Bucket List Experiences

Indulge! Indulge those long held dreams to go to places and do things I’ve dreamt about for years. And now you can.

New Zealand has a vast array of places and activities that are on the bucket lists of so many travellers and a comprehensive New Zealand tour itinerary caters for so many of these. Places and activities that people, who have worked many years, dreamed many dreams ... and seen many sunrises! ... can now make these dreams come true on Aotearoa (New Zealand), the Land of the Long White Cloud.

To be part of a Maori hangi (feast), to fly over spectacular mountains and deep, glacial valleys, to raise a glass amongst the vineyards of one of the world’s best sauvignon producing regions, to Jet Boating amongst snow-clad mountains or hike along golden sand beaches – that bucket list can be considerably shortened after a trip to New Zealand.

For those venturing to the Bay of Islands, North of Auckland, the launch trip out to Cape Brett and the exhilarating rush as the boat manoeuvres carefully through the narrow Hole-in-The-Rock, is an experience to be remembered for a lifetime. 

But it is just one of many moments that our visitors come for and will treasure for life.  At MoaTrek we know that when our guests arrive in New Zealand they are open to new experiences, new challenges and bring a sense of adventure often suppressed in the confines of ‘home’. So here they can indulge those bucket list wishes in a safe, controlled environment with activities that are within their orbit – ‘tho probably not the bungy jumping and skydives of the backpacker set!

For many of our guests, sand boarding on the dunes at Hokianga is something they would never have dreamed about doing until they got here, then they see the golden sand, hear the delights of others and they too want to be part of it, shrieking and screaming down the slopes and into the warm waters for a wet landing!

Scroll through some Bucket List photos from our tour guests below:

Amongst many highlights on our tours, one that guests talk about for a long time is the day trip from Queenstown to majestic Milford Sound. With an early start to ensure time for plenty of photo stops and short walks, the day begins with a drive alongside Lake Wakatipu, through the rich farmlands of Southland and onto the lakes and mountains of Fiordland. Then we continue up the majestic Eglinton Valley with its glacial carved valleys capped with high, rugged, snow-clad ranges, views down the Hollyford Valley and up the cascading mountain streams to the Homer Tunnel, a 1930s Depression era work scheme that’s an attraction in itself.

Descending the steep Cleddau Valley leads to the stunning fiord of Milford, with the well-recognised Mitre Peak as the centrepiece of this incredible scene. Boarding our launch we cruise out around the shoreline, right out to the open Tasman Sea before returning under the awe-inspiring cliffs and thundering waterfalls. The boldness of its mountain sides rising almost vertically for thousands of feet and the lushness of its rain soaked forests are stunning sights which dwarf the visitors as they cruise the shore. Depending on the season there may be dolphins cruising in the wake, or fur seals resting on the rocks, occasionally ‘little blue’ penguins can be seen skimming the water or the bright, red flowers of the native rata trees are seen amongst the dark green bush. The scale of the mountains, the majesty of the scene – it all combines to leave an indelible impression upon those fortunate to view its wonders. No wonder Rudyard Kipling during his visit in 1891, called it the 8th Wonder of the World.

And then the flight from Milford back to Queenstown is just stunning and an included part of your MoaTrek tour. Lifting off from the small airfield, soaring through towering mountains and over high waterfalls, the plane climbs high above an array of peaks, glaciers and deep valleys before crossing Lake Wakatipu and landing back at Queenstown – one of the most exhilarating 30 minute flights of all time, and a memory long cherished. On a day in which every turn of the road has provided a photo stop, the fiord and then the flight top them all.

Scroll through some of our guests' favourite Milford Sound photos:

New Zealand is famous for its jet boat adventures. After all, the jet boat was invented here and we go right past the place where it originated. The conqueror of Mt Everest, Sir Edmund Hilary, popularised the jetboat worldwide with his 1977 ‘Ocean to the Sky’ Ganges River Expedition and now they are a vital part of the New Zealand Adventure scene here.

If there is one jet boat trip you shouldn’t miss it is the Dart River Wilderness Jet at Queenstown, taking passengers on an exhilarating journey through the magnificent ranges of the Humboldt Mountains into the World Heritage heart of the Mt Aspiring National Park.  Exploring this kind of remote back country is exactly why these Jet Boats were created, there's no road up to the headwaters of the Dart River! This was the location for many of the great scenes in the Lord Of The Rings movies, with sights and thrills  (the infamous “Hamilton Turn”) that make for unforgettable memories. This is truly ‘Middle Earth’ and New Zealand at its best.

