Glowworm caves. Wine before dinner. Scenery that stops you mid-sentence. And Ruth at the helm of the jet boat. This is how we roll in New Zealand.
Our New Zealand trip takes you the full length of the country, north island to south, so you get all of it: Auckland's harbor light, a Waiheke vineyard, glowworms clinging to a cave ceiling like a starlit sky, an intimate welcome from a Māori community, geothermal mud and hot springs, the wild, rainforested West Coast, a jet boat safari into a UNESCO World Heritage wilderness, and the alpine drama of Wānaka and Queenstown. Two islands, fourteen days, no rushing.
At NextTribe, we believe this stage of life — 45 and beyond — is exactly the moment to say yes to more of it: new places, new friendships, experiences you couldn't easily arrange on your own. We've partnered with a New Zealand-based, woman-owned logistics team to build this itinerary, and that shows up everywhere in the trip — not as a footnote, but as the throughline.
This isn't a hard-core adventure trip, but you'll be outside and moving nearly every day — kayaking a wetland lagoon, hiking beneath 1,000-year-old trees, walking beside alpine lakes. Every hike on this trip is kept at a moderate level, and wherever we can, we'll offer a gentler alternative alongside the fuller version, so you can choose your own pace. Nothing here is mandatory — you're always free to sit one out — but we do encourage joining in, because in a country built on dramatic, hard-to-reach landscapes, the hikes are often the whole point.
NextTribe members get $100 off this (and every) trip
On every trip, bonding is quick and deep. You'll see places and meet people you simply couldn't on your own and feel comfortable from day one because the trip is hosted by a worldly, warm woman our age. Not a 26-year-old with a clipboard and attitude. One of us.
We keep groups small on purpose — which means this fills fast. Don't be the one who waited too long.
~ Small groups—women 45+ ~ Solo travelers welcome
~ Led by a woman our age ~ Aging boldly since 2017
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New Zealand is a big trip to take on alone — which is exactly why we built it the way we did.
You won't be the only one. A good number of the women on this trip will be traveling solo. You'll land in a group of women in the same boat, by design, not by accident.
Two islands, one steady pace. We're covering serious ground — but we've built in the transitions, the free afternoons, and the slower days (hello, Wānaka wine country) so nothing feels like a scramble.
A host who's one of us. Your NextTribe host isn't a 26-year-old with a clipboard and attitude. She's a woman your age, along for the entire journey, who knows exactly what it's like to land somewhere solo and leave with a whole new group of friends.
Rooming made simple. Travel solo with your own room for a single supplement, or let us know if you'd like to be matched with a roommate from the group.
"I’m amazed how on each of my NextTribe trips, a bond is created immediately among a dozen women who have joined for a new experience and an adventure. It never feels as if you’re on a tour, but instead traveling the world with new friends."
--Sherry T.
"I was totally shocked by how much I enjoyed my trip with this wonderful group of ladies. We all came from various parts of the country and various backgrounds, yet we bonded like old friends. This was my first trip with the group and I will definitely be doing it again!! I'm pretty much a loner but I felt right at home. Truly a great time every minute."
--Christine B.
1. You get culture and intimate moments, not just the grand postcard version of New Zealand. Other tours go heavy on nature and adventure, but we know you want all the layers—places where we’ll see Maori traditions come to life, sophisticated cities that reflect the country’s rugged history and its melting pot present, and dinners where we eat like the locals (looking at you “Kiwi BBQ”). Plus, of course we’ll delve into the geothermally astounding North, and the wild, alpine South.
2. The women of New Zealand are woven into every leg. You'll spend a morning with a Māori guide talking about growing up as a wahine whenua on tribal land, an afternoon in the care of local tribeswomen at a geothermal spa built on Ngāti Whakaue tradition, and time with a West Coast silversmith, a jet boat captain, and other women who've built remarkable lives in some of New Zealand's wildest corners.
3. You don't have to choose between comfort and wild. One day you're soaking in a Māori-owned geothermal spa or eating at a sparkling harborfront restaurant; the next you're kayaking a wetland the size of a small city, or riding a jet boat up a glacier-fed river. New Zealand does both extremes well, and this trip doesn't make you pick.
4. The hiking is real, but it's never a death march. Every hike is kept to a moderate grade, capped around three to four hours, and we'll offer an easier version whenever the terrain allows. You'll still stand under 1,000-year-old trees and beside glacier-carved lakes — you just won't suffer for it.
5. Wine, twice, in two completely different landscapes. A Waiheke Island tasting overlooking the Hauraki Gulf to kick things off, and a Central Otago wine afternoon in the shadow of the Southern Alps to wind things down. Bonus round: an afternoon at Ayrburn, a beautifully restored 19th-century farm turned food-and-wine precinct outside Queenstown.
