Masterpiece New Zealand Adventure Tour

The Masterpiece is an active tour with an enjoyable mix of walks, hikes and activities. It’s a comfortable trip that appeals to guests who want to spend each day exploring with a chance to try something new.

The Masterpiece trip is our most flexible trip. With our small groups of no more than 14 people and 2 guides, we offer you plenty of options and flexibility. To make sure everybody gets what they want, we always have easier or more challenging options available so that you can choose how much or little activity you enjoy each day. On the Masterpiece trip you will walk an average of 3 to 5 hours each day on well-formed tracks. The average distance walked each day is 8km/4.9mi.

Click here to go to a handy page with a summary of the distances and approximate times for every walk and activity on our Masterpiece trip!

On the Masterpiece trip, you'll sleep soundly in comfortable accommodations that we have chosen specifically for their fantastic locations. You’ll meet friendly hosts and have a private ensuite room each night.  Click here to read more about the accommodation on this trip.

Pick up information
We can pick you up on the first day of your trip in Queenstown at:

8.15am from the lobby of our city joining hotel – Millennium Hotel Queenstown

OR

8.45am from the lobby of our airport joining hotel - La Quinta Queenstown

OR

9.00am from Queenstown Airport

Drop off information
We can drop you off on the last day of your trip in Queenstown at:

4.00pm at Queenstown Airport 

OR

4.15pm at our airport joining hotel - La Quinta Queenstown

OR

4.45pm at our city joining hotel – Millennium Hotel Queenstown

When booking your flights, please make sure you:

Arrive on day one no later than 8.00am International 8.30am Domestic
Depart on the final day no earlier than 6.00pm International 5.00pm Domestic

If your travel plans fall outside of these times please check with us before you book.

• Experienced New Zealand Trails guides to guide you on your tour.
• All meals except dinner the night you arrive in Nelson and breakfast, lunch and dinner on your free day in Nelson when guests like to explore the outstanding local restaurants and cafés.
• Activities, hikes and guides as shown in the itinerary.
• Accommodation as shown in your final itinerary.

New Zealand is not a tipping culture. If you'd like to show your appreciation to your guide with a trip it is very much appreciated but not an expectation on our trips.

- Airfares to and from New Zealand. Airfares between the North and South Island of New Zealand if you are joining our Sweet North trip.
- Airport transfers.
- Travel insurance.
- Visas.
- Non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages with lunch and dinner.

Our Masterpiece trip is very popular and we often run two trips departing on the same date, with no more than 14 guests on any one trip. This trip has been carefully crafted to give you exclusive access to New Zealand's best walks, activities, and accommodations. By running one trip eastbound and the other westbound we are able to give every guest this exclusive experience. The published itinerary is the eastbound trip, though it doesn't matter which direction you go as both trips start and finish in Queenstown and the itineraries are identical, they just run in opposite directions. If for any reason you would like to be on a particular departure direction then just let us know.

The Masterpiece showcases some of the best hikes in New Zealand including:

- Fiordland National Park: The Kepler Track
- Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park: Sealy Tarns Track, Tasman Glacier View Track
- Paparoa National Park: Pororari River Track
- Mackenzie Country - Pukaki Kettle Hole Track
- Nelson Lakes National Park: Whiskey Falls
- Glacier Country - Lake Matheson Track

On your Masterpiece adventure tour you'll get the chance to experience some very special Kiwi activities including:

- Swim with dusky dolphins in Kaikoura
- Overnight kayak trip to a water front lodge on Queen Charlotte Sound
- Visit the Pancake Rocks near Punakaiki
- Nature cruise on Milford Sound

Yes – we are well-connected in New Zealand! You will have access to the internet at your accommodation during every night on your trip. While New Zealand is quite tech-savvy the wifi at some accommodations may not be of the speed you are used to back home. 

Yes, all of the places we stay on the Masterpiece trip have electricity.

Safety is always our top priority. We take great pride in our impeccable safety record and our safety management plans. Your New Zealand Trails Guides are highly experienced outdoors professionals who are first aid qualified and fully equipped with a satellite phone, personal locator beacon and first aid kit. Our trips have direct access to our highly experienced operations team and other outside services 24 hours a day.

The Masterpiece visits 5 of New Zealand’s National Parks - Paparoa, Mt Aspiring, Fiordland, Aoraki/Mt Cook and Westland Tai Poutini. You will also have the option to visit Abel Tasman National Park on your free day. You will have the opportunity to hike on two Great Walks, the Paparoa Track, and the Kepler Track. You will also have the option to walk part of the Abel Tasman Track on your free day.