Another fun Jet Boat adventure guests love is the famous Shotover Jet in Queenstown. It's like a roller coaster in the most amazing canyon you've ever seen, it's all 100% natural here. This is a super easy way for anyone to experience a thrilling Jet Boat ride as it departs from downtown Queenstown.

Scroll through some of our favourite guest Jet Boating photos:

Queenstown offers so much more than just a base for exploring Milford Sound. With so many easily accessible activities on tap there's so much to choose from. It's important to remember that everyone's idea of an adventure is different, to some people it may be the adrenalin buzz of a Jet Boat or Helicopter ride, to others it might be a leisurely walk through the stunning New Zealand wilderness or a pleasant day cycling through the wineries of the Gibbston Valley. That's what makes Queenstown so much fun, there really is something here for everyone. You have a free day here to choose whichever activity completes your bucket list, it's always fun to hear everyone's adventure stories and share photos when the group gets back together to continue on their journey. Queenstown will be one of the lasting memories of your trip for sure. Here are some of our guest favourites... 

What about an e-bike adventure through the vineyards of the Wakatipu Basin around Queenstown? A recent and popular addition to our range of Optional Activities. 

Or hiking on a full day walk along the internationally renowned Routeburn Track – one of New Zealand’s nine Great Walks. This is a fully guided, day long adventure requiring medium fitness.

Or rafting the twisting rapids and fast waters of the historic Kawarau River, just a short drive from your hotel. All gear is supplied, the service is door-to-door and the adrenalin rush is free!

Or maybe a quiet wine tasting tour, with visits to several wineries, a gourmet lunch, knowledgeable guide and a relaxed ambience between the rows of local vineyards is your idea of wild adventure! We can arrange that too.

Scroll through some recent guest photos from Queenstown:

The Māori of Aotearoa/New Zealand have a unique culture which appeals to many visitors and MoaTrek can arrange an evening in Rotorua that encompasses a formal welcome (powhiri), a feast (hāngi) and some action dances (haka and poi), all in the Māori-owned village of Te Puia, complete with its mud pools, boiling waters, explosive geysers and home to the New Zealand Māori Arts & Crafts Institute . Their evening Te Pō performance is an enthralling, light hearted performance designed to introduce aspects of Māori life by entertainment; and visitors love the welcome and participation which they become part of. 

And for those wanting a little more, be sure to visit the grounds of Ohinemutu marae (meeting ground), only 10 minutes easy walk from our hotel in Rotorua, where the beautiful and elaborately carved meeting house can be viewed from the outside without a formal welcome to the marae. Open access to marae is most unusual for anyone outside of the hapu (tribe), so this really is a unique opportunity that only visitors to Rotorua can gain.

When combined with the Māori-led visits to the giant kauri tree of Tane Mahuta (Lord of the Forest), complete with karakia (prayer) and waiata (song), or to the Treaty grounds at Waitangi, where the 1840 pact between Māori and European was signed, visitors will be able to glimpse aspects of life and culture of the tangata whenua (the people of the land) that only visitors here in New Zealand can appreciate. 

Scroll through some of our favourite Māori Culture photos from tours:

The high mountains of Te WaiPounamu (the South Island) contain a phenomenal number of glaciers (an inventory in the 1980’s listed over 3,000!), but many are very small and all are retreating, making a glacial experience all that more special and urgent. It was amongst these glacial peaks that a young Ed Hillary did his mountaineering training, first summiting Aoraki/Mt Cook (NZ’s highest) in 1947.

Our tours allow lots of opportunities to fly over, land on, clamber about and face up to glaciers.  From Mt Cook Village there is an excellent optional trip you can elect to join that takes visitors out in a small inflatable boat to the terminal lake at the foot of our longest ‘ice river’, the Tasman Glacier, touching the ice as you drift amongst the mini icebergs.

Or you may prefer to walk the Hooker Valley to the glacier covered face of Mt Sefton, where we often see and hear the ice cliffs breaking away and crashing to the valley floor below. With views of the mountain in front, Aoraki/Mt Cook further up the valley and the retreating Mueller Glacier below the moraines at our feet, this is truly a ‘once in a lifetime’ moment.

For those wanting to see the ice spectacle from above, the opportunity to take either a fixed wing or helicopter trip to the high glacial neves is possible at either Aoraki/Mt Cook or later in the tour when we are at the Glaciers of Fox Glacier and Franz Josef. These trips are special – the flight, the snow landing, the awesome plateau of ice amongst the peaks, the descent down the steep glacial valley looking directly down into the mighty crevasses. These are sights people will never forget and while paying for them might cause a grimace, the end product is a grin from ear to ear and a memory to cherish! 