Do I need to come with someone?
Not at all. Plenty of NextTribe travelers come solo, and it tends to work out beautifully — this group bonds fast.
What fitness level do I need for the hikes?
Moderate. The longest hiking days run three to four hours, on well-established trails, with total elevation change in the range of a few hundred meters — nothing technical or exposed. We'll always flag when a gentler option exists (a shorter loop instead of a steeper incline, for instance), and you're never obligated to join a hike. That said, in a country this dramatic, the hikes are often how you actually earn the view — so we encourage giving them a try.
Is New Zealand safe and easy to navigate for women our age?
Yes — it's consistently ranked among the world's safest and most welcoming countries to visit, with excellent infrastructure even in remote areas. That said, this is still a trip with real distances and changeable weather, which is exactly why we travel as a group with a host and local guides throughout.
What's the weather like in November?
Early summer, technically — but New Zealand weather is famously changeable, especially on the West Coast and in the mountains. Expect a range from mild and sunny to cool and rainy, sometimes in the same day. Layers are your friend.
Will I know anyone?
Probably not at the start. Almost certainly by day two. That's just how this works.
What's included?
All accommodations, all breakfasts, most of your lunches and dinners as listed in the day-by-day itinerary. Plus ground transportation, the internal flight from Auckland to Christchurch, guided excursions, and your NextTribe host throughout. International flights are not included.
What if I need to cancel?
Full refund up to 90 days out (except for your deposit, which can be applied to a future trip). We highly recommend travel protection insurance, and can point you toward options.
Still have questions? Click here to schedule a discovery phone call with Jeannie Edmunds, our NextTribe COO.
Jeannie Ralston is the founder and CEO of NextTribe. Working with the women-owned tour operator in New Zealand to put together this itinerary has gotten her crazy excited about this trip. “I mean, have you looked at the pictures?” she says.
She can’t wait to share this magical place with all of you.
Settle into the hotel and let the jet lag fade a little before we gather in the early evening for a walk along the Wynyard Quarter waterfront — Auckland's old industrial harborfront reinvented as a promenade of bars, restaurants, and boats bobbing at anchor. We close the day with a welcome dinner: your first in-real-life look at the group of women you'll be adventuring with for the next two weeks. (You’ll meet them beforehand on Zoom and What’s App.)
Meals: Dinner
A short ferry ride across the Hauraki Gulf lands you on Waiheke Island, the kind of place that makes Aucklanders quietly jealous of the people who live there. We spend the morning tracing its coastline before settling in at one of the island's long-established vineyards for a tasting — think sea breeze, rolling vines, and New Zealand's cooler-climate reds and whites at their best.
We're back in Auckland by mid-afternoon, with the evening free for dinner on your own.
Activity: Wine tasting
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
We leave Auckland early, driving south through the green patchwork of the Waikato and along its namesake river toward Waitomo. This region sits on a labyrinth of limestone, and we descend into it at Ruakuri Cave — accessed by a striking spiral walkway that eases you underground rather than dropping you in. Inside: crystal-laced limestone formations, the distant rumble of an underground waterfall, and thousands of glowworms overhead, their blue-green light turning the cave ceiling into a private night sky.
Back in daylight, a short loop walk threads through a limestone canyon before we continue on to Rotorua, a region defined by geothermal steam, volcanic landscapes, and deep Māori culture.
Activity: Cave walk
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Driving: approx. 4.5 hours
Today belongs to Ngāti Manawa. We're guided through their tribal lands and welcomed onto the marae with a pōwhiri (welcome ceremony), followed by morning tea with community elders — a rare, personal window into Māori life that most visitors never see.
From there we head into Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park, one of the world’s most ancient rainforests--so old that a visiting botanist once called it a living cathedral dating back 200 million years. We've requested a female Māori guide for the day, so she can share her own story of growing up as wahine whenua, an indigenous woman of this land.
Activity: Tribal tour, hiking up to 10 km (6.2 mi), 3–4 hours, elevation +/-250 m (820 ft)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
This morning we walk through Waiotapu, a geothermal park of bubbling mud pools, steaming craters, and mineral terraces in colors that look faked until you're standing in front of them.
In the afternoon, we trade sightseeing for stillness at Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa on the shores of Lake Rotorua — New Zealand's only Māori-owned luxury cultural spa. Owned and run by the local iwi (tribe), Ngāti Whakaue, the restorative journey moves you through geothermal pools, mud, steam, and fire-and-ice contrast bathing, all rooted in centuries-old healing practices and told through the stories of the people who've used these waters for generations.
