Self-Launched: New Zealand & Australia Surfing & National Parks (Wellington to Cairns)

Fly into Wellington (WLG) and check into a central hostel (Nomads Capital or Haka Lodge are good budget picks, around £25-32/night dorm). Walk the waterfront and Cuba Street, cook dinner in the hostel kitchen, then head out in the evening — Courtney Place and Cuba Street bars are the social hub for meeting other travellers. If you fancy it, join a free walking tour on arrival day to get oriented.

🚌Airport bus #91 or Metlink bus to city centre, ~NZ$12 (£6)

🛏Central Wellington hostel dorm (£25-32)

• →Waterfront & Cuba Street wander
• →Free city walking tour (tip-based)
• →Night out on Courtney Place

Book a Bluebridge or Interislander ferry across Cook Strait to Picton (~£30-45 if booked early — sit outside on deck for the Marlborough Sounds approach). From Picton take the InterCity bus to Motueka/Marahau (~£20). Alternatively book a shuttle through your Marahau hostel. Settle into a beachside hostel — The Barn or similar — and cook dinner.

🚌Cook Strait ferry ~£35 + InterCity bus Picton–Motueka/Marahau ~£20

🛏Marahau hostel dorm (£22-28)

• →Cook Strait ferry crossing
• →Marlborough Sounds views

Self-book an Aqua Taxi from Marahau up to Anchorage (~£25-30 return, book direct with AquaTaxi or Abel Tasman Aqua Taxi) then walk the coastal track back to Marahau at your own pace — roughly 4 hours with stops at golden-sand bays like Anchorage, Torrent Bay and Bark Bay if you extend. Swimming, picnicking and sunbathing are free. A full-day guided kayak-and-hike combo runs ~£80-100 if you want one.

🚌Aqua Taxi water taxi ~£28

🛏Marahau hostel dorm (£22-28)

• →Aqua Taxi to Anchorage
• →Coastal Track walk
• →Beach swims at Anchorage/Torrent Bay

InterCity coach down the rugged West Coast to Westport (~£25-30, ~4.5 hrs). Get off or detour at Cape Foulwind to see the fur seal colony (free walk from the car park). In Westport, base at a budget hostel or holiday park; the town is small and quiet — a good night for an early sleep.

🚌InterCity coach Marahau/Motueka–Westport ~£28

🛏Westport hostel dorm (£22-26)

• →Cape Foulwind seal colony walk
• →Westport town wander

InterCity coach south along the coast (~£25), hopping off at Punakaiki for the Pancake Rocks and blowholes walk (free, 30-45 min loop). If the timing doesn't work with the coach, stay a night in Punakaiki or Greymouth and continue the next morning. Arrive Franz Josef and check into a hostel (Rainforest Retreat or Chateau Franz).

🚌InterCity coach ~£25

🛏Franz Josef hostel dorm (£24-30)

• →Punakaiki Pancake Rocks & blowholes

Pick your own adventure. Options: a heli-hike or heli scenic flight with snow landing booked direct with Franz Josef Glacier Guides or HeliServices (~£180-320 — the pricey splurge); a self-guided walk on the free public tracks (Glacier View Road terminus, Tatare Tunnels, Callery Gorge); or a kayak trip on Lake Mapourika (~£75-85). The free tracks get you close to the glacier valley for nothing.

🚌Local shuttle/walk, ~£5

🛏Franz Josef hostel dorm (£24-30)

• →Self-guided glacier valley tracks (free)
• →Optional heli-hike (~£200+)
• →Optional Lake Mapourika kayaking

InterCity coach Franz Josef–Queenstown (~£35-40, ~7 hrs) over Haast Pass, with a stop at Wanaka. If you have time, the #1 InterCity service lets you break in Wanaka — the Wanaka Tree photo stop is a 15-minute walk from town. Arrive Queenstown and check into a central hostel (Nomads Queenstown, Absoloot or Adventure Q2).

