New Zealand Adventurer — Self-Launched

Pick up an InterCity bus from Auckland's SkyCity terminal heading to Thames (~£18, 2h), then connect onward to Hahei or Whitianga. Check into a Hahei holiday park cabin or dorm. In the afternoon walk the 45-minute track down to Cathedral Cove — free, no booking needed — and swim if the water's warm. Time your visit to Hot Water Beach for low tide (check the tide table the night before), hire a spade from a local shop (~£4) and dig your own thermal pool on the sand.

🚌InterCity bus Auckland–Thames–Hahei, ~£18–22

🛏Hahei Holiday Resort dorm or cabin (~£30)

• →Cathedral Cove walk (free)
• →Hot Water Beach dig-your-own spa (~£4 spade hire)
• →Optional: Cathedral Cove kayak tour via GetYourGuide ~£70

Bus south to Rotorua via Thames and Morrinsville (~£26, 4–5h). Drop bags at Haka House or Rotorua Downtown Backpackers. Spend the afternoon at Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland — buy entry direct online (~£20) and catch the Lady Knox Geyser eruption at 10:15am if you arrive early, otherwise just do the self-guided loop through the champagne pools and Devil's Bath. Evening: eat at Eat Streat and take a free wander through Kuirau Park's steaming public thermal area.

🚌InterCity bus ~£26

🛏Haka House Rotorua dorm (~£26)

• →Wai-O-Tapu entry ~£20
• →Kuirau Park thermal walk (free)

Pick your own adrenaline: ziplining with Rotorua Canopy Tours (~£78, book via GetYourGuide or direct), white-water rafting the Kaituna Falls with a local operator (~£85), or guided hike to Mt Tarawera (~£80). On a budget? The Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest has free walking and mountain-bike trails right in town — 30+ km of them. Late afternoon soak at a free or cheap hot pool (Kuirau Park has public foot baths).

🚌Local bus / walk / shuttle to activity

🛏Haka House Rotorua dorm (~£26)

• →Choice of zipline (~£78), rafting (~£85) or Mt Tarawera hike (~£80)
• →Free Redwoods Forest trails

Short InterCity hop to Taupo (~£12, 1h15). Check into Finlay Jacks or Haka House Taupo. Walk or take the local bus to Huka Falls and do the riverside loop track — the falls are free and genuinely spectacular. Stop at the trout-viewing platform on the Waikato River. If you're up for it, jet boat to the base of the falls (~£69 with Hukafalls Jet, book direct). Sunset at Lake Taupo waterfront.

🚌InterCity bus ~£12; local bus to Huka Falls ~£5

🛏Finlay Jacks Taupo dorm (~£26)

• →Huka Falls walk (free)
• →Optional jet boat ~£69

Book a Tongariro Alpine Crossing shuttle from Taupo (~£30 return, pickups from central hostels, book direct a day ahead). The crossing itself is free — a 19.4km alpine hike past Emerald Lakes and the Red Crater, taking 7–8 hours. Check the weather forecast and carry water, food and layers. Alternatives if conditions are poor: skydive over Lake Taupo from 15,000ft (~£210) or a tandem sail on the lake (~£25).

🚌Tongariro shuttle ~£30 return

🛏Finlay Jacks Taupo dorm (~£26)

• →Tongariro Alpine Crossing (free, shuttle £30)
• →Optional skydive ~£210

InterCity bus Taupo–Waitomo (~£20), drop bags at the Waitomo i-SITE and do the Waitomo Glowworm Caves boat tour (~£30 direct, 45 mins). Cheaper alternative: the free-to-cheap Ruakuri Bushwalk through limestone tunnels and native bush at the Waitomo end. Then onward bus to Hamilton and Raglan (~£20 total). Check into Raglan Backpackers — the sunset over the harbour bar is worth the trip alone.

🚌InterCity Taupo–Waitomo–Hamilton–Raglan ~£40 total

🛏Raglan Backpackers dorm (~£27)

• →Waitomo Glowworm Caves ~£30
• →Free Ruakuri Bushwalk

Morning beginner surf lesson at Ngarunui Beach with a local Raglan surf school (~£40 for 2h with board and wetsuit — Raglan Surf School or Raglan Surfing Academy, book direct). Shuttle back to Hamilton or Auckland for an evening flight to Christchurch (Jetstar/Air New Zealand, ~£45–85 if booked a few weeks out — set a fare alert). Overnight at Lylo Christchurch, near the airport.

