Is a small group tour the best way to see New Zealand?

New Zealand is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places on earth. It offers everything your adventurous heart could hope to see in one place. You can slide down sand dunes, explore hidden coves from a kayak, hike a glacier, fly over breathtaking alps, tube through caves and play in the snow. It offers the rich culture and history of the Maori people, adventure activities and amazing food and wine too. It really has it all.

It’s no surprise New Zealand is on many people’s bucket list and, trust me, one trip will never be enough. If you’re thinking of visiting, whether it’s a return trip or your first time, I recommend a tour. You get to see so much more than you would travelling independently and, thanks to your tour leader, will learn, see and do a huge amount.

I did a tour with a small group operator here in New Zealand and wanted to share my experience and why this style of travel might just be the best way to see the country.

Planning your trip?
•••
Hotels, I use Agoda
Insurance: Cover-More
Rentals: Discover Cars
RVs: Motorhome Republic
Transfers: Welcome Pickups
Travel eSIM: Simify

I register as an affiliate for anything I use and recommend. Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means that if you click them and make a purchase, I may earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you, and in some cases, these links may even unlock savings or give you bonuses I’ve negotiated. You can find out more about this here and here.

---

What is a small group New Zealand tour?

An excellent question, my travel-loving friend. Small group tour operators in New Zealand specialise in keeping things personal by capping groups at around 16 people. Why does this matter? Because you actually get to know every person on the tour and, trust me, it makes for a really fun, memorable experience.

The cool thing about this style of tour is that it’s flexible. When you book, you pay a base rate that covers transport, accommodation and breakfast. Then you can opt to add on experiences like skydiving and bungy jumping. If you’re on a budget, you do fewer activities. If you want to go all out, you can add as many as you like. Our guide Andy would show us the upcoming options and, if we wanted to do them, he’d sort it out on the road. Read my tips on things to know before doing a group tour here.

24 days of New Zealand awesomeness…

I jumped on a 24-day tour of New Zealand because I figured if I was going over there, I wanted to see as much as possible. The tour started and ended in Auckland, taking us to the very best spots in the North and South Islands. Thinking about the tour, I don’t really know where to start to tell you how much fun I had. Every day was packed with big laughs, big adventures and amazing sights. It single-handedly reignited my love for group tours and how much fun they can be.

Not just a booze cruise…

Yes, there is booze and yes, there’s a whole lot of fun that goes down each and every day. But we also learned a lot on our tour, which is really important to me. If I’m visiting a place, I want to learn about the history and culture too. We visited Waitangi, where we learned about the Waitangi Treaty and the history of the Maori people, their culture and how New Zealand was formed.

We also took a visit to the amazing Mitai Maori Village, another chance to learn about Maori culture and history and see an incredibly powerful haka. The trip to Mitai will stay with me forever. It was a fantastic experience and gave me so much appreciation for the Maori people’s traditions and culture.

Things I worried about

Going into the tour, I had a few concerns. Staying in hostels as an adult felt like it could go either way, and I was a little nervous my tour group would be a bunch of eighteen-year-olds wanting to go hard every night while I sat in the corner nursing a quiet beer. My third worry was simply not getting on with people. Turns out, all of it was completely unnecessary.

Rolling into a hostel as a group meant we pretty much dominated. Andy would tell us how many to a room, we’d divide up and go settle in. Every night was like a sleepover with your mates and it was genuinely fun. We’d jump into our bunks and spend a few hours talking and laughing about the day. The hostels we stayed at were fantastic and it reminded me how enjoyable hostel life can be because of the people you meet.

My tour group was a great mix of ages. Everyone got on well and we became close friends quickly. We’d get together at night to cook dinner and share a few drinks. There were the occasional big nights out, but for the most part everyone was on the same page, wanting to mix fun evenings with big days of adventure and sightseeing.

My trip highlights!

There are so many highlights from the trip, I struggle to choose my favourites. I really think the people on the tour made it even more amazing than it already was. We bonded and became a group of good friends quickly, which made our days extremely fun and filled with laughs. A few of the nights out we had were some of the best I’ve ever had.

My favourite places we visited would have to be Cathedral Cove along the Coromandel and the incredibly beautiful Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki. Of course, Wanaka and Queenstown deserve their own mentions because they’re always stunning. My favourite activities were the insanely good scenic flight to Milford Sound, which you can read about here. I also loved heli-hiking the Franz Josef Glacier, underworld caving and tubing in Punakaiki and my day trip from Paihia to 90 Mile Beach.

Why choose a small group New Zealand tour?

There are a lot of tour companies running trips around New Zealand, so why would you go small group? What makes this style of travel worth choosing over a larger operator?

I loved my tour because it’s built around the idea that small groups are better, which is dead right. The size of our group made all the difference. I was able to get to know the guide and my tour mates really well, really quickly. Once that happened, I felt like I was there with friends, which meant I relaxed and had a lot of fun. There was never a moment where I felt alone or homesick.

Great stops, well-organised optional activities and a genuinely laid-back vibe meant the tour never felt like a military operation. If we wanted to stay longer somewhere, we could. If the energy dropped, our guide would pack us up and we’d head off.

If you’re planning a trip to New Zealand and tossing up how to do it, I’d strongly recommend the small group format. You visit amazing places, form real friendships and come away with memories you’ll hold onto for a long time.

Frequently asked questions about small group tours in New Zealand

Is a small group tour suitable for solo travellers?

It’s one of the best options for solo travel in New Zealand. The small group size means you form real connections quickly, and the guide takes care of all the logistics so you can just focus on having a good time.

What’s the difference between adventure tours and tours aimed at older travellers?

Some operators, including those running tours under the Haka name, offer separate products for different age groups. Adventure-focused tours are aimed at younger travellers and use hostel-style accommodation with a flexible add-on activity model. Tours aimed at travellers in their mid-thirties and up tend to use more comfortable accommodation and include more experiences in the base price. Both follow the same small-group philosophy.

Can you still heli-hike Franz Josef Glacier?

Yes. The heli-hike at Franz Josef is still one of the most impressive things you can do in New Zealand. The glacier is accessible only by helicopter, and guides take you through constantly changing ice formations, crevasses and caves. Book early, especially in peak season, as weather cancellations are common on the West Coast.

How many people are on a small group New Zealand tour?

Groups are typically capped at 16 people, which is the core reason this style of travel works so well. You actually get to know everyone, and the guide can be flexible and responsive in a way that’s impossible on a large coach tour.

What’s included in the base tour price?

The base rate typically covers transport, accommodation and daily breakfast. Activities like skydiving, bungy jumping and scenic flights are optional add-ons, which means you control how much you spend once you’re on the road.

---

---