About New Zealand Spirit
An independent New Zealand planner run by Hayden Lockyer — a former Great Walks guide who got tired of watching international visitors spend their first two days recovering from itineraries built on Google Maps drive times.
Who is behind this site
Hayden Lockyer founded New Zealand Spirit in 2024 after fifteen years working in New Zealand tourism — first as a DOC-certified guide on the Routeburn, Milford and Abel Tasman Great Walks (2012-2018), then as a tour leader on the backpacker circuit. Along the way he completed Te Araroa four times, including a winter section south of Wanaka in 2024 that he does not particularly recommend.
He grew up in Wellington, finished school in Christchurch after his family relocated post the 2011 Canterbury earthquake, and read tourism management at the University of Otago in Dunedin. He speaks conversational te reo Maori (NCEA Level 3) and lives in Wanaka with his partner Ava and their kelpie, Kepler.
Why we built this
Most of the New Zealand content online is either marketing — written by the people selling you the tour — or the same recycled "10 best beaches" article that nobody updates after the year of publication. The mid-range that gives you honest prices, says when something is overpriced, and explains why the GPS time is wrong simply does not exist for most travellers planning their trip from the other side of the world.
The frustration that started this site came from years of meeting groups who had budgeted three days for the South Island and were trying to fit Milford Sound, Mt Cook, Abel Tasman and Franz Josef into 72 hours. We wanted somewhere we could send them before they bought non-refundable flights and a campervan.
What we publish
- Destination guides — every region of both islands plus Stewart Island, the Chathams and the Realm (Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau), with specific hotel and restaurant names, real driving times, and honest verdicts on what is worth your money.
- Activity guides — Great Walks, scenic flights, Maori cultural experiences, wine routes, glacier tours and adventure activities, with Skip / Worth it / Splurge verdicts where they help.
- Ready-made itineraries from 7 to 21 days, designed by trip type (classic, family, backpacker, honeymoon, campervan, adventure, luxury).
- Comparison guides for the questions people actually search — Queenstown vs Wanaka, Milford Sound vs Doubtful Sound, North vs South Island for first-timers, TranzAlpine vs Coastal Pacific.
- Travel tips and visa guidance, from NZeTA paperwork to driving on the left, freedom camping rules, and which months actually rain in Fiordland.
How we work
Every page is researched against primary sources (DOC, Tourism New Zealand, NZTA, GeoNet for seismic and volcanic activity) and against what we have seen on the ground. Where we have not personally been, we say so. Prices are quoted in NZD, USD and EUR simultaneously because most of our readers are planning in a currency that is not New Zealand dollars, and the FX swing alone can change whether a Milford Sound overnight cruise looks reasonable or absurd.
We review every published guide on at least a yearly cycle, more often for fast-moving topics (NZeTA price, ferry schedules, seasonal closures). The Last reviewed date at the bottom of every guide is the real one — when that date drifts more than twelve months old, the guide is in the queue for a refresh.
We do not run sponsored content. We do not accept free press trips in exchange for coverage. If we recommend a Hobbiton combo or a Routeburn guided walk, it is because we genuinely believe the operator is good, not because they paid us.
How we earn revenue
New Zealand Spirit is a free resource for readers. We earn commissions when you book tours and activities through our affiliate links with GetYourGuide and Viator (a Tripadvisor company) — aggregators that resell most of the operators we feature. This costs you nothing extra (the price you pay is exactly the price you would pay direct), and it is how we fund the time it takes to keep the guides current.
We are very explicit about which links are affiliated: every GetYourGuide link is marked with the small external-arrow icon, opens in a new tab, and carries the standard rel="sponsored" attribute. Whenever we recommend something we do not earn from — DOC hut bookings, the Interislander ferry, public bus services, individual tour operators not on GetYourGuide — we say so and link straight to the operator.
Read our full affiliate disclosure for the exact mechanics.
What you will not find here
- SEO filler ("Top 10 most amazing things to do in Auckland you won't believe!"). We try to write the page we would have wanted before our own first trip.
- Sponsored placement. No operator pays for a higher position, a positive review, or a Worth it badge.
- AI-summarised aggregations of TripAdvisor reviews. Every page is written and reviewed by a human (currently: me) with on-the-ground experience or a documented source.
- "Hidden gems" that are actually a Bluff oyster festival half the country attends. If we call something a hidden gem, it is genuinely under-the-radar.
Get in touch
If you find a factual error, a closed business, or a recommendation that has aged badly — please email agencexen@gmail.com. We update guides faster when readers flag specific issues.
If you are an operator who would like to be reviewed, the answer is yes, we will review you, and no, we will not guarantee a positive verdict before doing so. Send a press contact and a link to your operational documentation (DOC concession, MNZ certification, insurance) and we will get it on the schedule for the next regional refresh.
The boring bits
Hosting: Infomaniak Network SA, Geneva, Switzerland (100% renewable energy, GDPR-compliant).
Tracking: Google Analytics 4 for traffic patterns, Impact.com for affiliate attribution. No personal data is sold or shared. See our privacy policy.
Affiliate partners: GetYourGuide, partner ID LDXYA0P · Viator, Partner ID P00305208 (a Tripadvisor company).
Terms: Terms of use · Privacy policy · Affiliate disclosure.