🚌Raglan–Auckland/Hamilton shuttle ~£20; domestic flight ~£65

🛏Lylo Christchurch dorm (~£28)

• →Beginner surf lesson ~£40

Pick up a small rental car in Christchurch (from ~£30/day shared, or take the InterCity Coastal Pacific route bus ~£35 to Greymouth then local onward). Drive the Lewis Pass through beech forest and alpine wetland — the same scenic drive the tour does, with the freedom to stop. Pick up groceries in Reefton or Greymouth to cook at the hostel. Night at Punakaiki Beachcamp, right behind the beach.

🚌Rental car shared (~£30) or InterCity bus ~£35

🛏Punakaiki Beachcamp cabin/dorm (~£32)

• →Self-drive Lewis Pass scenic stops (free)

Walk to the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes — free, 20 minutes, best around high tide for the blowholes at full force. Afterwards hike the Truman Track to a waterfall and a wild beach cove (15 mins drive north), or drive south to Barrytown for coastal exploring. Optional: West Coast brewery tasting in Punakaiki or Greymouth (~£18). Cook dinner at the camp; the west coast sunsets are enormous.

🚌Local driving / walking

🛏Punakaiki Beachcamp cabin/dorm (~£32)

• →Pancake Rocks & Blowholes (free)
• →Truman Track (free)
• →Optional brewery tasting ~£18

Drive north up the Coast Road, stopping at Cape Foulwind seal colony and Tauranga Bay, then the Ohau Point seal colony and waterfall near Kaikoura Road on the way through. Arrive Marahau, gateway to Abel Tasman National Park, and check into the Adventure Inn or a Marahau hostel. Afternoon: swim at Anchorage-adjacent beaches or take a water taxi into the park (AquaTaxi, ~£22) for a short walk back.

🚌Self-drive / InterCity to Motueka then local shuttle

🛏The Adventure Inn Marahau dorm (~£30)

• →Cape Foulwind & Ohau Point seal colonies (free)
• →Optional AquaTaxi day pass ~£22

Drive over Takaka Hill to Golden Bay. Walk to the Ngārua Caves glowworm entrance and limestone arches at the base of the hill (free, torch needed), then Te Waikoropupū Springs — some of the clearest freshwater in the world, free with a short boardwalk. Finish at Wharariki Beach, the northern tip of the South Island, a 20-minute walk over farm tracks to wild dunes and seal pups. Bring lunch; there's little on the way.

🚌Self-drive ~£30 shared

🛏The Adventure Inn Marahau dorm (~£30)

• →Ngārua Caves (free)
• →Te Waikoropupū Springs (free)
• →Wharariki Beach walk (free)

Your biggest-choose-your-own day. Options: a full kayak-and-walk day with a local operator (~£72, book via GetYourGuide or Marahau-based companies); the self-guided Abel Tasman Coast Track day section using a water taxi drop-off and pickup (~£35); or canyoning (~£140). Keep it cheap with the free Anchorage end of the track from Marahau — 12km return of golden beaches and native bush. Watch for tūī, kererū and, if lucky, a tuatara at the predator-fenced reserves.

🚌Water taxi ~£25 or local shuttle

🛏The Adventure Inn Marahau dorm (~£30)

• →Abel Tasman kayak + walk day ~£72
• →or self-guided coast track day (free, taxi ~£25)

Drive east through Motueka and into Marlborough wine country. Book a short cellar-door tasting or a cycle-wine trail half-day (~£35 including bike hire — Marlborough's vineyards are flat and easy). Then down the coast to Kaikoura, checking into Dusky Lodge. Evening group-style dinner at a local fish-and-chips spot or the Crayfish Caravan on the coast road (~£15) — crayfish is the thing here.

🚌Self-drive / InterCity Motueka–Blenheim–Kaikoura ~£30

🛏Dusky Lodge Kaikoura dorm (~£28)

• →Marlborough wine tasting / bike trail ~£35
• →Kaikoura coastline walk (free)

Morning: whale watching cruise (~£75, Whale Watch Kaikoura, book direct, tide-dependent) or swim with dolphins (~£100) if you've saved budget for it. Otherwise the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway is free and reliably delivers fur seals, seabirds and dramatic cliffs. Seals also haul out right by the car park on the Point Kean track. Afternoon InterCity bus back to Christchurch (~£22, 2h45) arriving mid-afternoon, or drop the rental car at the airport.

🚌InterCity Kaikoura–Christchurch ~£22

🛏Not included — onward travel or book a final night at Lylo (~£28)

• →Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway (free)
• →Optional whale watching ~£75 / dolphin swim ~£100