Local Living Tours & Trips in New Zealand South Island

Afternoon tea and pavlova demonstration happens at Angie and Stan Taylor's lakeside home near Lake Tekapo, where you'll hear tales of Mackenzie Basin farming life. The Mail Boat cruise delivers supplies to local residents in Queen Charlotte Sound. Family-style dinner is at Lake Ohau Lodge in the Mackenzie High Country, surrounded by wilderness and lake views.

Tour Pounamu Pathway in Greymouth and learn about authentic Poutini Ngai Tahu Maori history and the Mawhera Pa settlement through an immersive storytelling experience created with Weta Workshop. Sample local craft beers at Monteith's Brewery during a working lunch stop on the West Coast. Visit Speight's Brewery in Dunedin, a 150-year-old New Zealand brewing institution, then see the Victorian architecture of this 'Edinburgh of the South' with its grand Larnach Castle estate.

Spend the night aboard the Milford Mariner in Milford Sound, waking up in UNESCO-listed Fiordland National Park with three-course buffet dining and nature guide commentary. Lake Ohau Lodge in the Mackenzie High Country offers family-style dinners and open fires. The Queen Charlotte Sound Mail Boat cruise shows you daily mail delivery to remote residents, and you'll visit Angie and Stan Taylor's lakeside home for farmer hospitality and pavlova demonstrations.

Travel through the South Island's most authentic communities, from Hokitika's pounamu greenstone artisans to Walter Peak High Country Farm where you'll have a gourmet BBQ dinner and farm show after cruising Lake Wakatipu aboard the historic TSS Earnslaw Steamship. Walk through Arrowtown's tree-lined streets filled with character boutiques and check out Dunedin's Victorian architecture along George Street near Otago University. Spend time in Te Anau on the shores of the South Island's largest lake, followed by a fascinating Dark Sky Astronomy Experience at Lake Tekapo hosted by passionate local specialists.

Get a real taste of Māori culture at Te Pā Tū in Rotorua where you'll see traditional haka performances and have a three-course seasonal feast. Then cruise aboard the Coral Adventurer through UNESCO-listed Fiordland National Park, checking out Dusky Sound and Doubtful Sound's fjords.

You'll get a taste of authentic Kiwi hospitality on Stewart Island, walking through old forests and visiting the Scottish-founded township of Oban, then head to a local Araiteuru in Dunedin for a traditional Māori welcome. Later, there's a gourmet barbecue dinner at Walter Peak High Country Farm.