South Island Exploration review: the New Zealand tour that goes where the others stop
Fox Glacier, Milford Sound, the Catlins and two nights on Stewart Island — the only itinerary we list that reaches New Zealand's third island.
- ATOL & ABTA protected packages
- Internal flights & transfers arranged
- Escorted, multi-centre or private
- Departures into 2028
- Low deposits · pay in instalments
Our verdict
A genuinely wild New Zealand itinerary that keeps going after the point where most tours turn back. Stewart Island is the reason to book it — almost nothing else sold in the UK includes it.
In this review
Stewart Island is the whole point
Eighty-five percent of Stewart Island — Rakiura — is national park. There are around 400 residents, a single village at Oban, more kiwi than people, and a designated Dark Sky Sanctuary overhead, one of only a handful on the planet.
Two nights gives you a free day to walk in the national park, with optional kiwi spotting after dark and a cruise to Ulva Island, a predator-free reserve where the birdlife is what New Zealand sounded like before humans arrived. If you have any interest in birds at all, Ulva Island alone justifies the detour.
We've looked at a lot of New Zealand itineraries and this is the only one we list that goes there. That scarcity is most of the reason to choose this trip over a cheaper South Island circuit.
The West Coast section is superb
The run from Westport down to Fox Glacier is one of the great drives anywhere, and this itinerary takes its time over it. Cape Foulwind's seal colony, the Nile River rainforest train, then Punakaiki's Pancake Rocks and blowholes — layered limestone stacks that spout seawater when the swell is right.
Further south, Hokitika Gorge delivers water of an almost artificial turquoise, and the Lake Matheson walk near Fox Glacier gives you the reflection shot of Aoraki/Mount Cook that appears on half the postcards in the country. Getting it requires a still morning, which is luck — but two nights at Fox Glacier gives you two chances.
The Sydney nights: bonus or padding?
Three of the fifteen nights are in Sydney — two at the start and one at the end at the Marriott on Circular Quay. Whether that's a bonus or dead weight depends entirely on you.
If you haven't been to Sydney, it's a free introduction to a great city, and the final night at Circular Quay is a genuinely nice piece of scheduling. If you have, it's three nights and a chunk of the £5,749 not being spent in New Zealand, and you may prefer a direct Christchurch itinerary.
A word on the September departure
The lead-in date is mid-September, which is early spring in the South Island. Expect snow still on the peaks, waterfalls at full volume from the melt, and genuinely changeable weather — four seasons in a day is a cliché there because it's accurate.
The upside is fewer crowds at Milford Sound and better rates. The downside is that some alpine walks may be limited, and the Foveaux Strait crossing to Stewart Island is rougher in spring. Pack properly and take seasickness tablets.
Pros and cons
What we like
- Two nights on Stewart Island, which virtually no mainstream tour includes
- The West Coast done properly: Punakaiki, Hokitika Gorge, Okarito, Fox Glacier and Lake Matheson
- Milford Sound cruise plus the Mirror Lakes and Lake Gunn walks on the way in
- The Catlins — Nugget Point and McLean Falls — which most itineraries skip entirely
- Sydney at both ends, including a final night at the Marriott on Circular Quay
- Mostly bed and breakfast, so morning costs are covered
- Reefton goldfields tour with a storyteller is an unexpectedly good inclusion
What to watch
- £5,749 is a lot for a trip where 3 of the 15 nights are spent in Sydney rather than New Zealand
- Several single-night stops — Westport, Kumara, the Catlins — mean frequent repacking
- Accommodation outside the named hotels is unspecified
- The Stewart Island ferry crossing is notoriously rough; Foveaux Strait has a reputation
- September departures are early spring — beautiful, but cold and changeable
- Some of the best bits (Hanmer Springs, glacier walks, Ulva Island) are optional extras
Who it's for — and who should look elsewhere
✓ A good fit if you're…
- Repeat New Zealand visitors who've already done the Queenstown–Christchurch circuit
- Birdwatchers and walkers — Stewart Island and the Catlins are exceptional for both
- Photographers, particularly for Lake Matheson and the Dark Sky Sanctuary
- Anyone who wants wilderness rather than adventure sports
✗ Probably not if you…
- First-time New Zealand visitors — you'd miss the North Island entirely
- Anyone prone to seasickness, given the Foveaux Strait crossing
- Travellers who want to unpack once and stay put
- Bargain hunters: the Australia-plus-NZ escorted tours cover more ground per pound
The verdict
The most interesting New Zealand itinerary we've found — Stewart Island makes it genuinely rare.
Check live dates & prices on Travelodeal → See the full itinerary
Three alternatives worth comparing
No single itinerary suits everyone. If this one isn't quite right, these are the trips we'd look at next.
Highlights of Australia with New Zealand
Both New Zealand islands plus the whole of Australia, fully escorted, for £13,809 over 40 days.
40 days · from £13,809 · full details
Private Tour: Australia & New Zealand South Island — 16 Days
A private-driver version taking in Kaikoura, Tekapo, a Mount Cook helicopter flight and Milford.
16 days · price on request · full details
The Wonders of Australia with New Zealand
The full grand tour: Australia coast to coast plus both NZ islands, 48 days, £15,559.
48 days · from £15,559 · full details
Before you fly
Sort the practical bits early
Airport parking
On a four-week trip, airport parking is one of the biggest add-on costs of the whole holiday — and one of the few that gets cheaper the earlier you book.
Airport hotels
Long-haul to Australia usually means an early or awkward departure. A night at the terminal beforehand turns a 3am start into a lie-in.
Airport lounges
Before a 20-hour flight, three hours of quiet, free food and a proper seat is worth considerably more than it costs.
Travel insurance
Non-negotiable on a trip this long and this far away. Check the medical cover limits and that your full trip length and any activities are included.
eSIM data — £2.50 off
Skip the roaming charges. An Airalo eSIM gives you data the moment you land, and our referral link takes £2.50 off your first one.
Your flights leave from London Heathrow. Parking, hotels, lounges and insurance are booked through Holiday Extras; eSIMs through Airalo, using our referral link (you get £2.50 off, we get credit too). Both are commercial links — see our disclosure.
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