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Looking to save money on New Zealand’s best activities? Look no further – I have just the thing!
I’ve experienced a lot after living in this beautiful country and traveling all around, seeking out the most thrilling, scenic, and bucket-list experiences. These top experiences don’t always come cheap, which is why I’ve worked to secure a discount code for my readers!
If you book tours using my link here, you’ll get 5% off any experience on offer, automatically applied at checkout on ANY tour!
In this blog, I’ll cover the top tours in New Zealand, including my personal favorites! Experience helicopter flights and glacier hikes, world-class wine tasting, and classic New Zealand attractions, all at a discount! Easily book any of these experiences using the link listed for the discount to apply.
My Viator Discount Code
I book a lot of my New Zealand excursions through Viator, mainly because it makes my travel days a thousand times easier! Organized tours are so convenient because the tour operator takes care of the details for you. So all I have to do is show up and enjoy, whether I’m trying out a new adventurous activity or learning about the local culture. Easily, some of my best memories in New Zealand have been on a tour!
After doing a lot of tours in New Zealand, I know how expensive they can be. That’s where my new discount comes in handy!
I currently have an EXCLUSIVE 5% discount available for my readers!
You can book your discounted tickets with this link here. The discount will automatically apply when you check out and are ready to pay.
One more thing: This discount applies for ANY Viator tour in New Zealand (any tour in the world actually!), but you must use the specific link on this page for the promotion to apply. Links on my other blogs won’t include the discount code!
I know 5% doesn’t necessarily sound like heaps of money, but it can actually save you quite a bit on expensive activities. If you’re hoping to do a flight to Milford Sound or go skydiving in Queenstown, this discount can help out a lot! I love that this discount code is really easy to use, you don’t need to do anything except click the link.
So follow this link here, pick out your ideal New Zealand Viator tour, and book. The discount will automatically apply when you check out. Keep in mind that the code only works with my link, so don’t wait to book!
Best Tours in New Zealand
Ziplining Adventure in Rotorua
There’s a reason this ziplining forest adventure in Rotorua is the highest-rated Viator experience in New Zealand (check out the 4,000+ 5-star reviews here)! Not only is it exhilarating fun, but you also get impressive views of Rotorua’s 500-year-old forest. This tour is so well-loved that it is often sold out, so don’t delay in booking your experience.
The guides did a fantastic job making the group feel safe and confident to soar over the canopy. The platforms are 21 meters (72 feet) high and you’ll get to zoom across six different ziplines on this course. The longest zipline is 220 meters (722 feet) in length, which really lets you take in the views!
This experience is 3 hours long and $179 NZD. This is a great option to use the discount code on so you can save money for other adventures in New Zealand! I recommend booking your tour in advance, as it’s likely to sell out.
Check availability and book New Zealand’s most popular zipline tour here!
Wine tasting on Waiheke Island
Wine tasting on Waiheke Island highlights the things I love most about New Zealand: gorgeous natural beauty and amazing wine! While there are many amazing wine regions in New Zealand, Waiheke Island is probably the most scenic.
This top-rated wine tour is my preferred option because it takes you from vineyard to vineyard, teaches you all about the island, and covers the tasting fees! Best of all, it comes with a designated driver so you can sample as much wine as you’d like. We went to three different wineries and I loved how different each one was. The guides will switch up the exact wineries based on season, availability, and what’s most popular at the time so you’re getting the best of the best!
After about six hours of wine tasting, our guides dropped us off in Oneroa with enough time to have a relaxed lunch (and maybe another glass of wine) before catching the ferry back to Auckland.
This tour has over 1,000 5-star reviews, and I have to agree – it’s awesome! For $235 NZD it includes transportation around the island, tasting fees, and your guide. It’s important to note that this tour doesn’t include ferry tickets or transport to the island, so be sure to organize that on your own.
Save money on this Waiheke Island wine tour when you book it here!
Visit Hobbiton and Waitomo Caves from Auckland
Combine two of New Zealand’s best sights in one easy day trip! This full-day tour from Auckland takes you to Hobbiton, the iconic movie set, and the Waitomo Caves to see the famous glowworms. This is one of the most popular tours on the North Island for a reason, you can’t visit without seeing either of these places.
After departing from Auckland, you’ll drive about 2.5 hours to Hobbiton. This includes a guided tour of the movie set, where you might better know it as the Shire. I was so impressed with the random facts and trivia I learned on this tour, and true Lord of the Rings fans will be blown away when you stop at the Green Dragon Inn for a pint!