Activity: Geothermal park visit, spa treatment
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A short flight carries us from Rotorua's geothermal world to Christchurch and the South Island, where the landscape shifts almost immediately — open farmland giving way to foothills, river valleys, and the rugged ranges of the Southern Alps.
We drive over Arthur's Pass, one of New Zealand's great alpine road crossings, stopping to stretch our legs among braided rivers and beech forest. On the far side, the mountains fall away into lush rainforest and the wild, untamed character the West Coast is known for.
Activity: Hiking (short stops)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Driving: approx. 3 hours 45 minutes
We spend the morning with Fiona McDonald, a silversmith and multidisciplinary artist who spent years as a prop maker on the Lord of the Rings trilogy and as a location scout for international film before settling into her studio, Vosso, on this remote stretch of coast. She'll walk us through her journey from film sets to this wild slice of Aotearoa, and her handcrafted jewelry, cast in silver and bronze with locally sourced materials.
In the afternoon, wander the beach and take in the scenery, or — for those who want it — hike the Inland Pack Track, a historic route once used by prospectors to avoid the treacherous coastal cliffs, and now part of the Paparoa Track, New Zealand's newest Great Walk. It winds through limestone canyons, rainforest, and groves of nīkau palms, with river pools cool and clear enough to tempt a swim on a warm day.
Activity: Visit with local artist Fiona McDonald; optional hiking up to 9.6 km (6 mi), 3–3.5 hours, elevation +/-360 m (1,180 ft)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
A morning drive down the West Coast brings us to Ōkarito, a former gold-mining boomtown turned into a quiet sanctuary of lagoons, sea cliffs, and rainforest, all with the Southern Alps as backdrop. With local kayak guides, we paddle out onto Ōkarito Lagoon — New Zealand's largest unmodified wetland — gliding past more than 70 species of wading birds and into channels shadowed by centuries-old kahikatea trees. On a clear day, the reflections of Aoraki/Mount Cook ripple across the water. From there, it's a short drive to Franz Josef for the night.
Activity: Kayaking
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Driving: approx. 3 hours
We continue south through the wild, near-empty expanse of South Westland to Hannah's Clearing, about as close to the end of the road as New Zealand gets. From there, the Waiatoto River Safari carries us deep into the Te Wāhipounamu World Heritage Area — from open ocean to primeval mountain beech forest, home to a genetically distinct kiwi bird found nowhere else on earth.
Partway up the river, we stop for a short walk among the giant beech trees, then sit down to a classic Kiwi barbecue with Ruth, the company's co-owner, a former commercial pilot who's spent well over a decade driving this river and sharing what it's like to build a life in one of New Zealand's most remote corners.
In the afternoon, we cross Haast Pass, the southernmost alpine crossing of the Southern Alps, arriving in Wānaka as the light turns golden over the lake.
Activity: Jet boat safari
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Driving: approx. 4 hours
After a run of big days, we ease into a slower morning before driving alongside Lake Wānaka toward Aspiring National Park. We hike in the lower Matukituki Valley on the Diamond Lake Track, with the option to continue up Rocky Mountain — a glacially sculpted roche moutonnée, French for "sheep rock," for its smooth, rounded shape.
We’ll get sweeping views over the lake to the Southern Alps and Mount Aspiring/Tititea. There's a gentler option here too: the Diamond Lake circuit is a satisfying walk in its own right, for anyone who'd rather go easy.
Activity: Hiking up to 7.2 km (4.5 mi), 3 hours, elevation +/-650 m (2,130 ft)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
A day built for a different pace. We spend the late morning exploring Wānaka's local wineries and tasting our way through Central Otago's celebrated wine scene — this is pinot noir country, framed by vineyard rows and mountain views, with lunch included at one of the wineries.
The afternoon is yours: wander Wānaka's boutique shops and galleries, or simply sit lakeside with a coffee and watch the light change on the water. Dinner is at your leisure among the town's many lakefront restaurants.
Activity: Wine tasting
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
We climb over the Crown Range, one of New Zealand's highest paved roads, with sweeping views across tussock hills and the Wakatipu Basin. Descending toward Queenstown, we stop for a few hours at Ayrburn — a 160-year-old farm, meticulously restored into a precinct of restaurants, bars, and gardens, its barns and stables still bearing the sag and character of the originals. It's a place built for wandering: good wine, good food, mountains on every side.
From there, we continue into Queenstown itself, set on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and ringed by the Southern Alps, with the rest of the day free to explore the lakefront, shops, and galleries.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Today offers two ways into one of New Zealand's most celebrated landscapes. For those who'd like to see Milford Sound from above, an optional Fly-Cruise-Fly experience ($600 add-on) takes you over the Southern Alps and into Fiordland National Park for a cruise beneath towering waterfalls and peaks, then a scenic flight back to Queenstown.