🚌InterCity coach ~£38

🛏Queenstown hostel dorm (£28-35)

• →Haast Pass scenic drive
• →Wanaka Tree photo stop

Book direct (or via GetYourGuide/Klook) for the classics: the original Kawarau Bridge Bungee (~£95), Shotover Jet boat (~£80), Nevis bungee (~£150) or tandem skydiving (~£200-250). Or just do the free Queenstown Hill or Ben Lomond track for views. Book ahead in peak season — these sell out.

🚌Walk / local bus

🛏Queenstown hostel dorm (£28-35)

• →Optional bungee jump
• →Optional Shotover Jet
• →Free Queenstown Hill hike

Book a Milford Sound day trip with coach + nature cruise direct (Jucy, InterCity or GetYourGuide, ~£90-120 including the boat). It's a long day (~12 hrs round trip through Fiordland) but the fjord is spectacular. Alternatively, drive yourself if you have a rental car and camp in Milford.

🚌Coach day trip included in activity price

🛏Queenstown hostel dorm (£28-35)

• →Milford Sound cruise
• →Fiordland National Park drive

Take the public or shuttle bus (or hitch — it's a popular hitch route) to Glenorchy along Lake Wakatipu (~£10-15 each way). The Lord of the Rings scenery is free to admire. Walk the Bob's Cove Track (1-2 hrs) and picnic by the lake. Back to Queenstown in the evening.

🚌Shuttle/bus to Glenorchy ~£25 return

🛏Queenstown hostel dorm (£28-35)

• →Glenorchy scenic drive
• →Bob's Cove Track hike

InterCity coach Queenstown–Lake Tekapo (~£30), stopping in Arrowtown for its gold-rush main street and Chinese Settlement (free). Arrive Lake Tekapo — check into the YHA or a holiday park cabin. Evening: walk to the Church of the Good Shepherd for the classic turquoise-lake photo.

🚌InterCity coach ~£30

🛏Lake Tekapo hostel dorm (£26-32)

• →Arrowtown historic village
• →Church of the Good Shepherd at sunset

Book a Mt Cook day shuttle from Tekapo (~£35-45 return) or take the InterCity to Mt Cook Village. Walk the Hooker Valley Track (free, 3 hrs return) — one of NZ's best easy walks, ending at a glacier lake beneath Aoraki. Visit the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre (~£10) if you like. Optional: stargazing at the Dark Sky Project in Tekapo (~£30-45 or free if you just walk out of town and look up).

🚌Mt Cook shuttle ~£40

🛏Lake Tekapo hostel dorm (£26-32)

• →Hooker Valley Track
• →Optional Dark Sky stargazing

InterCity coach Tekapo–Christchurch (~£22, ~3.5 hrs). Christchurch hostels (Dorset House, Jailhouse) are good value. Explore the rebuild city — Riverside Market, the cardboard cathedral, and the free Botanic Gardens. Optional: bike hire for the day (~£15).

🚌InterCity coach ~£22

🛏Christchurch hostel dorm (£22-28)

• →Riverside Market
• →Botanic Gardens
• →City rebuild walking loop

InterCity coach north to Kaikoura (~£20, 2.5 hrs). Optional: Dusky dolphin swim with Dolphin Encounter Kaikoura (~£75-90; book direct) — the operator runs a 3-hour trip with 20-40 mins in the water when conditions allow. Also do the free Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway for seal colonies and clifftop views. A whale-watch flight or boat is another option (~£95-105).

🚌InterCity coach ~£20

🛏Kaikoura hostel dorm (£24-30)

• →Optional dolphin swim (~£85)
• →Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway (free)

Coach Kaikoura–Picton (~£15) then the Interislander or Bluebridge ferry back across Cook Strait (~£40-50). Back to a Wellington hostel. Use the evening to see Te Papa Museum (free entry, open late some nights) — the operator's optional museum visit is worth doing and costs nothing.