Waitomo is often paired with a trip to Hobbiton because they are just an hour apart. Once you get to the caves, you’ll have to take a boat through the dark caverns to reach the glowworms. It looks like a starry night sky and the commentary from the guide made this even more fascinating. I learned about Maori history with the caves, and how these little creatures actually glow!
This was one of my favorite tours on the North Island and an essential addition to your New Zealand itinerary. It’s $370 NZD for a full-day tour, including entrance fees to both attractions, lunch, and transport!
Use the link below to save 5%, automatically applied at checkout!
Book this tour with over 1,500 5-star reviews here!
Skydiving Queenstown
If you’re like me, you like to plan some memorable experiences during your travels. I’m also a bit of an adrenaline junkie, so I was excited to learn that Queenstown is one of the best places to go skydiving! Queenstown is insanely beautiful and as the adventure capital of New Zealand, booking this skydiving tour is a no-brainer for my fellow thrill seekers.
You can choose between jumps at 9,000 feet, 12,000 feet, or 15,000 feet. The difference between each jump is how long you’ll have to freefall and the clout of saying you jumped out of a plane at 15,000 feet up. For context, 15,000 feet is about 60 seconds of freefall, which doesn’t sound like much, but time seems to slow down as you soar through the sky!
Prices range from $345 NZD to $535 NZD per person, so this is a fantastic experience to use that 5% off deal on. And with over 1,000 5-star reviews, it’s clear that this is one of the best things to do in New Zealand!
Book this skydive experience in advance here and get FREE cancellation 24 hours before you go!
Milford Sound Fly Cruise Fly from Queenstown
Milford Sound is my favorite part of New Zealand – maybe in the whole world! This fiord is insanely beautiful, and while there are plenty of ways to enjoy it, none tops this fly, cruise, fly tour. For me, seeing the fiord from a birds-eye-view really puts into perspective how big it is – it’s an experience I’ll never forget!
Departing from Queenstown, you can take a 40-minute flight to reach Milford Sound. The views are astounding during this 40-minute journey! Once you land in Milford, you’ll hop aboard the ever-popular 2-hour nature cruise to see the fiord up close. I was lucky enough to see fur seals and penguins too!
The flight home was just as amazing, as our pilot took a different route giving us new views along the way. By the end of this experience, I was shocked at all I had seen in just a half-day tour. The crew deserves a shout out too, they made the experience seamless, informative, and fun!
I highly recommend booking this tour in advance, as it is popular. It costs $665 NZD per person, so this is another big-ticket experience that could benefit from a 5% discount!
While this tour has multiple departure times, it’s really popular so you’ll want to reserve it in advance to secure your preferred time. It is $665 NZD per person, and while it’s on the expensive side of things, this is where a 5% discount really comes in handy!
Don’t miss out on this bucket-list experience, book this Milford Sound flight here!
Whale-watching excursion in Kaikoura
There are a lot of places to go whale watching in New Zealand, but the best by far is Kaikoura. Located on the South Island, just 2.5 hours north of Christchurch, this small town has some of the best wildlife spotting in the country – and that’s saying something! I went on this top-rated whale-watching tour and had such a good time, it was an easy addition to this list.
You can go whale watching in Kaikoura year-round, and there are numerous types of whales here, but the most common are sperm whales. I couldn’t believe how many I saw, and you might even see orcas, humpback whales, dolphins, penguins, and lots of birds.
This tour was on a catamaran boat, which I prefer because they are more stable and make it less likely to get seasick. The guides were really helpful by pointing out whales in the distance and telling us all sorts of fun facts. Plus, the scenery surrounding Kaikoura is simply gorgeous – how could you not love this experience? With over 2,000 raving reviews, this day of whale watching is clearly a bucket-list tour.
You can reserve this tour for $169 NZD and if you get unlucky and don’t see a whale, the company will refund 80% of your tour price. But, it’s so common to see whales that you probably won’t need it, but the guarantee is still nice!
This tour is likely to sell out, be sure to reserve it well in advance here!
Heli Hike on Franz Josef Glacier
Last but certainly not least, I have one more bucket-list-worthy adventure to check out in New Zealand. The Franz Josef Glacier is one of the most beautiful parts of the South Island, and the only way to trek on it is by booking a guided tour. I decided to up the ante and book this helicopter hike on the Franz Josef Glacier, and boy was it a memorable experience!
