Heavenly  New Zealand holidays and tours

Your holiday doesn’t have to start and end with your tour, either. We can add stopovers, arrange extra nights, and sort out alternative flights if you’d like to visit friends or family before or after your New Zealand tour. If you’ve got the time, you could even combine two itineraries – perfect if you want in-depth tours of both Australia and New Zealand. Speak to one of our travel advisors and they can help you to plan your dream trip.

Plus with our award-winning VIP door-to-door travel service, you can switch on holiday mode from the get-go. You’ll be whisked off to the airport from your very front door (and they’ll drop you home again) no matter where you live in the UK.

New Zealand time is 12 hours ahead of GMT, which means it’s one of the first places in the world to greet each new day. However in summertime (which is our wintertime) they switch to ‘Daylight Saving’ which means the clocks go forward an hour, making New Zealand 13 hours ahead. Daylight Saving begins on the last Sunday in December and ends on the first Sunday in April the following year. 

Like the UK, New Zealand experiences four seasons throughout the year. Unlike the UK however, New Zealand’s summer runs from December to February, autumn from March to May, winter from June to August and spring lasts from September to November.

English is the language most commonly spoken in New Zealand, and it’s unlikely you’ll meet a Kiwi who doesn’t speak English during your tour. Māori is New Zealand’s native language (before European settlement in the 1800s it was primary language), although it’s only spoken by about 4% of the population today. 

British passport holders don’t need a visa to travel to New Zealand providing you are staying less than six months. However you will need a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) and your passport must be valid for at least three months after your visit has ended. For further information or if you have any visa or passport enquiries for your holiday or tour, check out our visa requirements page.  

The currency in New Zealand is the New Zealand dollar (NZD or NZ$). Each NZD is divided into 100 cents. All major credit and debit cards are accepted, and you’ll find ATMs for withdrawing cash during your tour are widely available as you travel around.

The New Zealand climate is very varied, from subtropical in the far north to alpine in the mountainous areas of the south. Average temperatures drop the further south you travel, and although seasonal temperatures are usually a couple of degrees warmer in New Zealand than in the UK, winters can get very cold (down to -10C) in the inland alpine areas of the South Island. 

The most popular time to travel to New Zealand is in their summertime, which happens to be during our winter in the UK so it’s a great way to escape the weather back home. December, January and February are therefore the busiest times to travel, with not just visitors arriving from overseas but Kiwis travelling on their summer and Christmas holidays. In early autumn (March) the weather is still comfortably warm, while September to November promises spring in New Zealand - a particularly picturesque time to visit. 

Although New Zealand is a safe place for travellers, we advise you to take precautions to look after yourself and your belongings during your tour. Just as you would at home, be careful of pickpockets in large crowds or when travelling on public transport, and avoid leaving valuable possessions, passports and credit cards in unattended vehicles, even if out of sight. 

Just like most places around the world, it’s customary to tip for good service in New Zealand. A good guide is to tip about 10-15% of your bill in restaurants. Tour guides and drivers will also appreciate a tip if you feel they’ve enhanced your holiday, so it’s handy to keep a few NZD aside each day for that. Remember our New Zealand tours all include porterage, so you don’t need to tip for that. 

New Zealand relishes its own local produce, whether that’s succulent New Zealand lamb, plump, green-lipped mussels or a crisp Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand’s best-known wine. Hāngi is a traditional Māori feast of meat, potatoes and vegetables, slow cooked on hot stones in an underground earth oven. Joining fellow travellers for an authentic Māori hangi makes a memorable evening on our New Zealand tours.

Flight time from London to Auckland is approximately 23 hours 20 mins. Remember, with our award-winning VIP door-to-door travel service included on every tour you’ll be whisked to the airport from your front door (and they’ll drop you home again) no matter where you live in the UK.