Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH) Guides

May Day Tour Event 2023: Maze Walkthroughs & Rover Rewards

The May Day Tour is a limited-time holiday event in Animal Crossing: New Horizons bringing a new mystery island to visit with fan-favorite returning character Rover! Learn how to complete the maze and get all of the rewards available in this guide.

This event was implemented for 2022 and all later years with the major Version 2.0 Update released in November 2021, so you’ll need to have updated your copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons to experience the event.

May Day Event Start Date & Time

The May Day Tour event in Animal Crossing: New Horizons begins on April 29th running until May 7th! For this event, the dates are the same every year, including during 2023 where it is held from April 29th, 2023 to May 7th, 2023.

Note that older versions of Animal Crossing: New Horizons may not feature May Day Tour in a given year — you must be updated to Version 2.0 or later for the event to be available every year.

How To Visit Maze Day Tour Island

To participate in the May Day event and enjoy the activities that Tom Nook has planned for you, load up Animal Crossing: New Horizons during the week of April 29th to May 7th.

When you play for the first time during this event period, you’ll hear a special morning announcement from Isabelle letting you know the May Day festivities have begun! You can speak to Tom Nook for additional dialogue, but this is not necessary.

To get your May Day Ticket and visit the May Day Tour island, visit the Airport and speak to Orville at the counter! He’ll inform you that Tom Nook left a May Day Ticket at the airport with your name written on it.

After learning about the ticket at the Airport, you can use your free May Day Ticket at any time by selecting the “I wanna fly!” option followed by the “Use May Day Ticket” option presented to you by Orville.

In the original 2020 version of this event, players had to retrieve their May Day Ticket from Tom Nook at Resident Services, but this is no longer the case since. There is still dialogue from him that you can experience though.

What Is The May Day Tour Maze?

The May Day Tour Maze is a special maze puzzle in Animal Crossing: New Horizons found on a faraway island only accessible during the May Day event when using a May Day Ticket at the Airport. By navigating through the puzzle and meeting Rover at the end, you’ll receive a special prize.

When you arrive at the May Day Maze, your inventory will be empty without any tools, so you’ll have to find and craft new tools using the resources on the island.

Here’s a few handy tips on how to solve the May Day Maze in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but you can find our complete 100% walkthrough below if you need more in-depth help:

• Look for a blue cat named Rover sitting on the ground in the top right of maze — that’s your destination goal!
• Pick up tools, fruit, wood, and other resources to help clear a pathway to the goal. To cross a gap of water, you may need to come at it from a different angle.
• It’s key to use the landscaping powers of Animal Crossing to full effect! Remember that trees can be dug up and rocks can be broken by eating Fruit to gain energy.
• Once you consume a resource, you cannot get it back without completely resetting the maze. It is possible to get stuck if you are not careful.
• Hidden Bell Vouchers can be found in two locations on the maze, these are bonus items that can only be accessed after reaching Rover.
• When you leave the May Day Tour island, it is no longer possible to return on the same character until next year’s event.

May Day Tour Maze Types & Designs

Over the years of updates, there have been two different types of May Day Tour Maze designs released in Animal Crossing: New Horizons by Nintendo and the one you encounter may depend on your game’s version number and which year you’re playing in.

May Day Tour Maze #1 can be identified by looking for a single fruit to the left of the entrance, and no cliffs in sight. In Version 2.0 and later, this maze seems to occur on even years like 2020, 2022, and 2024.

May Day Tour Maze #2 can be identified by looking for two fruits to the left of the entrance arranged in a diagonal fashion, and multiple cliffs in sight. In Version 2.0 and later, this maze seems to occur on odd years like 2019, 2021, and 2023.

We have complete walkthrough guides to both types of mazes below — keep scrolling to get to Maze #2 after Maze #1. Just make sure you identify your maze and follow the correct walkthrough accordingly.

May Day Tour Maze #1 Walkthrough: How To Complete

If you find yourself on the first May Day Tour Maze, originally released in 2020, this walkthrough section is for you! The first maze can be correctly identified by looking for a single fruit to the left of the entrance and no cliffs in sight.

Follow our detailed walkthrough steps below to 100% complete the entire first May Day maze on the island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and unlock all of the rewards available for this event, including an item from Rover and up to 9 Bell Vouchers. You can also watch the video version embedded below.

