3 places you sleep in over 6 nights. Select a place in the list to find it on the map.
1Overnight stop, in route orderVisited on the wayCoach with your driver guideStarts in Auckland, ends in Wellington. 3 overnight stops across 7 days, about 670 km of driving. Select a marker to open that day.
Overview
Guided tour, coach group. A driver guide travels with you the whole way, on a full-size coach, with the luggage and every booking handled.
Explore the best of New Zealand’s North Island cities and regional areas. 7 days through the North Island, running Auckland to Wellington. Along the way: Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington. Every night is booked and the travelling is handled, so the itinerary below is what you actually do rather than a list of things you could arrange yourself.
New Zealand’s largest city is blessed when it comes to water views, on one side of the isthmus is Manukau Harbour; on the other, Waitemata. Exploring pretty precincts at your leisure, gazing out over a flurry of yachts, you’ll begin to understand why Auckland is fondly known as the ‘City of Sails’. Come evening, meet your fellow NZ holiday travel companions for dinner at The Grill, and share stories of your day-one wanderings. Staying in: Horizon by SkyCity Auckland (1 night) Meals included: Dinner
Remember all those sails you spotted on Auckland’s harbour yesterday? They come from a long and fascinating history of boat-building and sailing, as you’ll discover on an America’s Cup tour at the New Zealand Maritime Museum. This is a story of migration, innovation, team-building and skill. Plus, you get to glimpse one of the few existing replicas of the America’s Cup. The water is your backdrop as your skirt the harbour toward dreamy Mission Bay, onward to Bastion Point and the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial. This is the place to get some perspective. Yes, of Auckland and its improbable location, but also of life in general. There’s nothing like an epic view to set your soul soaring. If you want tips on how to spend your afternoon post Auckland tour, we have a few ideas for optional experiences. Perhaps a behind-the-scenes All Blacks experience, revealing insights into this record-breaking rugby team or a cruise on Auckland Harbour. Staying in: Horizon by SkyCity Auckland (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast
Leave Auckland behind and journey to Rotorua, a true hot spot on your NZ holiday. This afternoon, enjoy an exclusive Be My Guest experience at Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland, New Zealand’s most colourful and diverse geothermal valley. Visit for a private tour to see The Devils Bath and bubbling mud pools with fascinating insights from an expert guide and enjoy a mocktail and canapes at the aptly named champagne pool. Tonight, on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, dive deep into Māori culture at Te Pā Tū Māori Experience, an important hub keeping tradition, art and music alive. Oh, and exciting Māori cuisine. Enjoy forest kai horotai (seasonal canapés) and chef choice aperitif, followed by a three-course dinner. Staying in: Millennium Hotel Rotorua (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Today, choose your own adventure. We have plenty of ideas for the paths you might follow. Optional experiences in Rotorua include relieving NZ holiday-weary limbs in the thermal waters of Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa. Or perhaps you’d prefer to zip across Rotorua’s three lakes in an amphibious WWII-era Duck. The decision is yours. Staying in: Millennium Hotel Rotorua (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast
You’ll hear Huka Falls well before you see it, at this natural wonder, a staggering 220,000 litres of water thunder over an 11-metre-high waterfall every second. Photos just don’t do it justice; this is an every-sense-heightened experience. The road ahead unfolds in a broad panorama of Lake Taupo, its waters so vivid and blue you’ll think someone has taken the glasses off your nose and cleaned them for the first time. The surrounding countryside is one of ridiculous contrast: snow-blanketed mountains and alpine deserts, ancient forests and trout-filled rivers. Traverse the Kapiti Coast to New Zealand’s cool little capital, Wellington. Staying in: Rydges Wellington (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Your day in Wellington should, must, begin with a coffee. The city is known for its uber-cool cafés and with coffee in hand you will head out on a city sights tour to take in highlights such as its iconic cable car, parliament and Mt. Victoria. This afternoon is yours to discover Wellington. Your city tour ends at Te Papa Museum of New Zealand, so perhaps call in for a visit (entrance fee applies). Other optional experiences include a visit to the first urban completely fenced ecosanctuary of Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne, where the biodiversity of 225 hectares of forest is being restored. Or Lord of the Rings Movie Locations, including the famous Weta Workshop. Tonight, there are so many restaurants and bars to choose from, you’ll need a guidebook. Ask us for recommendations or explore at your leisure. Because every NZ holiday needs a little down time. Staying in: Rydges Wellington (1 night) Meals included: Breakfast
It’s been a week of epic sights and adventures in the North Island. All good things must come to an end, but there’s time to enjoy one last breakfast with your travel companions. Meals included: Breakfast
Good to know
Departures
Iconic North 27/28 runs on set dates. These are the departures still open, with what each one costs per person, two sharing.
