Experience the ultimate New Zealand adventure as you journey through the stunning South Island. Explore breathtaking landscapes, enjoy unique activities, and create unforgettable memories along the way.
We’ll visit all the best highlights, including Abel Tasman National Park, Franz Josef Glacier, and Milford Sound. Travel in small groups, stay in cozy accommodations, and immerse yourself in New Zealand’s spectacular scenery while making new friends and enjoying incredible experiences.
Days
- 11 days, 10 nights
Group size
- Max 24
Start / finish
- Christchurch / Christchurch
Return
- See itinerary for details
Accommodation
- 10 nights, twin share — two at The Barn in Marahau, one at the Beachfront Hotel in Hokitika, two at Rainforest Retreat in Franz Josef, three at the Mercure Queenstown, one at an alpine lodge in Mount Cook Village and one at the Lakefront Lodge on Lake Tekapo. The final night back in Christchurch is not included. Rooms have ensuite facilities.
Transport
- An air-conditioned mini bus with your driver-guide throughout, plus a cruise boat on Milford Sound.
Meals
- Breakfast daily. Other meals are at your own cost.
Route
Included experiences
- Milford Sound — a day trip from Queenstown with a scenic cruise through the fjord
- Abel Tasman National Park — a self-guided walk among golden beaches and forest
- Aoraki/Mount Cook — the Hooker Valley Track
- Punakaiki — the Pancake Rocks and blowholes on the West Coast
- Franz Josef — a free day, with an optional guided glacier hike or helicopter flight
- Haast Pass — Thunder Creek Falls on the drive through to Queenstown
- Lake Tekapo — the Church of the Good Shepherd, and stargazing in the Dark Sky Reserve
- Queenstown — three nights and a free day for bungy, jet boating or skydiving
- Hokitika — a town known for its jade carving and arts scene
- Marahau — the gateway to Abel Tasman, reached through the Marlborough region
Pictures / Videos
Reviews
5.0
Based on 35 reviews
Verified from
Real reviews from travellers who've done this tour, gathered from around the web and paraphrased.
AI summary of 35 reviews
Travellers consistently praise the driver-guides, describing them as knowledgeable, helpful, safe drivers who share facts along with Māori history and culture, and who handled challenges such as flooding and a snowstorm professionally. Reviewers frequently highlight the itinerary and scenery, singling out places such as Mount Cook, Milford Sound, Stewart Island, Abel Tasman National Park, Queenstown and Wanaka, and many note that the trip was well organised and offered a sociable way to travel, particularly for solo travellers. The group format, in which much of the exploring is done independently, is generally seen as a positive, and several mention good value for money and comfortable, mostly 3-star hotels. The most common caveat concerns accommodation variability, especially shared bathrooms at some backpacker or national park sites such as Abel Tasman. Other criticisms include a new booking app that did not work reliably for some, limited bus frequency making it hard to extend stays, and one traveller's disappointment that groups were combined and changed part-way, giving a hop-on, hop-off feel that was not expected from the brochure.
How we collect and publish reviews
Where they come from. Our reviews are gathered from independent review sites and from guests who share feedback with us directly after their trip. They come from people who have actually travelled on the tour.
Why some are edited. Many of our guests travel in their second or third language. Where a review is hard to read, we lightly edit spelling, grammar and punctuation, or paraphrase a sentence for clarity. We never change the rating, the meaning or the sentiment, and we never write a review on a guest's behalf.
Reading the originals. Reviews sourced from public review sites appear there in their original form, and can be read in full at their original source at any time.
Fantastic itinerary. If possible do the North as well! Two groups merged on our one as it was shoulder season - so Adventure and Select - the main difference was accomodation type but also some changes in itinerary for each group and from Select’s perspective this was for the better. The group gelled well and Leon, the tour leader, kept everything on track - from the itinerary to our experiences. We had options for group bonding at various stages as well as personal time to be with nature and the wonders we saw.
