making it the fourth largest lake in New Zealand. Its crystal-clear waters reflect the surrounding snow-capped mountains, creating a picture-postcard setting-it's the perfect place to enjoy some well-deserved rest before heading to Queenstown!
Included: overnight stay and rental car
Money Pot: petrol and any tickets or entrance fees
Not included: food and drinks
Fiordland National Park or Queenstown?
The choice is ours
Today we'll let you choose: it's been a long journey, the miles have been many, and we definitely need a break from driving but ... how can we say no to an excursion to the beautiful Milford Sound fjord? This pristine natural attraction is part of the Fiordland National Park World Heritage Site on the South Island. The best way to visit it is by boat, and the road we will travel to get to this remote place will leave us speechless...but it is long, so the alarm clock will have to be set very early in the morning! Alternatively, there are plenty of options around Queensland, so the choice is ours!
Included: overnight stay and rental car
Money Pot: petrol and any tickets or entrance fees
Not included: food and drinks
Queenstown
A free day
After 12 days of travel, it's time to say goodbye to our rental cars and enjoy some well-deserved relaxation: today is a free day! Whether it's a day of shopping, resting, packing or adventure (bungee jumping was founded here, did you know?) the choice is exclusively ours! We will all meet again around late afternoon for our last beer together before we all go to dinner together: here's to us and to this fantastic adventure!
Included: overnight stay
Not included: food and drinks
Goodbye NZ!
Check out and goodbye
You are free to leave whenever! We hope to see you on another WeRoad adventure!
Not included: airport transfer, food and drinks
End of services. The itinerary may undergo some variations that differ from what is stated above. These variations may not be foreseen or dependent on WeRoad’s control, i.e. climate conditions, national holidays, strikes, etc.

The travel coordinators
Our travel coordinators are chosen because they are people like you. Not only are they the best travel buddy you could hope for, but they're trained professionals guaranteed to show you a travel experience like never before
Info to know
Staff
Our trips are led by a Travel Coordinator who has been specifically trained by us to lead group travels to ensure you have the best time. A WhatsApp group with all travel participants will be created two weeks prior to departure by your Travel Coordinator.
Luggage
Backpacks are mandatory to allow easy transfers - we recommend a 45L backpack for our trips.
Available dates
4 people interested
4 people interested
Group
2 WeRoaders
Group
2 WeRoaders
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
Round-trip flights are not included in any of our trips because we like to give you autonomy and flexibility: you can choose the airline you want to fly with, the departure airport that suits you best, and how many and which stops you want to make.
Since flights are not included, you also have more flexibility with your travel dates: if possible, you can arrive at your destination a few days earlier or return home a bit later – or even continue independently to a nearby destination!
This is the question of all questions, and here’s the answer, broken down into points!
The Money Pot is a common fund collected in local currency from all tour participants and managed by your Travel Coordinator.
It is used to streamline paymentsfor extra activities, goods and services that the whole group decides to do and to guarantee flexibility in choosing activities and excursions at the destination in line with the mood of the group.
It is typically collected on the first day of the trip in local currency, although at times, the Travel Coordinator may ask for it to be paid before departure.
You’ll find the amount of the money pot on the website under the section ‘What’s included in the money pot’ – how do you get there? Look for ‘What’s included’, scroll down to ‘Money pot? Click here’, and you’ll find the details.
The amount varies depending on the destination chosen.
It is used exclusively for group expenses that ALL participants decide to take part in.
It is estimated based on the experiences of other groups but can vary depending on the needs of the group itself. As such, the Travel Coordinator may need to increase the amount during the trip.
If not all of the money pot is used, the difference will be returned to all participants at the end of the trip in equal amounts.
The Money Pot also covers the Travel Coordinator’s share of the activities included in the money pot, except for those activities that are free for the Travel Coordinator.
If you pay in advance part of the money pot before the trip for certain non-refundable optional activities, unfortunately, the amount cannot be refunded in case of trip cancellation.
We offer several payment methods to meet all needs:
1. Credit or debit card from Visa, Mastercard, or American Express.
2. Installment payments for certain countries only
If you choose the deposit and balance option, you can pay the balance from your MyWeRoad Personal Area via bank transfer.
Anyone who books a WeRoad trip has the option to cancel or modify the trip – including both the dates and the destination – free of charge up to 31 days before departure. In case of cancellation, you will receive a 100% refund of the WeRoad trip price. If you make a change, a price adjustment will be applied to the new trip chosen – meaning, if the new trip is cheaper, we will refund the difference; if it’s more expensive, you will need to pay the difference.
If you’ve purchased the Flexible Cancellation Option (which you can add in the first step of the booking process), you can request a cancellation or trip change until 8 days before departure. In case of cancellation, you’ll receive a 100% refund of the WeRoad trip price, minus the cost of the Flexible Cancellation option.
How to request a cancellation or change to your trip? Send us an email at [email protected] or a WhatsApp on +447716573700. Please share the booking reference for the trip you want to cancel or change, and, in case of a change, the new trip you would like to join.
