Tour Overview
New Zealand is motorcycling and road-tripping royalty — but most visitors only scratch the surface. This 13-day MotoRover convoy covers both the South and North Islands, connecting the country's greatest roads: the epic Milford Road, the Haast Pass rainforest gorge, Crown Range (New Zealand's highest sealed road), the volcanic plateau of Rotorua, and the wine country of Hawke's Bay. All in a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, built for these roads.
What makes this tour special is the Cook Strait crossing — an InterIslander ferry from Picton to Wellington, where the landscape transforms completely from alpine drama to volcanic heat. Two islands, two personalities, one seamless journey curated by MotoRover's team.
Route Map
Day-by-Day Itinerary
| Day | Date | Route | Activity | Meals | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | — | Christchurch | Arrival. Botanic Gardens walk, Cathedral Square, welcome dinner in the city. First breath of Southern Hemisphere summer air. | Meals included — Dinner | — km |
| Day 2 | — | Christchurch → Franz Josef | Arthur's Pass Trans-Alpine rail bridge and gorge, then west across the Southern Alps to the West Coast's ancient temperate rainforest. Twin glaciers — Franz Josef and Fox — descend to within metres of the jungle floor. | Meals included — Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | 320 km |
| Day 3 | — | Franz Josef → Wanaka | Drive the Haast Pass — a primeval gorge where waterfalls crash into jade pools beside the road. Blue Pools walk. The landscape opens dramatically into the turquoise expanse of Lake Hawea as you approach Wanaka. | Meals included — Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | 250 km |
| Day 4 | — | Wanaka → Queenstown | Drive the Crown Range — New Zealand's highest sealed road at 1,076m. Vast alpine tundra, then the shimmering panorama of the Wakatipu Basin on the descent. Queenstown arrives like a postcard. | Meals included — Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | 120 km |
| Day 5 | — | Queenstown (rest day) | Adventure capital at leisure. Remarkables Ski Area views, Shotover Canyon, lake cruises. Optional: bungee jumping, jet boating, paragliding. Or simply sit on the waterfront and absorb one of the world's finest town settings. | Meals included — Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | — km |
| Day 6 | — | Queenstown → Milford Sound return | The Milford Road is arguably New Zealand's finest drive — 120 km of lakes, beech forest, and the Homer Tunnel blasted through solid rock. Arrive at Milford Sound for a 2-hour cruise beneath 1,200m cliff walls and cascading waterfalls. | Meals included — Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | 350 km return |
| Day 7 | — | Queenstown → Invercargill → Catlins | Drive deep south to the Catlins coast — New Zealand's most remote and rewarding shoreline. Sea lions on the beach at Cannibal Bay. Nugget Point lighthouse at the continent's edge. Petrified forest at low tide. | Meals included — Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | 280 km |
| Day 8 | — | Catlins → Dunedin → Moeraki | Historic Otago goldfields, the Victorian streetscapes of Dunedin — New Zealand's Edinburgh. The famous Moeraki Boulders, enormous spherical concretions scattered across a wild beach. Overnight in a lodge overlooking the Pacific. | Meals included — Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | 320 km |
| Day 9 | — | Dunedin → Christchurch → Ferry | Drive back through the Canterbury Plains to Christchurch. Board the InterIslander ferry at Picton — a 3.5-hour crossing through the Marlborough Sounds, one of the world's most scenic harbour passages. Arrive in Wellington. | Meals included — Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | 380 km + ferry |
| Day 10 | — | Wellington | New Zealand's compact, culture-rich capital. The Beehive Parliament, Te Papa Museum of New Zealand, Cuba Street's cafés and galleries, the harbour cable car. Wellington is a city that surprises every visitor. | Meals included — Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | — km |
| Day 11 | — | Wellington → Napier | Drive north through the Hawke's Bay wine region to Napier — one of the world's great Art Deco cities, rebuilt after the 1931 earthquake in a single remarkable decade of architectural vision. Wine estate visit in the afternoon. | Meals included — Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | 320 km |
| Day 12 | — | Napier → Rotorua | Drive to the geothermal heartland. Wai-O-Tapu thermal wonderland — boiling mud pools, the Lady Knox Geyser, the vivid Champagne Pool. Evening: traditional Māori haka performance and hangi feast cooked in the earth. | Meals included — Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | 280 km |
| Day 13 | — | Rotorua → Auckland | Final drive north to the City of Sails. Sky Tower views over the Waitemata Harbour, Viaduct Harbour waterfront, farewell dinner. New Zealand departs as reluctantly as you do. | Meals included — Breakfast | 230 km |