“The tour guide and driver Nicole made the trip an extraordinary ”
Very good organization. The tour guide and at the same time bus driver Nicole was competent, experienced, friendly, always in a good mood and very helpful. She fulfilled all special requests. I would highly recommend her and would love to travel with her again.
“Great trip in NZ”
Amazing trip, great people, stunning views! Leon was awesome guide, he had all the answers and was always full of energy and smiles and ready to help if needed! Thank you! We had a great time!
“Awesome New Zealand”
Trip was great, 10/10, wonderful country! Our guide Leon was great too, very helpful and nice!
“Blessed to have Whaea-Nicole as tour guide.”
Tour guide (Whaea-Nicole) is the best. Great personality, genuine respect to all tour members of all ages and races. Great driving skills. Very good planning with sufficient time to visit all places, see stunning sceneries and experience great activities.
“Great experience with Leon and Stray Travel”
Really good itinerary in a country with wondrous scenery and a range of hikes. The tour had pleasantly balanced inclusions. Having Mount Cook included was a definite highlight, and one of the main reasons for picking the operator.
Leon is a fantastic guide and driver. He is professional and great fun, with a wide range of knowledge - both with facts and also Māori stories and legends. We were blessed with great weather and saw some amazing sights each day.
Potentially due to end of season, the Adventure and Select tours were combined, so each group probably had some changed from their original itinerary. This actually worked very well. Everything was organised and ran on time. Any hiccups were dealt with as needed.
I would highly recommend this tour and Leon, and potentially doing the north island tour as well if you have the time. The group that did that seem to have enjoyed it. I extended a couple of days to join some of the group to Kaikoura on the way back to Wellington.
“The best trip of my life”
This was truly the best trip of my life. I’m especially grateful to our guide, who was incredibly attentive and genuinely caring in every detail. Whenever any issue arose, he handled it with exceptional skill and ease, making everything feel smooth and stress-free. His deep knowledge and passion made every place come alive, and his fun, warm personality brought so much joy to the journey. Because of him, my time in New Zealand was filled with happiness in every single moment. It’s a memory I will cherish forever.
The tour was excellent with very helpful and caring driver. The only thing that can be improved is the more detailed itinerary especially in relation to the meeting points. We arrived to Blenheim by public bus and were not sure where, when and who will pick us up to go to Picton.
“EXEMPLARY, IMMACULATE, AND WELL PLANNED TOUR”
Great experience with 15 others guests. Guests from different countries, different age groups all bonded so well. Thanks to able, efficient and jovial Leon Guide. 12 days of Wonderful countryside, mountains, lakes, treks, cruise experience. Every day was unique, different and better than yesterday. Leon's tips, fun facts made us experience New Zealand in a very Happy way. At the end, everyone felt heavy at heart to depart. Three cheers to Stray tours and Leon
“11 Day Takahe Tour "Select" - South island NZ”
We took the 11-day Takahe tour in November 2025, guided by Nicole, who shared insightful stories about NZ culture and the scenery throughout the drive. She was also a great problem-solver, always ready with options to suit everyone. We met lovely fellow travellers and made memories we won't forget.
“Amazing takahe tour”
The Takahe tour was amazing and I made great friends along the way. Everything was well organised, from accommodation to food, and the activities were fun. Having a local guide made all the difference. This was only my second solo trip, and I'm so glad I didn't let the nerves stop me — I'd choose Stray again.
“11 Day 'Kereru' National Select Tour”
Nice people in the group, Fire was a good guide, enjoyed the hiking and the swimming.
“ 11 Day Takahe South Island Tour”
This tour was an unforgettable way to see the best of New Zealand’s South Island in just 11 days! Perfect for first-time travelers interested in exploring this beautiful island. The tour was well-organized, with comfortable hotels, and a great group of like-minded tourists. Most importantly, James, our local Māori tour guide made all the difference on this trip! He was attentive to the wishes of everyone individually and ensured we all were able to experience the landmarks and activities we came to enjoy. He freely shared his personal knowledge of local and Māori customs, history, and culture, a standout perk you won’t find anywhere else! We left New Zealand with many wonderful photos and endless memories of this amazing trip!
