Southern Alps · New Zealand
New Zealand
Southern Alps & Glacier Lakes
- Best time
- November to March
- Location
- New Zealand
About New Zealand
New Zealand is two long islands sitting on a plate boundary, which is why it has so much scenery for its size: the Southern Alps run 500 km down the South Island with 3,000 m peaks and glaciers reaching almost to the sea, and the North Island has an active volcanic zone with geysers, mud pools and three cones in a row at Tongariro. The lakes are that improbable milky turquoise because glacial meltwater carries suspended rock flour. It is also a country you cross by road — nothing is far, everything is slow, and the drives are the trip rather than the gap between stops. November to March is the southern summer, with the Great Walks open and the passes clear.
Good to know
- Flight time
- 17h from Delhi via Singapore or Sydney
- Currency
- New Zealand Dollar (NZD)
- Language
- English and te reo Māori
- Visa
- Visitor visa required, apply 4 – 6 weeks ahead
What you'll do
The four we'd book first
Milford Sound at eight
On the water before the Queenstown coaches arrive, under Mitre Peak's 1,692 m and whatever the fjord's seven metres of annual rain is doing.
The Tasman glacier lake
A boat among icebergs calved off the country's longest glacier, in water grey with rock flour, under Aoraki at 3,724 m.
Whakarewarewa, Rotorua
A living Māori village built on a geothermal field, where the cooking is still done in steam boxes over the vents.
The Church of the Good Shepherd
A small stone chapel on the shore of Lake Tekapo, in one of the world's largest dark-sky reserves.
Curated itineraries
New Zealand packages
Milford Sound before the day buses, lakes the colour of ground rock, and geothermal country in the middle of the North Island.
Signature14D | 13NBoth Islands in Fourteen Days
- Milford Sound cruise on an early departure
- Whakarewarewa village and the Waitomo glowworms
- Aoraki and the Tekapo dark-sky reserve
- Auckland
- Rotorua
- Queenstown
- Milford Sound
- Tekapo
Both Islands in Fourteen Days — New Zealand, 14D | 13N, from ₹3,44,900Per person, starting from*
₹3,44,900, reduced from
₹4,89,800
Honeymoon12D | 11NNew Zealand for Two
- Helicopter landing on the Tasman glacier
- Overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound
- Marlborough cellar doors by bicycle
- Queenstown
- Milford Sound
- Wanaka
- Marlborough
New Zealand for Two — New Zealand, 12D | 11N, from ₹4,24,900Per person, starting from*
₹4,24,900, reduced from
₹6,03,400
Family14D | 13NNew Zealand with the Family
- Shotover jet boat through the canyons
- Luge carts and zorbing at Rotorua
- A high-country sheep station day
- Auckland
- Rotorua
- Queenstown
- Tekapo
- Christchurch
New Zealand with the Family — New Zealand, 14D | 13N, from ₹4,04,900Per person, starting from*
₹4,04,900, reduced from
₹5,75,000
Luxury15D | 14NThe Lodges & the Helicopter
- Helicopter transfers between lodges
- Heli-picnic on a Fiordland beach
- Private guiding at every lodge
- Bay of Islands
- Hawke's Bay
- Queenstown
- Fiordland
The Lodges & the Helicopter — New Zealand, 15D | 14N, from ₹7,49,900Per person, starting from*
₹7,49,900, reduced from
₹10,64,900
Adventure15D | 14NMilford, Routeburn & the Tongariro
- Four days on the Milford Track
- The Tongariro Alpine Crossing
- The Routeburn over the Harris Saddle
- Tongariro
- Queenstown
- Routeburn
- Milford Track
Milford, Routeburn & the Tongariro — New Zealand, 15D | 14N, from ₹4,34,900Per person, starting from*
₹4,34,900, reduced from
₹6,17,600
Culture16D | 15NMāori Aotearoa
- A night on a marae with a pōwhiri
- Carving and weaving at the Rotorua schools
- Te Papa's taonga with a Māori curator
- Auckland
- Waitangi
- Rotorua
- Wellington
- Kaikōura
Māori Aotearoa — New Zealand, 16D | 15N, from ₹4,64,900Per person, starting from*
₹4,64,900, reduced from
₹6,60,200
*Per person on twin sharing. Prices move with season and availability — we confirm yours in writing before anything is booked.
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Plan this trip
Tell us how you'd like to see New Zealand.
Any of these six is a starting point, not a fixed menu. Send us the dates and who's travelling, and a planner will come back with a version built round you — usually within twelve hours.