Step 1: Dig Up A Bush & A Tree

Start off your maze adventure by picking up the Shovel item on the ground in front of you and digging up the bush blocking your native fruit to the left. Pick up the fruit and eat it, allowing you to dig up the tree blocking the path forward.

Step 2: Follow Pathways To Pick Up Worn Axe, Tree Branches, Stone

After you’ve dug up the tree in front of you to progress forward, a number of new pathways will open up allowing you to pick up some tree branches, stone, and most importantly the Worn Axe.

Importantly, you should only use the Worn Axe to chop down trees. Don’t use the Worn Axe to break rocks or you won’t be able to properly complete the maze as it will break too soon!

Step 3: Chop Down The Top Left Tree With Worn Axe

Once you’ve gathered up all the materials you can find in the pathways, head to the top left of the maze to encounter a tree blocking off access to two native fruit and one tree branch behind it.

You’ll want to use the Worn Axe to chop down this tree and grab the items its blocking, although this will sadly destroy your axe. They didn’t call it the Worn Axe for nothing!

Step 4: Break Rock in Bottom Left for Iron Nuggets

After chopping down that tree using the Worn Axe, head back to the bottom left of the maze to find a rock blocking off access to an Iron Nugget.

Go ahead and eat one of your fruits to gain fruit energy allowing you to break that rock and grab the Iron Nugget.

Step 5: Break Another Rock and Chop Another Tree in Bottom Right for Crafting

Once you’ve got your valuable Iron Nugget picked up, head back over to the bottom right of the maze to find yet another rock and tree blocking off access to a handy dandy DIY Crafting Workbench! Be sure to pick up the Wood on the path to here as well.

You’ll need to eat yet another piece of fruit that you should have in your inventory to gain energy, and then use that energy to break the second rock.

Then on the other side of the rock, another fruit and tree will await you. Once again, pick up the fruit and eat it to dig up the tree in your way.

Step 6: Craft A Flimsy Axe, Then Axe

Behind the rock you’ve now broken and tree dug up, you can find two DIY Crafting recipes for the Flimsy Axe and Axe items. You almost certainly will already own the recipes for these items, but Nintendo has you covered here just in case.

Just walk up to the DIY Crafting Workbench to craft both the Flimsy Axe, and then the Axe! You’ve got all the tools required to escape the maze and meet Rover now.

Missing the materials to craft these items? Be sure to retrace your steps and hunt down any materials on the ground that you forgot to pick up! If you need tree branches, you could also just shake a tree.

Step 7: Chop Trees for More Fruit

First, head over straight left once you leave the area with the DIY Crafting Workbench to find a tree blocking two native fruits. Chop this tree down with your brand new shiny Axe to get the two fruits.

Technically, you don’t need to get these fruits if you only want the main prize item and don’t care about anything else. But by getting these extra fruit, you can gather all nine Bell Vouchers available on the island!

Next, walk back over to the area on the left side of the maze where you found the Iron Nugget just a bit earlier and chop down what should be the final remaining tree in the maze, besides the three in a row at the north end.

Step 8: Chop The Final 3 Trees North To Find Rover!

Follow the linear path behind the chopped down tree to pick up the third and final native fruit you’ll need for the Bell Vouchers until you find a row of three trees in a row at the very top of the island.

Use your handy Axe to chop down all three trees blocking your way and advance through to the campsite where you can find Rover sitting down! Chat with Rover to have this friendly cat introduce himself and give you the prize reward for completing the maze — Rover’s Briefcase.

Bonus Step 9: Dig Bushes & Break Rocks To Get Bell Vouchers

The first group of 4 Bell Vouchers can be found just to the left of Rover’s campsite behind some bushes. Just dig up the bushes to open up access to the four Bell Vouchers previously blocked off and pick them up!

A second group of 5 more Bell Vouchers can be accessed by digging the bushes north of Rover’s campsite allowing access to the outer ‘ring’ of the island. Follow the outside path of the hedge fences all the way to the top left, and then straight down to the bottom left.

You’ll find a set of three rocks blocking off the set of 5 Bell Vouchers, which you can destroy by eating the three remaining fruit you should have sitting in your inventory. Break those rocks after eating the fruit to get your final reward and finish the May Day tour island!