For those who'd rather hike, join your host for a day walk on the Routeburn Track from the Glenorchy side — one of New Zealand's Great Walks, beginning in beech forest and following the clear waters of the Routeburn through mossy woodland and mountain valleys, as far as Routeburn Flats or Routeburn Falls depending on the group and conditions. Or you can opt to spend your time in Queenstown relaxing.
We regroup in Queenstown for a farewell dinner: a last chance to swap favorite moments from the past two weeks.
Optional Add-On Milford Sound flight-cruise-flight $600
or hiking up to 10.6 km (6.6 mi), 3 hours, elevation +/-350 m (1,150 ft)
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
One last New Zealand breakfast before airport transfers. Haere rā — safe travels, until we meet again.
Meals: Breakfast
Activity Level 4: We will have many opportunities to explore the stunning nature in New Zealand--hiking, kayaking, jet boat touring. None of the hikes is strenuous. We keep the hikes at a moderate level, and we will provide whenever possible a gentler hike as an option. As always, travelers are free to opt out of an activity, but we do encourage the hikes since this is the best way to experience the landscapes and natural beauty.
After booking you will receive a travel guide with more details about your trip.
Arrival Friday, Nov. 5th: Auckland (AKL)
Please arrive at the hotel by late afternoon so you can enjoy the full itinerary.
You may consider arriving early to adjsut to the time difference. Because you're also crossing the International Date Line, you typically lose a whole calendar day going there and gain it back coming home. For example if you depart the US at night on a Tuesday you will land in Auckland Thursday morning.
Departure Thursday, Nov. 18th from Queensland (ZQN) You can depart at any time today.
Airport transfers are not included. We will give you guidance and options for getting from the airport to the hotel.
Passport & Visa: Please make sure your passport is valid for 3 months after the last day of the trip.
You'll need an NZeTA (NZ Electronic Travel Authority) before you fly — it's mandatory for US visa-waiver travelers and needs to be applied for online in advance, not at the airport.
There's also a small IVL (International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy) bundled into that same application.
Cancellation: The last day to cancel this trip and receive a refund is August 5, 2027. Your deposit is non-refundable but can be applied to another NextTribe trip booked within one year.
Insurance: NextTribe requires travel insurance for all international trips. We strongly encourage you to add trip protection as well, just in case! Scroll down for more details about insurance.
Legal Stuff: For complete terms of service, see below
Inclusions:
13 Nights Lodging
10 Dinners
8 Lunches
13 Breakfasts
All Ground Transportation
Domestic flights within NZ
All Activities Noted on the Itinerary
A NextTribe host with you throughout the tour
A specially curated Enrichment Guide to help you prepare for the trip
Exclusions:
International airfare
Airport transfers
Alcoholic beverages not mentioned in the itinerary
Personal expenses such as laundry etc.
Travel insurance
Tips to our trip guide, drivers, maids and hotel staff - NextTribe covers most other tips and we will provide more details closer to the trip.
Final note
We reserve the right to change the itinerary due to weather or other unforeseen conditions.
Next Tribe requires all international travelers to purchase travel insurance.
Travel insurance can be a helpful and valuable resource to pack! It can protect the investment of your trip and you while traveling.
We partner with Wanderwell, a Certified B Corporation travel insurance provider that makes it as simple as possible by not overwhelming you with options.
They offer just a few modern, benefit-packed trip protection plans that can cover the most common travel perils related to trip cancellation, trip interruption, trip delay, travel Medical Expenses, baggage & personal effects, Emergency Medical Evacuation, and more.
Click Here to create quotes and purchase a plan through Wanderwell from our partner page.
If you prefer to talk to someone, please email support@gowanderwell.com. They will set up a phone call with you and can answer your questions.
For most of history, women past child-bearing years were basically put out to pasture. This was happening even in our mothers’ time. We call bullshit on that. We believe we are at a peak in so many ways and are devoted to helping women our age live the richest, most kick-ass lives possible.
We do that by informing, promoting and connecting women–through our magazine, through our member community and through the transformative experiences of travel.
So many travel choices…so little time. You could spend days and days trying to put together just the right combination of destination, activities, and price.
Or you could stop shopping and start traveling with us for something that feels like the greatest girlfriend trip ever–even if you come solo. We specialize in experiences that deeply connect you to other women–travelers and locals–and create life-lasting memories. Experiences you can’t get on your own. And do it all with flexible payment options.
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