Hire Me as Your South Island Tour Guide / Driver!

Are you looking for a tour guide or driver to take you around New Zealand’s South Island? I’m entering the tour guiding game for the 2025 / 26 Summer season — keep reading to see if I’d be a good fit for your South Island travel needs!

Local Knowledge

I’ve been a full-time travel blogger (lots of lazy days / golf before our baby was born though!) for the past eight years. During that time I’ve travelled around the South Island dozens of times, slowly building this site into one of the best sources of information for South Island travel out there (with lots more to come).

Now I’m keen to put that knowledge to use in helping others have the best trip possible. From short trips between Christchurch and Queenstown to multi-week tours taking in the whole island — I’ll help come up with an itinerary to suit your needs!

I Have Been in Your Shoes

Before returning to New Zealand in 2016 I travelled the world with my wife Gia for two years, with several shorter trips before and since. I’ve taken heaps of tours and hired dozens of private drivers/ tour guides over the years. I know what a good tour looks like and I’m well aware of how a bad driver can ruin an experience. Check out some of my international travels at jonistravelling.com.

Flexibility

At the start I’ll be driving a car instead of a van, so these tours will be limited to four people. Hiring a driver for a small group like this allows plenty of freedom and flexibility. I can pick you up / drop you off from Christchurch, Queenstown or Dunedin (or Picton/ Nelson if possible).

You might want a detailed itinerary or no itinerary at all. Pack your days full of walks or spend more time hanging out in towns and cities. You can do what you want, and I’ll be available to help plan it all out for you.

Stunning view of Lake Wanaka from Roys Peak, New Zealand

Expressions of Interest

I’m at the early stages of this venture so I’m keen to get a gauge of how many people are interested. Send me an email (seethesouthisland@gmail.com), message me on Instagram (seethesouthisland) or leave a comment at the end of this post. Ultimately, I’d like to run two-week trips around the South Island for small groups (10-12 people) as well as private tours, so if that’s something you’re interested in let me know as well.

If you’re keen to discuss this or anything else South Island travel related please get in touch — even if I don’t end up driving you around hopefully I can still help in some way!

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Jon Algie

I'm a South Island local -- born in Timaru and raised in Dunedin. I left the island in 2006 and returned 10 years later. Having seen a good chunk of the world I realised how special this place is -- the most beautiful island in the world! Seven years (and almost 400 posts) later I'm still helping locals and tourists alike plan their trips around the South Island.

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