In general, we always choose local accommodations, avoiding large hotel chains, because we love to experience the culture of the place and, whenever possible, contribute to the local economy. Typically, our accommodations are hotels, apartments, guesthouses, and hostels run by local entrepreneurs, with the same standard maintained across all trips in the same destination.
For our Collection trips, which are our premium category, the accommodations are always 4 or 5-star or carefully selected boutique hotels.
The list of accommodations for your trip will be shared with you by your Travel Coordinator between 5 and 3 days before departure, along with other useful details for your adventure!
If you're wondering why WeRoad trips have a money pot, we’re assuming you already know what it is. If not, or if you have any doubts, we invite you to read all the information here!
Let’s quickly recap: The Money Pot is a common fund collected in local currency from all tour participants and managed by your Travel Coordinator. It’s used to speed up payments for extra activities, goods and services that the whole group decides to do and to guarantee flexibility in choosing activities and excursions at the destination in line with the mood of the group.
But let’s get to the point: why the money pot? First of all: it gives us a lot of flexibility. In all WeRoad trips you will have a bunch of Must See/Must Do activities already included - these are experiences, places or activities that simply cannot be missed! Any extra activities is decided by the group, why? Because each group is unique and may have particular wants or desires and the Money Pot allows each group to customise their trip to make it perfect for their requirements!
It also helps us speed up payments – imagine being in the subway in New York City, one by one purchasing the ticket...a nightmare right? Thanks to the Money Pot, the Travel Coordinator can simply purchase the tickets for everyone making the entire processes smoother! Any leftover money will be returned at the end of the trip and split equally amongst all participants.
In some destinations, buying goods or services on site is more economical as you are able to negotiate the price - places like Morocco, or South East Asia, bargaining is part of the culture. As such, our Travel Coordinators will be able to secure the best deal for all participants.
The amount of the money pot is specified in each trip – look for this button
which will take you to a detailed breakdown for each trip, like this:
WeRoad is not authorised to provide this information due to privacy reasons.
However, there is a solution - you can connect with your travel buddies by joining our Facebook group. Look for a post related to your trip, or ask the group admins for help in connecting with your future travel companions!
If a Travel Coordinator has already been assigned to the trip you're interested in, you can easily find their introduction post in the group via the website: in the tour list, click on 'Ask the coordinator', or in the trip details page, in the coordinator section, click on 'Ask [coordinator's name] for information on this trip in our Facebook group'. For both cases, see the screenshots below!
Tour List
Trip details page
In all our groups, the Travel Coordinator and participants speak English – knowing how to speak and understand English is therefore a fundamental requirement to participate in our trips.
On average the groups are made up of 6-15 people, with a minimum of 3/4 participants and a maximum of 15.
All our travellers are in theirs 20s, 30s and 40s. If you're very curios to know the age range of the group for a tour you're interested in, you can contact us by WhatsApp at +447716573700
Regarding the male-female ratio, this is not guaranteed and varies trip by trip.
The WeRoad Travel Coordinator is an experienced and skilled traveller and will be the perfect companion for your trip. They will be available for any eventuality and will manage all the logistical aspects of the itinerary (transports, timings, accommodations, meeting points, etc.), so you can enjoy the trip without any worries!
You will have the chance to get to know them when the WhatsApp group is created approximately 2 weeks before departure - this will be the moment to ask any pre-departure questions and get to know the rest of the group! If the trip you are interested in already has a Travel Coordinator assigned, you can contact them before booking – their details will be specified in the schedule or on the trip page, or you can search for their name here. After booking, you will find their contact details in your Personal Area, under ‘Bookings and Trips’ > ‘Your Upcoming Trips’ > ‘Trip Details’.
Yes, in all our trips you will share a room with other same-sex travellers, and the bathroom will either be private or shared only with fellow participants of the trip. The rooms we select can be doubles, triples, quadruples, or multi-bed (up to 8 people in exceptional cases), depending on the destination and availability.
There are never dorms with people outside the WeRoad group, except in certain cases for local experiences, which are specifically mentioned in the itinerary or communicated before booking. These typically involve specific nights in unique accommodations like tents, homestays, or camping, offering a more adventurous travel experience in exchange for some comfort.
During the booking process, you can also choose to opt for a mixed room: in this case, if needed, only those who have agreed to this option may share a room with travellers of a different sex. If you are booking for multiple people together and select this option, the room will not be exclusive to your group but may be shared with other travellers in the group.
When you set off on a WeRoad trip, you’re officially a WeRoader – and as we often say, 'Once a WeRoader, always a WeRoader'. This means that once you’re part of the community, a little piece of WeRoad will always stay with you, even if you no longer travel with us.
But you’re not just a WeRoader during your trips, far from it! The community is alive and active all year round: you can stay in touch by following and interacting on our social media channels, like the Facebook group or the Instagram profile. We can also meet up for a dinner or a trek together at one of the events organised by our coordinators around the world!