🚌Coach ~£15 + ferry ~£45

🛏Wellington hostel dorm (£25-32)

• →Te Papa Museum (free)
• →Wellington night out

Book a budget trans-Tasman flight (Jetstar, Air New Zealand or Virgin) well in advance — ~£120-170 one way with a carry-on. From Sydney Airport take the train to the city (~£9). Check into a hostel in the Rocks/Central (Wake Up Sydney, Sydney Central YHA). Evening: free Rocks neighbourhood wander and Circular Quay views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

🚌Flight ~£150 + airport train ~£9

🛏Sydney hostel dorm (£30-40)

• →The Rocks wander
• →Circular Quay & Opera House at night

Use an Opal card (tap on/off, capped daily fares). Take the Manly Ferry from Circular Quay (~£4 with Opal) for the harbour views from the water — it's the cheapest harbour cruise in town. Walk Manly Beach to Shelly Beach. Back in the city, do the free Bondi-to-Coogee coastal walk. Optional: Opera House guided tour (~£25-40).

🚌Opal card ferry/bus/train ~£8

🛏Sydney hostel dorm (£30-40)

• →Manly Ferry
• →Bondi to Coogee coastal walk
• →Optional Opera House tour

Two options: a cheap domestic flight Sydney–Gold Coast/Ballina (~£50-70 on Jetstar) then a shuttle, or a 12-hour overnight Greyhound/Premier coach directly to Byron (~£60-80). Byron hostels fill fast — book ahead (Aquarius, Byron Bay YHA or Arts Factory). Evening: beach sunset at Main Beach and a cheap pub feed.

🚌Coach or flight + shuttle ~£65

🛏Byron Bay hostel dorm (£28-38)

• →Main Beach sunset
• →Town wander

Book a beginner surf lesson direct or via Klook/Mojosurf (~£40-50, half-day including board and wetsuit). Optional: Byron Bay ocean kayaking at Julian Rocks marine reserve (~£40-50, book direct with Cape Byron Kayaks). Walk the Cape Byron Lighthouse track (free) for whale-watching in season and the most easterly point of mainland Australia.

🚌Walk / local bus

🛏Byron Bay hostel dorm (£28-38)

• →Beginner surf lesson (~£45)
• →Optional ocean kayaking
• →Cape Byron Lighthouse walk

A slow day: beach, markets, and café-hopping. Or take a local bus to Nimbin (~£10) or hike the hinterland trails of the Mount Warning area. Rest and do laundry — you're about to hit the Queensland islands.

🚌Local bus ~£10

🛏Byron Bay hostel dorm (£28-38)

• →Beach day
• →Optional Nimbin day trip

Greyhound/Premier coach up the coast to Rainbow Beach (~£40-50, ~5.5 hrs). Check into a hostel or holiday park. Rainbow Beach is the main departure point for K'gari (Fraser Island) 4x4 tag-along tours — book ahead.

🚌Coach ~£45

🛏Rainbow Beach hostel dorm (£26-34)

• →Rainbow Beach & Carlo Sandblow walk (free)

Book a 2-day/1-night self-drive 4x4 tag-along tour direct with the operators at Rainbow Beach (Fraser's, Dropbear or Pippies — ~£180-230 all-in including permit, vehicle, food, and beach camping). You drive with your group behind a lead guide: Lake McKenzie, Central Station rainforest, Eli Creek, the Maheno shipwreck and Champagne Pools. Camp on the beach, do the twilight beach walk and swap stories around the fire.

🚌4x4 tag-along vehicle (included)

🛏Beach camping on K'gari (included in tour)

• →Lake McKenzie
• →Eli Creek
• →Maheno shipwreck
• →Twilight beach walk & campfire

Finish the 4x4 tour with a morning swim and drive back. Shuttle or coach to Noosa (~£10). Stay in Noosa or nearby Sunshine Beach. Walk the Noosa Coastal Walk through Noosa National Park (free) — koala-spotting is genuinely possible in the eucalypts near Tea Tree Bay.

🚌Shuttle ~£10

🛏Noosa hostel dorm (£28-36)

• →Noosa National Park coastal walk
• →Koala spotting

Optional: guided kayak into the Noosa Everglades (~£55-70) — one of only two everglade systems in the world. Free alternative: the Noosa Farmers Market (Sunday) or a beach day. In the late afternoon, head south for the Sunshine Coast / Brisbane direction if you want to shorten the next day's drive.