Availability checked 26 October 2026 from the operator's own bookings. Guaranteed means the operator has confirmed the departure will run; sold out dates stay on the list so you can see what is left.
A date not listed is not being sold. Choose one and your quote comes back against that departure, at that departure's price.
Before and after
The tour itself runs as published. Nights in Auckland before it starts or in Wellington after it ends, and any of the optional experiences, can be added to your quote.
Never travelling alone
Your whole itinerary lives in a smart travel app with live vouchers, maps and daily guidance, and your own travel specialist is reachable seven days a week while you are on the road. If plans change, we rearrange them in real time.
Who you are booking with
Operator
This itinerary is operated by a Qualmark Gold certified New Zealand operator. We book it for you and stay your point of contact.
Silver Fern Travel
Tourism New Zealand 100% Pure New Zealand Specialist (Insider), IATA certified, based in Auckland, New Zealand.
Prices
Quoted from the operator's own booking engine and refreshed weekly. The figure on this page is the one you will be quoted.
Yes, and most guests change something. Add nights, upgrade rooms, swap activities or start from a different city: tell us what you would change and we re-quote Iconic North 27/28 at no cost and no obligation.
A professional driver-guide from our New Zealand operations team, on the ground with you throughout. Every itinerary we sell is operated by a Qualmark Gold certified New Zealand tour operator, the highest grading in the country's official quality mark.
Iconic North 27/28 runs on 24 scheduled departure dates, listed with their prices on this page. Choose one when you enquire and your quote comes back against that departure, usually within one working day.
6 nights in hotel 3 star. Every property is confirmed by name on your written quote, before you pay anything, so you can look each one up before you commit. The trip runs one way, Auckland to Wellington, so there is no backtracking.
Nothing to enquire. A firm written quote arrives within one working day; if you go ahead, a 20% deposit per person (minimum NZ$250) confirms every booking and the balance is due 70 days before travel, with the exact date on your quote. Deposits can be paid by card, which keeps your card scheme's dispute protections in play.
No payment to enquire; a firm quote within one working day. Lowest priced travel dates, two sharing. International flights not included. A 20% deposit confirms your booking, with the balance due 70 days before travel. How your money is protected
Itineraries operated by a Qualmark Gold certified New Zealand operator. Tourism New Zealand 100% Pure Insider.
Request a quote for this trip
No payment, no obligation. A specialist replies with a firm quote within one working day.
Nothing to enquire, nothing until your quote is confirmed in writing, and never more than your deposit until the balance falls due 70 days before travel. Deposits can be paid by card, which keeps your card scheme’s protections in play.
Availability checked with our New Zealand operations team and confirmed in writing, not an automated estimate.
No booking fees, and nothing to pay to enquire
Quotes are free and carry no obligation. You pay a deposit only once the itinerary is right and you say go.
One person, before and during your trip
The same specialist plans your trip and is reachable while you are travelling, alongside in-country support seven days a week.
Insider status, Tourism New Zealand 100% Pure New Zealand Specialist Programme. IATA certified. Every itinerary is operated by a Qualmark Gold certified New Zealand tour operator.