It starts out with a helicopter flight over the glacier, then landing on top of it to get out and explore. I knew New Zealand was beautiful before I came here, but after this experience, I was sold on this country! After our flight, we were led by the guide to explore the crevasses, ice caves, and tall pinnacles. I was thankful for the guide to ensure our safety and also teach us about this geological wonder.
I was also surprised by how difficult walking on ice is, even for an avid hiker like myself! The tour provided all of our hiking gear and clothes, such as boots, talons, socks, ice axes, and waterproof jackets. In total, we had three hours for the tour, two of which were trekking.
Prices range from $713 NZD to $816 NZD depending on the time of year. While it’s an expensive activity, it’s one of the most unique experiences you can have in New Zealand. This is the perfect experience to use the 5% discount on!
Remember, when you book this tour using the link below, the 5% will automatically apply at checkout.
This tour is popular, so book it here to secure your date and discount!
Why I Book Tours with Viator
Free cancellation on most tours
I love booking tours through Viator because they offer some helpful perks – like free cancellation options! Most tours (not all of them) allow you to cancel your tour 24 hours before the scheduled start time. I love having flexibility in my travel plans, just in case my itinerary changes or bad weather rolls in. I’ve also used this to book popular tours well in advance to secure my spot, (even if my plans aren’t set in stone) knowing I have the flexibility to change or cancel if I need to.
Reserve now and pay later
Viator also offers reserve now, pay later options, which help alleviate the cost of some of these expensive tours. Many of these big-ticket tours are booked months in advance, and you’ll want to reserve your tour in advance to ensure your preferred date. So if you’re still saving up for your trip or planning your travel budget, this option is really convenient.
I used this feature when I did the same Franz Josef Glacier heli hike, which is pretty expensive! I was able to book my tour and pay in increments to break up the cost. Then by the time I went on the tour, I wasn’t completely broke and could fully enjoy my experience!
Lowest price guarantee
Did you know you can actually save more money when you book tours through Viator? They offer the lowest price guarantee, so if you find the same tour offered at a lower price, they will refund the difference. This almost sounds too good to be true, but it’s not!
Once you book your tour through Viator, you’ll have to email the booking number and proof of the lower tour. They will review the information and send you a refund if it all checks out. These steps are conveniently listed on each tour, with the email address too – so easy!
Of course, you can save money on your tours by booking through my links above. That 5% discount really helps with New Zealand’s top experiences!
Pay in your chosen currency
Viator is a worldwide company, so they offer the ease of paying in your home currency. This will help you save on currency conversion fees, which can quickly become costly when traveling internationally. This is a huge draw for me when booking my tours in advance, I love avoiding extra fees whenever I can!
Peace of mind
If all of these extra perks through booking with VIator haven’t completely sold you yet, I think the overall peace of mind is worth it! Viator does its best to work with reputable tour providers and requires a lot of information about the tours. This way, you can read a detailed description of the tours and know what you’re getting into when booking an experience.
I also love reading other travelers’ reviews because I think it gives me a true picture of the tour! Don’t worry – I’ve picked out New Zealand’s top-rated tours for this blog, but you can look at others and compare reviews to see if an experience is worthwhile or not. You don’t have the chance to evaluate reviews when you book tours in person, so planning ahead of time to find the very best tour will help your overall experience every time!
Is Booking a Tour in New Zealand with Viator Worth It?
Wholeheartedly, yes! As I’ve said in this blog, I’ve booked hundreds of Viator tours throughout my New Zealand travels and always think it’s worth it. I love the flexibility that comes with free cancellation and reserve now, pay later, and I know I can find the very best tours in the country through Viator.
I’m even more convinced to book with Viator when I can get a discount and have easy payment options. That way I can save my money for other experiences and have a stress-free trip!
I’d highly recommend booking your New Zealand tours through Viator – use this link with my discount code to secure your tour with 5% off at checkout.
Thanks for reading!
You’ll be surprised at how many Viator tours are available in New Zealand, so you can use this discount for even more experiences! Don’t forget to follow this link to get the 5% discount. You don’t have to pay top dollar for these tours, save money where you can.
I hope you found this blog helpful, so be sure to read my other New Zealand blogs before you take off. I have even more ways to save money and see the best sights in the country. Here are a few related reads below that will help you plan your travels!
JUCY Promo Code: How to Save Money and Explore New Zealand
9 BEST Wine Regions in New Zealand (that you just have to visit!)