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AirportLink bus + train
Cheapest option. Bus to Puhinui, then train to Britomart. Tag on with a contactless card.
$9 AUD
A luxury sightseeing trip to New Zealand
A luxury sightseeing trip to New Zealand is built from the top third of what is on offer: Fox Glacier Heli Hike Experience, Glacier Helihike and Flight Experiences in New Zealand. Activities in this plan start from about $190.
Your 5-day sightseeing plan for New Zealand
Where you stayWestland District 2 nightsQueenstown 3 nightsabout 195 km between them
5 days · packed · 9 of 10 bookable now · activities from about $4,924
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Day 1 Westland District
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morning
Fox Glacier Heli Hike Experience
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afternoon
Glacier Helihike and Flight Experiences in New Zealand
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Day 2 Westland District
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morning
Tasman Glacier Heli Hike Experience in Mt. Cook
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afternoon
Fox Chancellor Dome Heli Trek Multiday Tour
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Day 3 Queenstown
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Travel day
Westland District to Queenstown
Journey time is an estimate rather than a timetable - check the operator before you book anything tight on either side of it.
Book direct -
afternoon
Milford Sound Scenic Flight & Cruise from Queenstown
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eveningalso worth doing
Nevis Swing, Bungy & Catapult by AJ Hackett
Where to eat
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Breakfast
Remarkables Market
A morning market, open 10am to 2pm.
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Lunch
A hamburger restaurant located in Queenstown, New Zealand, which specialises in gourmet hamburgers.
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Day 4 Queenstown
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morningalso worth doing
Skydive Queenstown Experience by NZONE
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afternoonalso worth doing
Central Otago progressive winery dinner
Three courses at three wineries around Queenstown and Arrowtown, matched to the pinot noir the region is known for.
Just turn up
Where to eat
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Breakfast
A daily market, open 9am to 4pm.
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Day 5 Queenstown
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morningalso worth doing
Wanaka Tandem Skydive Over Southern Alps and Lakes
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afternoonalso worth doing
Queenstown Paragliding Adventure with Skytrek
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Prices are indicative and in Australian dollars. Flights and accommodation are not included. Distances between stops are straight-line, so a walking or driving route will be longer, and they are shown only where both stops have a known location. Items marked also worth doing sit outside the sightseeing theme and are there because they are among the best things to do in New Zealand.
Before you fly to New Zealand
The part an itinerary app leaves out. These are New Zealand's rules for Australian passport holders, re-read from the official source and dated below.
Entry
No - Australian passport holders can enter New Zealand without a visa for up to Indefinite - Australian citizens are granted a resident visa on arrival.
Passport
Check your passport covers the whole trip with room to spare. A fare is non-refundable long before a passport renewal is.
Your checklist
21 things to sort for New Zealand, built from these same rules, 3 of them essential.
- Passport valid - valid on arrival and departure for australian citizens travelling on an australian passport
- Complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD)
- Take out travel insurance
Last reviewed 2026-10-24. Entry requirements change without notice. Always confirm with the official sources below before you book or fly.
Sort these before you go
The two things worth having arranged before a sightseeing trip to New Zealand, compared on price.
New Zealand airport transfers
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SkyDrive express bus Best value
Direct to the Sky City terminal in the CBD.
$17 AUD
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Super Shuttle
Shared van, cheaper per person for solo travellers than a taxi.
$35 AUD
Driving in New Zealand
Trip.com Featured partner
Car hire in New Zealand
Search live prices
Prices are indicative, shown in AUD and refreshed from provider APIs where available. Always confirm the final price on the provider's site - it is the price that applies. We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, which never changes what you pay. Partners are listed before providers who pay us nothing, as our terms set out; sorting by price ignores all of that and orders on the number alone. How we make money.
Luxury sightseeing questions
What makes an activity luxury in this plan?
Price, measured against the rest of that country - the top third of what is worth doing there. It is not a hotel rating and it does not include flights or accommodation, both of which usually dwarf the activities.
Is the expensive option always better?
Often it buys time rather than quality: a private guide, a skip-the-queue entry, a small group instead of a coach. Everything here is still ranked on its review score first, so a luxury plan is the best-reviewed expensive things, not simply the dearest.
Are the big landmarks worth the queue?
Some are, some are not, and the difference is usually timing rather than the place. Where a timed ticket exists the plan flags it, because the same sight at nine in the morning and at midday are different experiences.
How much sightseeing needs a car?
It depends on the destination, and the plan tells you which items sit outside the main city. If you are driving, check the International Driving Permit rules for the country first - several require one alongside your Australian licence.
Other ways to do New Zealand
New Zealand wellness itinerary
Hot springs and spa days, but also gyms, yoga, hiking and open water. Rest and movement, not one or the other.
New Zealand food itinerary
Markets, cooking classes, wine regions and the places worth planning a day around.
New Zealand highlights itinerary
Some rest, some scenery, some good eating. For the trip you have not decided the shape of yet.
Sightseeing trips in other countries
Still deciding where to go? These are built the same way - real activities, in an order that works, with the entry rules for Australians attached.
🇯🇵 Japan sightseeing itinerary
Visa-free, cash-friendly, and worth over-preparing for.
🇮🇩 Indonesia sightseeing itinerary
Visa on arrival, plus two fees most Australians don't budget for.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom sightseeing itinerary
Australians now need an ETA - this changed in 2025.
🇹🇭 Thailand sightseeing itinerary
60 days visa-free - but the arrival card is now compulsory.