The fern on our door means something
The silver fern has guided travellers through New Zealand’s forests for centuries: turn a frond over and its bright underside catches the moonlight, showing the way home. That is the job we have given ourselves.
Locals first, travel people second
Silver Fern Travel exists for one reason: too many visitors see New Zealand through a windscreen of guesswork. Booked from the other side of the world, a trip here can become a chain of tabs, reviews and hope. We replace that with judgement earned on these roads.
Our itineraries are designed and operated from within New Zealand and backed by one of the country’s most experienced tour operations teams, with every route, motel and activity refined across thousands of real departures. When you book with us, the plan you receive is one we would hand to our own family.
That standard is checkable, not claimed. More than 480 itineraries you can read day by day before enquiring, every hotel named, realistic driving times, exact vehicle pricing, and a library of 108 planning guides written by this team rather than licensed from a content mill. It is why Tourism New Zealand recognises us as a 100% Pure New Zealand Insider, and why the answer to a hard question here is a straight one, even when it costs us a booking.
We sell what we know
Only New Zealand. No fifty-country catalogue, no outsourced call centre. Depth beats breadth every time.
Straight answers
If a road does not suit a nervous driver or a month does not suit Milford, we say so before you book, not after.
Travel that gives back
Our itineraries include cultural learning resources and support operators who look after the places that make this country worth crossing the world for.
How a quote is built
You pick a trip, or tell us the shape of one
Every itinerary on the site is published day by day, so most people start from one. Others send dates, a budget and who is travelling, and we suggest the two or three that fit.
We price it against the operator’s own booking engine
Prices on the site come from the operator’s booking engine and refresh weekly, and set-date tours are priced departure by departure. Your quote is checked against the live date you want, with any optional experiences, a bigger car or extra nights costed line by line.
A firm quote within one working day
It comes in New Zealand dollars, with the figure in your own currency beside it, from the specialist who will look after the trip. Asking costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
A 20% deposit confirms it
The balance is due 70 days before you travel. Nothing is charged until the trip is right and you say so, and there are no booking fees on top of the price you were quoted.
The detail is in our booking conditions and on how your money is protected.
When plans change on the road
Before you fly
The whole trip arrives in one travel app: every night’s address, every voucher, the drive for each day with its stops, and the specialist’s contact details.
When the weather closes a road
Snow on the Milford Road, a slip on the Haast Pass, a ferry that does not sail. These happen in New Zealand every season. Our team here rearranges the nights and activities that fall over, and the app shows the new plan, so you are not on the phone to five different suppliers from a lay-by.
When you just have a question
Your specialist answers seven days a week while you are travelling. The person who planned the trip is the person you reach, not a call centre reading your booking for the first time.
The record behind every itinerary
- Operator
- Every itinerary is operated on the ground by a Qualmark Gold certified New Zealand tour operator. We book it for you and stay your point of contact.
- Prices
- Quoted from the operator’s own booking engine and refreshed weekly. Departure availability is read from the operator’s bookings on the same weekly cycle.
- Paying
- A 20% deposit confirms a booking; the balance is due 70 days before travel.
- Silver Fern Travel
- Tourism New Zealand 100% Pure New Zealand Specialist (Insider), IATA certified, based in Auckland, New Zealand.
- Published
- 480+ itineraries, day by day, 44 place guides and 108 planning guides, all written by this team.
Silver Fern Travel holds Insider status in Tourism New Zealand's 100% Pure New Zealand Specialist Programme, the national training and accreditation programme for agents who sell New Zealand. We are also an IATA certified travel agency.
Every itinerary we sell is operated on the ground by a Qualmark Gold certified New Zealand tour operator. Qualmark is Tourism New Zealand's official quality assurance mark, and Gold is its highest grading.
Talk to us before you book anything
Even if you are still comparing options, an email costs nothing and our advice is free. Reach us at hello@silverferntravel.com or start with the form on our contact page.
Plan My Trip