Our guests are like-minded people typically from Australia, the UK, Canada and America, and come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. On average, we have a 50/50 split between men and women, with several single travellers on each trip as well as couples and friends travelling together.

If you would like to see the actual people that come on our Masterpiece tour, check out our photo gallery.

There is no additional charge for solo travellers on our trips. If you are a solo traveller, as many of our guests are, we will team you up with another solo traveller of the same sex to share a room with for the duration of your trip. If you would like to guarantee your own room as a solo traveller, then there is the option to book and pay a solo supplement at the time of booking.

You certainly don’t need any technical outdoors experience to enjoy your New Zealand Trails trip. If you enjoy being out and about in the outdoors and are a generally active person who enjoys hobbies like walking, cycling, golf, tennis or dancing then you will have no problems at all with the walks and activities on your trip. 

The kayaking activity on your trip is suitable for beginners and is on a calm lake. There’s no need for you to have ever been kayaking before. You will be in double kayaks, which are very stable. A specialist kayak guide will teach you everything you need to know before you head out and will be with you out on the water.

We run small-group tours, so along with your guides, there are typically 12-14 guests in your group. We have found keeping our group sizes small is the perfect way to make sure everyone has the best time.

Coming on a guided trip with us means we take care of everything! Our small group tours have a maximum of 14 guests per trip along with your local, New Zealand guide and are designed to make it easy, fun and safe for you to explore on your New Zealand trip of a lifetime.

Before your trip:
You’ll have a friendly guest service team there to assist you every step of the way. From advising what you should pack to choosing the best flights to arrive for your trip on time and helping organize pre and post-trip accommodation. No matter when you book or how far in advance you plan your travel, our team is here to help.

During your trip:
On your trip, you’ll have two dedicated local New Zealand guides who will take care of everything. They provide food, snacks and safety information, as well as arrange all of your activities and make sure you get where you need to be safely and on time. They’ll also share their extensive knowledge of our country and culture and provide flexibility so you can enjoy New Zealand at the pace that’s right for you.

After your trip:
You’ll receive all the photos from your trip that your guides have collected along the way so you can cherish the memories of your adventure.

Yes, we can! Our friendly Guest Services team will be here to help every step of the way. They can advise you on which flights you should book to ensure you arrive for your trip on time, the best accommodation for you pre and post-trip and everything in between. They are here to make sure your travel experience is seamless and stress-free.

On day one of your trip, your guides will pick you up from either our joining hotel or the airport in a late-model Mercedes Benz Sprinter. This will be your vehicle for the duration of the trip and your luggage will travel with you in the luggage compartment. Each day we'll drive between 0.5 and 3 hours to reach our next destination. Our trips are carefully planned to give you the most time exploring the outdoors and any travel is always broken up with hikes, activities and coffee/bathroom breaks. You'll bring your small day pack with you inside the vehicle, with just your hiking essentials (jacket, water bottle, sun hat etc) and will be all you will need to carry with you when you are out exploring. Your luggage will stay in the vehicle until we reach our accommodation for the evening. 

If you are joining us on both a North Island and a South Island trip, it is very easy to transition between the South and North Islands. Our national airline Air New Zealand operates several flights a day between Auckland and Queenstown. We leave the flights for you to organise so that you can choose where you would like to spend any extra time between your trips and the time that suits your plans. If you have any questions about the timings for your trips, or you would like any help at all, just ask us!  

The focus of our trips is spending as much time as possible, with our feet on the ground, exploring the great New Zealand outdoors. We’ve carefully crafted our itineraries to cover as much of New Zealand as we can while at the same time minimising the amount of time spent in a vehicle.

On the Masterpiece, we have two-night stays in four locations. On the days we travel between locations we average around three hours of driving. We always break up the drives with walks, activities and visits to our favourite small towns. Our guides also make sure to stop every hour or so for a coffee/bathroom break. You’ll always have plenty of opportunities to stretch your legs.

If you’d like to chat more about the specific drive times for your trip, feel free to give us a call here in New Zealand :-).

It’s easy! You can book online here or give us a call and we’ll talk you through it. You’ll need to pay a 15% deposit to secure your booking with the balance due 90 days before your departure date. You can pay your deposit by credit card in US, Australian or Canadian dollars, British pounds or Euros.

To secure your spot on the tour we require a 15% deposit, with the balance payable 90 days before departure. You have the option of paying by credit card, either over the phone or through our secure online booking page.

Absolutely! You can secure your spot on the trip with just a 15% deposit. After that, the remaining balance is due 90 days before your trip departs. You're welcome to pay off the balance in as many instalments as you like - whatever suits you best. All payments can be made easily and securely through our guest portal.

When you decide to join us, you can secure your spot with just a 15% deposit.