Fantastic New Zealand South Island itinerary planned by Michelle at Once Upon a Trip!
New Zealand
|
Nov 3 - Nov 23, 2025
Michelle listened to our trip goals carefully, then created a fantastic itinerary! The lodging, activities, and pace were great. Over 20 nights, 3,000 km of auto travel, 6 hikes, 2 cycling trail rides, and many other fun activities, everything went perfect! We appreciate the creativity when we had to delay the start of our trip by two days to jump in and start as if nothing was missed. Many thanks to Michelle for a terrific experience on the South island of New Zealand!
Hotel Reviews
Where one night in Queenstown is enough, this is the place to stay! Welcoming staff, great happy hour, wonderful rooms!
Cruising Milford Sound and staying onboard this ship was fantastic! Captain Jack is an amazing host. We were guests during a torrential rainstorm and the waterfalls were unbelievable! Kayaking was really fun, even in the rain and cold! A great time!
A little outside the entertainment and shopping district. Nice otherwise.
What a great experience! The chalets were very, very nice! The wine tasting terrific, and in room breakfasts really nice. Cycling the 40km Dunstan Lake Trail was the best activity of our trip!
Great experience to stay at this lodge in the NP. Unique experience to arrive and depart by water taxi. Loved the food too! Our 15km hike through forests and beaches was exhilarating. Could have stayed longer! This is a favorite of our trip!
Sue Ellen is a terrific host at this special lodge! Her happy hour and breakfasts were fantastic. The lodge is beautiful, has great views of the Hokitika River, and is luxurious. Our 50km cycle on the Western Track was so much fun!! Hokitika is one of our favorite beach towns! So original!
Rooms were a bit dark and not comfortable.
Great hotel/lodge! Rooms a bit spartan, but the common areas, bar, and patio were exceptional. The jet boat on the river and the 4wd on the nearby livestock station made for an exciting and informative day!
Joan and Ross have an amazing lodge! What a special experience Prospect Lodge is. Only two guest rooms makes this unique. The breakfasts were the best ever! The view of Lake Te Anau and the mountains is Georgeous! Rooms are first class! Our 15km heli-hike on the Kepler Track was unbelievable fun. Seeing the glow worms in the cave was the most unique experience and great fun!
This was one of the most unique experiences we ever had! The Pure Pod was spectacular and the provided food excellent! Stewart Island is a special place! We loved our 20km hike to Prince William hut. Enjoying a clear night and the southern sky from the pod is breathtaking!
The right place to be in Dunedin! Beach. Surfers, and great evening fun!
We loved staying at the Montreal! Close to the entertainment section of Christchurch and spacious rooms. We saw the best of Christchurch from this welcoming hotel.
Activity Reviews
Our jet boat captain Ben was so much fun! But he was also very knowledgeable and made this a really enjoyable experience. Loved learning about the beech forests!
Chris was our 4wd guide and did a great job teaching us about the station (farm) operations. Fantastic!
This was the best cycle adventure we could have imagined! Challenging and beautiful. Of course we were on standard bikes!
Absolutely great hike! We had 100km wind and driving rain shortly after being let off the heli! Wow! Such beautiful views at the top, and great forests on the way down.
Really fun experience! The caves are spectacular to see.
This is must do in when travelling NZ! We lucked out with a rainstorm during our first day creating hundreds of waterfalls. Captain Jack was terrific!
We enjoyed learning about the penguins and walking the track. Absolute beauty! Great time.
Kia Ora and thanks so much for your review and the honest ratings of the accommodation. You certainly covered some ground didn't you! I am glad we were able to step in and make those late adjustments to the start of the trip, I think that is definately a part of the service that you get with a travel agent that is not appreciated until the time comes that you need it. Happy future travels with Kimkim!