🚌Local bus ~£6

🛏Noosa hostel dorm (£28-36)

• →Optional Everglades kayaking
• →Noosa Farmers Market

Long haul north — Greyhound/Premier coach (~£75-90, or a cheap flight Brisbane–Whitsunday Coast for ~£60-80 if booked early). Consider breaking it with a night in Hervey Bay or Agnes Water if you'd rather not sit on a bus all day. Airlie Beach hostels are plentiful (Nomads, Magnums, Base).

🚌Coach ~£85 or flight + shuttle

🛏Airlie Beach hostel dorm (£28-36)

• →Lagoon at Airlie Beach (free)

Book a Whitsundays day sail or speedboat tour direct (or via Klook/GetYourGuide) — ~£90-120 including Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet lookout and snorkelling on the fringing reef with lunch. The 74-island archipelago is the highlight of the east coast. Cheaper option: a shared day cruise rather than an overnight sailing trip.

🚌Boat included in tour price

🛏Airlie Beach hostel dorm (£28-36)

• →Whitehaven Beach
• →Hill Inlet lookout
• →Snorkelling the fringing reef

Recovery day. If your budget stretches, swap today's plans for a 2-day/2-night Whitsundays sailing trip instead (~£250-320 all-in with food, snorkelling and a Great Barrier Reef outer reef stop). Otherwise: swim in the Airlie lagoon, hike the Conway National Park track for views, and prep for Cairns.

🚌Walk / local bus

🛏Airlie Beach hostel dorm (£28-36)

• →Airlie Beach lagoon
• →Optional Whitsundays overnight sail

Coach Airlie Beach–Cairns (~£55, ~7 hrs) or a cheap flight Whitsunday Coast–Cairns (~£60-80). Check into a Cairns hostel (Gilligan's, Mad Monkey, or Cairns Central YHA). Evening: the Cairns Esplanade lagoon is free and the night-market food stalls are cheap.

🚌Coach ~£55

🛏Cairns hostel dorm (£24-32)

• →Esplanade lagoon
• →Night Markets

Self-book a Daintree Rainforest day tour from Cairns (~£80-100) including Mossman Gorge, a Daintree River crocodile cruise, Cape Tribulation beach and the Alexandra Lookout. Alternatively, take the public bus to Port Douglas (~£15) and do it independently. Cassowary spotting is a real possibility.

🚌Day tour pickup / bus

🛏Cairns hostel dorm (£24-32)

• →Mossman Gorge
• →Daintree River cruise
• →Cape Tribulation beach

Book a full-day outer Great Barrier Reef snorkel trip direct (Reef Magic, Passions of Paradise or Sunlover — ~£120-150 including lunch, wetsuit and snorkel gear). A single introductory dive adds ~£60-80. This is the priciest single activity on the trip but genuinely unmissable.

🚌Reef terminal walk / transfer

🛏Cairns hostel dorm (£24-32)

• →Outer Great Barrier Reef snorkelling
• →Optional intro dive

Join a shared Atherton Tablelands day tour (~£70-85) covering Millaa Millaa Falls, Lake Eacham, the Curtain Fig Tree and platypus spotting at Yungaburra — or hire a car with a couple of hostel mates and self-drive for ~£30-40 each. Cheaper: local bus to Kuranda and the free rainforest walks.

🚌Tour or shared car hire

🛏Cairns hostel dorm (£24-32)

• →Millaa Millaa Falls
• →Lake Eacham swim
• →Platypus spotting

Slow morning. Free options: the Cairns Botanic Gardens, the Esplanade boardwalk, or the free public lagoon. Optional: a second reef day, Fitzroy Island ferry (~£30 return + national park entry) for snorkelling off the beach, or a Tjapukai Indigenous cultural experience (~£35-50). Last-night drinks with the hostel crew.

🚌Walk / local bus ~£5

🛏Cairns hostel dorm (£24-32)

• →Botanic Gardens
• →Optional Fitzroy Island day trip
• →Farewell night out

Check out and head to Cairns Airport (CNS) — local bus or shuttle ~£5-8, or a 15-min taxi. If you're flying on, consider a cheap domestic onward flight or a stopover in Brisbane or Sydney on the way home.

🚌Airport bus ~£6

🛏—

• →Airport transfer