“Southern Gems Pass (South Island)”
The guide Lifty is funny and nice. Overall the tour is very good. That is ridiculous. Overall very nice tour, will buy their tour again.
“Well organised.”
Well organised, variety of options with excellent guides!
“ Mackinnon (South Island)”
Our destinations and itinerary are excellent. But how the tour was operated didn't meet my expectations. I had thought, from the brochure, that the South Island tour would be starting in Christchurch. As in, there might be a few people who had already done the North Island tour, but most of the people I would be meeting on day 1 would be new and just starting the South Island tour as well. Instead, it was more like a hop-on, hop-off experience. Day 1 we joined a small group of people who had already completed North Island and only had 3 days left on the South Island. On day 3, we were dropped off in Picton. On day 4, we joined a different group of people who had just finished the North Island and were about to start the South Island tour. We were on a different bus, with a different driver and a different group of people. We are all adults and for the most part we can introduce ourselves, etc. But apparently there were some issues or something happened on North Island such that a seat war was in full swing and joining later during the tour was very un-welcoming. The reason I joined an organized tour, instead of a hop-on, hop-off bus, was to avoid this type of thing. This isn't what any of us who joined in Christchurch expected. And I can say this with confidence after talking with everyone else who joined in Christchurch. If the brochure had indicated the fractured nature of the group, I may have chosen a different tour. Alternatively, if the tour guides (we had 2 guides for the South Island tour) had managed the expectations and found ways to gel the group (ie. introductions, encouraged people not to use 2 seats, etc) , this would have helped. But as it currently stands, not sure I'd encourage anyone to take this tour over a tour with a different company that visits South Island.
“I truly enjoyed my time”
This was my first time in New Zealand but we covered every inch of the South Island. The guides for the tour provide a ton of facts/insights and it really felt like a big road trip with a bunch of friends. Abel Tasman National Park, Mount Cook, Queenstown and Wanaka were some of the best highlights for me from the South Island! I found the sailing adventure in Abel Tasman to be really good and the stray discounts everywhere even better. As a solo traveler I can’t recommend Stray enough for your next NZ trip.
“Best Time Ever!”
I had the best time ever while travelling. We visit places that I would never imagine exists. Our driver guide was the most knowledgeable and helpful guide ever. We all became really close with other travelers on the bus and up till now we all remain in contact with each other. I would definitely come back to New Zealand.
“Southern Gems Pass (South Island)”
I enjoyed it so much! Both drivers were fantastic (Pacman & Moose) and it was great to meet so many nice people along the way. The places we went to were amazing as well. I only wished there were more busses driving so it'd be easier to stay somewhere just a day longer or so. The service by Stray was really good as well.
“Great trip!”
Great trip, definitely recommend it.
“Short South Pass (South Island)”
Chilli was an amazing driver, he was considerate. Went out of his way to welcome every single person on the group Even on his days off he was so approachable and helpful. It was his first trip but he was so knowledgeable of the country always telling us fun facts. He made my experience so enjoyable! I hope you all have him for at least one part of your journey
“Great experience!”
Great experience! It was nice to travel with the same group of people over more than 2-3 weeks. All the activites are great! I had 3 drivers: Skippy, Leftie and Romeoo. All were really nice and helpful and fun! The only thing is the new app which may not be working for everyone. Personally I didn’t have any issues but I know some people did. Understandable as it’s very new. Hopefully it will improve over time and make it easier for everyone to book accomodation and activities.
“More fun!”
What a great way to see the Southern part of the South Island. Milford, Stewart Island and Mt Cook were fantastic. Travelling in a group is so much more fun and social than on your own.
“Great way to see the highlights of the South Island”
I took the 11 day Takahe tour of the South Island back in October 2024. Overall it's a great option if you're short on time and want to see the highlights of the South Island in comfort for a reasonable price.
Some details:
- Itinerary: Quite likely the best itinerary one could think of for 11 days, it covers most of the highlights of the South Island and a few lesser known places. The views were absolutely amazing, especially when the weather was good. The tradeoff, of course, is that you don't get too much time in each place, which could be a problem if the weather isn't great, but otherwise, I found the time sufficient, all things considered.