Vehicle Options
-
Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Automatic Transmission
Tour Inclusions
- Mitsubishi Pajero Sport with insurance & fuel
- 12 nights twin-share lodge/hotel accommodation
- All breakfasts + welcome & farewell dinners
- MotoRover tour manager + local guide
- Support vehicle + mechanic
- GPS & offline maps
- Airport transfers (Christchurch arrival + Auckland departure)
- InterIslander Cook Strait ferry tickets
- Milford Sound 2-hour cruise
- Tour merchandise (MotoRover kit)
- GST & TCS included
Optional Services
- Single Room Supplement NZD 1,200
- Extra Night in Auckland (Twin) NZD 280
- Extra Night in Auckland (Single) NZD 240
- Extra Night in Queenstown (Twin) NZD 320
- Extra Night in Queenstown (Single) NZD 280
Tour Exclusions
- International flights (India ↔ New Zealand — typically INR 65,000–85,000 return)
- Most lunches & dinners (est. NZD 30–50 per day)
- NZ ETA travel authorisation (NZD 17)
- Personal travel insurance (from India, budget roughly INR 3,500–4,500)
- Personal expenses
- Single room supplement (optional) — from NZD ~1,100 when available; confirm at booking
- Adventure activities at free-time stops (e.g. bungy, optional) — often NZD 200+ depending on operator and site
Tour Details
Food and Water
11 Lunches, 12 breakfasts and Dinners
Accommodation
4* Hotels & Boutique stays in great locations
Total Travel Distance
2200Kms
Riding / Driving Time
4-6hrs every day with multiple breaks
Terrain
100% paved roads with a mix of mountain passes, coast hugging roads, back roads and a few highway sections.
Air Connectivity
Auckland and Christchurch have flights connecting via Singapore and Sydney from major metro cities in India.
Weather Forecast
It will be a nice pleasant weather with and average temperature of 22 degree Celsius during the day time and averaging around 10 degree Celsius during the night.
Additional Costs
Airfare – INR 1,25,000 Onwards
Visa – Approx INR 17,000
Personal Travel Insurance – INR 2000 to 3000
Tour Video
Tour Gallery
Our Traveller Testimonials
Real, verified Google reviews from travellers who have toured with MotoRover.
Once you sign up, MotoRover takes away all your worries. I have done my second driving adventure with this family to Russia during the winters, the first being the Summer Baltic Tour. The tour managers are well trained and go out of their way to look after and pamper us. What I like best is they drive us through county roads as much as possible instead of the highways — this makes the drive a lot more scenic and you get a better feel of the country you are visiting. MotoRover feeds us very well, too well in fact, and the hotels they pick are amongst the best.
Russia Winter Adventure 2025
This was my first ever self-drive tour experience and I am glad my wife reached out to MotoRover for the Balkan Self-Drive Tour. Route planning (detours through National Parks), properties selected for night stays, coffee breaks and meals couldn't have been better. The local guide was an experienced professional, very passionate about giving us the best experience with safety first as his guiding principle. The ever-smiling tour manager from India added to the quality of experience. But the final takeaway was the awesome camaraderie that blossomed among fellow travellers — the best return on investment! Cheers to Kabir and Piyush.
Balkan Self-Drive Road Trip 2025
This Russia 2024 Snow Drive with MotoRover has been by far the best experience for us. From fun to adventure and getting the best weather each day made the trip just amazing. Huskies, hovercraft, snow ATV, walks on a frozen lake, a stay in igloos, reaching the edge of the world, great local food, and so much more. Also making 16 friends who were unknown before and are now like family. BIG SHOUT to team MotoRover. This Russia Tour is a MUST do before you kick the bucket!
Russia Winter Adventure 2024
The self-drive trip in Kyrgyzstan in June 2024 with MotoRover was an exquisite experience. The unparalleled natural beauty of Kyrgyzstan was perfectly complemented by the meticulous planning and execution of the expedition by MotoRover and its team. Pragyesh, Simon, Luda, and the other members of the team put forth their best efforts to make the entire trip memorable for all of us.
Kyrgyzstan Road Trip 2024
Excellent tour management and hospitality. The team really cares about its customers and goes out of the way to ensure customer comfort and experience are maintained with high benchmarks. I have been with them on the Central Asia road trip and had the best experience from booking to arrival back in India. Customers are briefed well in advance regarding itinerary, routes, travel arrangements and vehicle support — the whole experience was seamless. The biggest highlight was two 70-year-old ladies who accompanied us; Piyush and his team took extra care to ensure their comfort was a top priority. A true example of customer-first thinking. Kudos to MotoRover!
Kyrgyzstan Road Trip 2024