Your Kiwi Experience, Your Way: How to Choose your Kiwi Experience Travel Style
Kiwi Experience offers three distinct ways to explore New Zealand, each tailored to suit a different travel style. Whether you crave total freedom and flexibility, a little more travel structure, or an intimate small-group adventure, we have a pass/tour to suit you.
1. Maximum Freedom and Flexibility: Choose Hop-On-Hop-Off
Ideal For: The Flexible Traveller, who has time to spare, flexible explorers, and those who want complete control over their daily budget and schedule.
Pace Yourself: You have 12 months to complete your pass, giving you total freedom to stay longer in locations you love and move on when you're ready.
Total Control: Book your accommodation and activities as you go via our Trip Planner. It's your Kiwi Experience, so tailor your adventure, your way.
Always Supported: You still travel with our incredible Driver Guides and the best social crew, providing the perfect safety net for your flexible adventure.
2. Seamless & Social: Choose a Classic Tour
Ideal For: Time-conscious adventurers and first-time solo travellers who want a structured trip with accommodation taken care of.
The Difference: Enjoy a pre-set itinerary, and all your essential dorm accommodation is included and pre-booked. It provides the legendary Kiwi social atmosphere without the daily booking hassle.
Structured Adventure: Enjoy a pre-set itinerary that follows the fastest route, perfect for those with limited time.
Tailor Your Adventure: Make your Classic Tour your own by adding activities and attractions via the Kiwi Experience Trip Planner.
Social & Supported: Classic Tours offer the legendary Kiwi social atmosphere, accompanied by a Dedicated Driver Guide and a guaranteed travel crew.
3. Smaller Groups with more Inclusion and exclusive offerings: Choose Small Group Tours
Ideal For: An Intimate, All-In Adventure. Small Group Tours are perfect for travellers prioritising a fixed itinerary filled with unique, included experiences. It’s the ideal choice if you prefer the guaranteed support and close social dynamic of a smaller group size.
Truly Small Groups: Travel with a smaller group size (maximum 22), offering a more intimate and personal atmosphere. You travel with the same group of people for the duration.
More included: Small Group Tours are the Kiwi Experience's most inclusive tour option, with meals (selected) & activities (selected) included, as well as accommodation. (Check individual itineraries for each tour's inclusions). Focus entirely on enjoying New Zealand, not logistics; we have taken care of the admin.
Same Legendary Driver Guide: You’ll have the same Driver Guide from start to finish
Personalised Add-Ons: Enhance your trip by adding optional activities via the Kiwi Experience Trip Planner to tailor the adventure to your taste.
4. The Ultimate Custom Trip: Choose to Mix & Match Travel Styles
Ideal For: The Balanced Explorer, who wants the structured, inclusive ease of a Small Group Tour for one part of New Zealand, the efficiency of a Classic Tour for another, and the total freedom and extended timeframe of a Hop-On-Hop-Off pass for exploring at their leisure. You can mix and match any of the three travel styles.
Your Kiwi Combo: Get the best of all our travel styles! You can combine any of the three options to create your perfect journey. For example, start with the incredible inclusions and intimate dynamic of a Small Group Tour through the North Island, transition to a Classic Tour itinerary for the efficiency of seeing the main South Island highlights, and then finish with a Hop-On-Hop-Off pass to revisit favourite locations over an extended period. This is your journey; you decided the best way to explore New Zealand.
Maximum Flexibility, Zero Hassle: This option allows you to match your travel style to the geography and time you have for each part of New Zealand. Experience the convenience of pre-booked accommodation and activities where you need it, and total freedom where you want it.
Blended Support: You'll benefit from the dedicated support of a Driver Guide throughout all legs of your journey, and the continuous social atmosphere and safety net of the wider Kiwi Experience network, giving you peace of mind whether you're on a fixed route or exploring independently.
Ready to Compare? Refer to the chart below for a side-by-side comparison of the features of all three tour styles.