- Organization: Everything was perfectly organized, and even when we got stuck in a snowstorm not seen in decades, everything was handled professionally and safely. Do note that you will be doing much of the exploration on your own - which, for me, is a good thing (more flexibility and less of a "group tour" feeling), but if you prefer tours where the guide is always with you, it could be less appealing.
- Accommodation: All the hotels were very good (other than the accommodation in Abel Tasman National Park, which was great in terms of the views and the location, but less so in terms of the shared bathrooms - but there simply aren't many options there). All hotels are at least 3 star hotels, and breakfast was included.
- Value for money: I'd say it's great value for money, especially in my case as it was a very small group (3 people) and I even ended up getting my own room throughout the whole tour. Based on my calculations, going to the same places on your own wouldn't be dramatically cheaper (unless you significantly lower your standards).
- Driver-guide: our driver-guide, Nicole, was great - she organized everything very well, drove safely, helped us with everything, was always available for questions and told us much about the various places as well as about New Zealand in general. She even drove me all the way back to Auckland (she was returning the van there) for no extra charge after we got stuck in the aforementioned snowstorm, for which I'm especially grateful.
“11 Day 'Takahe' South Island Select Tour”
This tour was an unforgettable way to see the best of New Zealand's South Island in just 11 days! Perfect for the first-time travelers interested in exploring this beautiful island. The tour was well-organized, with comfortable hotels, and a great group of like-minded tourists. Most importantly, James, our local Maori tour guide made all the difference on this trip! He was attentive to the wishes of everyone individually and ensured we all were able to experience the landmarks and the activities we came to enjoy. He freely shared his personal knowledge of local and Maori customs, history, and culture, a standout perk you won't find anywhere else! We left New Zealand with many wonderful photos and endless memories of this amazing trip!
“Southern Gems Pass (South Island)”
The itinary was great. The Gunn Camp, Stewart Island and Mount Cook overnights were a highlight of the trip. Backpacker accommodation can vary a great deal - Gunn Camp was warm the only drawback being the position of the toilets and showers, Stewart Island the only drawback was that there were no ensuites. Mount Cook we were upgraded to the Chalets and these were very comfortable. At all three of these sites we needed to provide our own meals as the accommodation didn't have anywhere to purchase anything. Stewart Island had a lovely hotel dining room where I went for lunch and it was delightful.
“11 Day 'Weka' South Island Adventure Tour”
Had a brilliant time on the Weka trip. Lots of opportunity to go for walks. Abel Tasmin was brilliant. Fantastic boat trip on Milford Sound. Had some dreadful weather, resulted in road flooding,Katy did an amazing job driving through a major flood and also driving in bad visibility rain conditions. Nothing was too much for Katie always smiling and sorting us out and made sure we were well stocked with provisions.. big thanks, Jools
“North to South Pass (National)”
Got to see and do everything I wanted and met a lot of great people at different ages. As someone who was travelling alone (for more than a few days) for the first time, it was probably the best decision I could have made.
Good combination of travelling in a group of people but still being able to do what you want and take time for yourself if you want to. Special thanks to my bus driver Thor, who was doing an excellent job, driving me save and sound from Auckland to Queenstown, always being patient answering all kinds of questions, always with a smile on his lips.
“Big South Pass (South Island)”
thoroughly enjoyed our tour. All bus drivers were very informative and helpful,accommodation varied but on the hole comfortable.The activities were extremely interesting and reasonably priced. Would recommend this type of holiday if you don't mind sharing rooms and looking for a cheap way of getting around.
“South Island”
I had an amazing trip. My group became very close and Lego was very knowledgable, funny and engaged which made it even better. For a few other stops my driver was Rollex, who was great too. I ab***slut***ely loved it and will definitely be booking.