And for anyone who elects to go on the Okarito excursions from Franz Josef to the coastline, you’ll have a unique experience of seeing glaciers, rainforests and beach all in one day.

Scroll through some recent photos of our guests exploring New Zealand's glaciers:

Or if you’ve dreamt of lying back on a sailing boat, glass of bubbles in hand, heading for your private thermal pools on a bush-shrouded lake, then the trip on Tuia, the beautiful catamaran on Lake Rotoiti, will fit the bill here. A 2½ hour trip that is just relaxation and indulgence.

For a memory we can guarantee will remain with you forever, the beautiful lunch with accompanying wines we share with Ian and Diana at their mid-Canterbury farmhouse and garden will be unbeatable. The beautiful home, set amongst acres of mature, well-tended gardens and woodlands, is a highlight for the guests and a trial for your guide – nobody wants to leave to continue the afternoon’s travels! 

If you’ve seen promotional photos of New Zealand, you’ve most likely seen images of Abel Tasman National Park, at the top of Te WaiPounamu (The Waters of Greenstone, the South Island), one of our great summer destinations with the kayakers cruising the shoreline, the swimmers in the warm waters and the hikers strolling through the ancient beech forests or wandering along the golden sand beaches. People dream about doing these things and we spend a whole day in the Park, letting you be the one who is hiking the shore, swimming in the waters or cruising the coast.

Scroll through some of our favourite photos of guests enjoying the slower side of travelling in New Zealand:

Or is it the Southern Cross star formation you’ve always dreamt about seeing?  From anywhere in New Zealand on a clear night it is visible, although you’ll probably need to ask your guide to explain how it indicates the south. Our stay in the Hermitage at Aoraki/Mt Cook is the best chance ... and the best place to see The Milky Way ... or the Magellanic Clouds ...

Scroll through some of our favourite Night Sky photos:

Maybe you’ve always dreamt about seeing Whales or Dolphins swimming freely in the open ocean? Then our overnight stay in Kaikoura will give you the chance to get aboard one of the purpose-built vessels taking you out into the South Pacific Ocean to see giant Sperm Whales rising from deep dives before descending yet again. This is breathtaking – their sheer size, their graceful movements can be quite an emotional experience for many people. Or, alternatively, you can elect to take a helicopter or small plane flight, appreciating their massive size from the air and enjoying not just the whales but the stunning Kaikoura scenery from above. 

Another great bucket list experience in Kaikoura is Sea Kayaking, some people even get lucky and spot Seals and Dolphins while out on their Sunset Sea Kayak, imagine paddling off the shores of New Zealand with Dolphins all around your Kayak and views of the snow covered Kaikoura Ranges in the distance!

Scroll through some of our favourite Whale & Dolphin photos from tours:

Maybe you saw a picture of the New Zealand outdoors many years ago or maybe you saw Lord of the Rings and decided one day you would come all the way here to walk amongst that amazing countryside. Whether it’s hiking through our lush rainforest, up our rugged glacial valleys, along our golden beaches, exploring our volcanoes or venturing into our alpine areas, walking in New Zealand’s National Parks & World Heritage wilderness is a life long dream for many of our visitors.

We know that for many of our guests walking is one of the activities they’re looking forward to most of all in New Zealand. The good news for walkers is there are so many amazing tracks all over the country and we’ve built many of these short easy walks into our tour itineraries. Our MoaTrek Kiwi Guides are all keen walkers themselves and know the country like the back of their hands and will be right there to help you enjoy as much (or as little) walking as you like.

Scroll through some of our favourite photos of guests out walking in the great New Zealand outdoors:

Our New Zealand Small Group Tours have itineraries which have been especially crafted and improved over decades to allow time for many of these ‘Bucket List’ adventures, choosing our destinations, and timing our arrivals and departures, to help our guests to accomplish their dreams.

Aware of how important it is to enable the expectations of our visitors, you will be presented with information on these extra trips, it will be explained how they fit in with our itinerary and the guide will willingly book extra activities that you might wish to participate in. Some of the experiences mentioned above are Optional Activities, meaning they are not an included part of the tour and require booking in advance and paying an additional amount for. 

And we are well aware that for many people their trip to New Zealand is the fulfilment of a lifetime wish, a long held dream unlikely to be repeated, and so we will do everything possible to maximise your enjoyment, enable your participation and make it a dream worth remembering! Take the first step in making your New Zealand Travel Dreams come through by getting in touch with the friendly MoaTrek team now.