Top 4 Things to Love about Self-Drive Holidays

Sometimes, you just need to travel your way. Itineraries are inspirational, advice can be helpful, and insight is always welcome, but really, when you break it down… you need to get away from the voices and opinions.

A holiday is about you

Self-drive tours are experiencing a surge in popularity, as places like New Zealand communicate to the world just how easy it is to drive around the north and south islands. Why stay on a bus when you can cover kilometres yourself, stopping where you want to stop, taking in the path-less-travelled and really hitting an authentic Kiwi sweet-spot that so many miss while being shuttled from place to place? If you’re not quite sold on the idea yet, here are four more reasons why New Zealand self-drive tours satisfy every travel style imaginable.

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1. Pick Your Car

You will not be allocated a vehicle that you a) hate and b) (most importantly) don’t feel comfortable driving. New Zealand Holidays has strong relationships with premier New Zealand car hire vendors, ensuring our travellers roll around the country safely, securely and comfortably… without sacrificing on the stuff you want and need. Like Bluetooth, GPS, air-conditioning, reverse censors, space and even showers (if you’re interested in a campervan).

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2. Pick Your Route

There’s no wrong way to see New Zealand. Fly into Christchurch, take on the beautifully rugged West Coast and sample the sights of Franz Josef Glacier, before heading inland to the wonderful Wanaka for a spot of hiking in Mt Aspiring National Park or continue to Queenstown, around to Milford Sound and down again to Bluff for some delicious, freshly snared oysters. That is just one potential route in a multitude of possible holiday ideas that you can take, leave or draw ideas from.

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3. Pick Your Stop

Of course, your route will rely a lot on what you want to see or experience. If you’re nature-loving-trail-traveller, the 32km Routeburn Track through Fiordland National Park may just what you need to wipe away the work cobwebs; history buffs will be drawn to Rotorua, as geothermal delights mingle with Maori tradition; and no one should forget or skip the famous Hole in the Rock tour, a must for any visit to the Bay of Islands. No matter where you begin and end your trip, you’ll be spoiled for choice along the road.

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4. Pick Your Activities

Escorted and pre-planned tours leave very little wriggle-room for customisation, meaning you have to accept the activities in your path and leave those bucket-list items for next time. Self-drive tours? Not so much. It is possible to plan your route and stops around the activities you’d love to do.

Things to do in the North: Hobbiton Movie Set Tour; black-water rafting at Waitomo; caving; dune-sledding; snorkelling and scuba-diving the Poor Knight Islands; hiking; kayaking the Bay of Islands and much more.

Things to do in the South: Amble around Nelson Lakes National Park; ride the Shotover Canyon Jet; strain your brain at Puzzling World; bungy in Queenstown; explore magical Lord of the Rings sites by 4WD and horseback; stay the night on Doubtful Sound; and take a funyak trek down the Dart River. Your opportunities and options are endless.

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Are you ready to make your next holiday one to remember? Do things your way with New Zealand Holidays. Bring your travel dreams, we’ll help you do the rest.

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