“The best that NZ South island has to offer without the hassle”
I just finished my trip with Stray that I took along the South Island of New Zealand on their Big South Freestyle Pass. I have already travelled with them in Laos, Myanmar and Australia and due to my positive experiences that I already had with this company I decided to hop on the Stray Bus again for an epic adventure through New Zealand's beautiful South Island. One concept that I like most about the Stray tours is the hop-on hop-off option that gives the ultimate freedom to stay longer at a stop if desired and travel at one’s own pace, yet having all the benefits of an organized group tour. I usually like to travel independently, however I was a bit intimidated driving in New Zealand by myself, therefore was really happy that this was taken off me and I could simply relax and enjoy the views in the Stray bus and and have the stress of driving taken off me. The drivers that took me around the South Island (Cookie, Rolex and Shorty) were all amazing. Friendly, passionate about their job sharing insider information with us and spreading good vibes.
The itinerary of the Big South Island Freestyle Pass is very optimized and perfect if you want to see everything in a short amount of time (however I would recommend hoping off in Abel Tasman, Wanaka and Queenstown and staying a bit longer if you have the time).
I really enjoyed my trip and meeting awesome people from all over the world and of course discovering this beautiful country with Stray. Definitely thumps up! Can recommend.
“Stray South Island”
Spent three weeks travelling the South Island with Stray. Everyone on the bus was travelling solo, was easy to get on with, and had the same mind set about travelling. It’s a great way to meet people. Most of the crowd on the bus was mid 20’s and from Europe. It’s a chilled out vibe and there were people on the bus that would be happy to drink alcohol everyday and others who would not drink at all. I had three different drivers, Peaches, Thunder and Shorty. All were good. Shorty really seemed to want everyone to have a good time and enjoy New Zealand. Overall I’ve had a great experience on Stray!
“Thank You Stray For Making My Trip Memorable!!!”
I started my trip from Christchurch and covered almost all the beautiful places of South Island in 15 days. Met lot of solo travellers like me in the bus and they are amazing and very friendly.
I travelled most of the places with Kookie. He is an amazing guide and safe driver. He also cooked delicious food for us and arranged a party during Xmas time. Thanks Kookie and Stray Travels for the wonderful time.
The bus routes are really good but the Stray Mate App still needs lot of improvements. These are few things that needs to be improved,
1. UI is not so good in large android devices. Lot of space between one location to another.
2. I always need to scroll down to where I left and when I click the back button.
3. There is no place for clear notifications like Franz Josef Road Closure updates. Updating the description is not so readable and confusing.
“The south island with stray!”
After living for 5 months in Auckland, and Being on the north island I decided to to travel the south island with stray.
My trip started off in December in Christchurch, nervous but full excitement I got on my first bus. As soon as you get on the bus, you start meeting new people and the real fun starts. Having drivers who make every trip a nice one, they told us a lot about the country and activities you can do.
Because I had 5,5 weeks to travel around the whole South Island, I took my time and hopped off on most of the stops for more days, this means that you have a lot of different drivers and most of them just for a short period of time. But there were two driver I had for a couple of days and they made every trip so much fun. During the long drive from marahau to Franz Josef I had Thor as a driver. I think this one of my favorite drivers, we did a quiz on the bus and some other games, this makes long drives so much better. So thanks for that!!
On my last days with stray I had Soxx as driver. He made my last days with stray so much fun, specially on our way to Christchurch he told so much about the city and gave us some nice reccomadtion to go to! Oow and not to forget all the cheesy jokes he makes, you will never have boring day in the bus if Soxx is you driver!
Overall I've had great time traveling with stray and I would recommend it to everyone who travels solo through New Zealand!
“Amazing Stray Trip with Rollex!!”
I had the most amazing experience travelling with Stray in the South Island. I was travelling solo but got to meet so many people while travel with Stray. My Stray driver, Rollex, was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable about the places we went, friendly, fun and entertaining during the longer bus trips.
The route Stray takes is comprehensive, taking you to all the main places you want to see, plus also some epic locations I didn't even know existed. My favorite places were Marahau, Gunns Camp, and Mount Cook.
Would highly recommend Stray to anyone wanting an awesome NZ adventure :)