May Day Tour Maze #2 (Released 2021) Walkthrough: How To Complete

f you find yourself on the second May Day Tour Maze, originally released in 2021, this walkthrough section is for you! The second maze can be correctly identified by looking for two fruits to the left of the entrance arranged in a diagonal fashion, and multiple cliffs in sight.

Follow our detailed walkthrough steps below to 100% complete the entire second May Day maze on the island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and unlock all of the rewards available for this event, including an item from Rover and up to 9 Bell Vouchers. You can also watch the video version embedded below.

Step #1: Dig Bush & Tree With Shovel

Start the May Day Maze #2 by picking up the Shovel tool item found on the ground, and use the Shovel to dig up the bush towards the right with fruit behind it. Pick up the piece of Fruit, eat it, and use the Shovel to dig up the tree above.

Step #2: Pick Up 2 Wood, 2 Fruit, 1 Softwood In Three Areas

After digging up the tree, you can access multiple new areas of the maze. First, pick up the 2 Wood in the immediate center area. Next, walk to the far right area of the maze, jump over the water gap, and pick up 2 Fruit near a rock.

Finally, walk back to the far left area of the maze, dig up a bush in your path, jump over the water gap, and pick up 1 Softwood. You can also pick up the Ladder DIY recipe, but this is not required.

Step #3: Break Rock, Tree & Pick Up 2 Softwood, 2 Fruit

Eat 1 Fruit and use your Shovel to break the rock directly above you. Proceed up, then to the right across the water gap, and pick up 2 Softwood.

Next, eat 1 Fruit and dig the tree to the left. After clearing it, walk down and across the water gap to pick up 2 Fruit.

Step #4: Return To Right Side, Pick Up Fruit & Hardwood

Retrace your steps returning to the very right side of the island again where you picked up 2 Fruit earlier.

Eat 1 Fruit, break the rock directly below, pick up and eat 1 Fruit, and dig up the next tree to the left. Then pick up 2 Hardwood and walk up across the water gap.

Step #5: Dig Tree & Pick Up 2 Wood, 1 Softwood, 1 Fruit

Eat 1 Fruit and dig up the tree above you after crossing the water gap.

Pick up the 1 Softwood to the left area across another water gap, the 1 Fruit towards the top right, and the 2 Wood sneakily hiding behind two rows of hedge fencing.

Step #6: Return To Left Side & Pick Up 2 Hardwood

Retrace your steps returning to the very left side of the island again where the Ladder DIY was located.

Walk north on the left side across the water gap towards the DIY Workbench can be seen. Eat 1 Fruit to break the rock above you and pick up 2 Hardwood.

Step #7: Craft Ladder At DIY Workbench

If you’ve followed our directions correctly, you should now have 4 pieces of Wood, Softwood, and Hardwood — if not, retrace your steps and pick up everything!

That’s enough materials to craft a Ladder at the DIY Workbench, so go ahead and do just that.

Step #8: Climb Cliff To Get Worn Axe & Return To Top Right Side

After crafting a Ladder, walk straight down across the water gap and climb up on the Cliff holding a toolbox item using your Ladder.

Pick up the Worn Axe found on top of the Cliff, climb back down using your Ladder, and retrace your steps returning to the top right side of the island with a vertical row of three water gaps.

Step #9: Chop Down Tree With Worn Axe & Pick Up 2 Fruit On Cliff

Once at the top right area of the maze, walk left over middle water gap, and use your Worn Axe item to chop down the tree to the left. You can either dig up the stump or sit on it to pass.

Next, climb up the cliff with fruit using your Ladder, pick up 2 Fruit, and retrace your steps returning to the top left area of the maze where the DIY Workbench is.

Step #10: Dig Up 2 Trees & Climb Cliff With 3 Fruit

Walk up past the DIY Workbench where you previously destroyed a rock, and eat 2 Fruit. Dig up the two trees blocking passage to the right.

Next, proceed down and climb up the cliff sporting fruit with your Ladder. Pick up the 3 Fruit and climb back down the cliff to the right.

Step #11: Dig Bush & Tree To Climb Cliff With Rover

Walk to the right digging up the bush in the way, hopping over the water gap, and walking in a loop around the right side area of the maze until you are at the bottom of the three water gaps in the area.

Move up hopping over the three water gaps in a row until you are standing in front of the tree near Rover. Eat 1 Fruit and dig up the tree allowing you to climb up the final cliff with your Ladder to meet Rover.

Step #12: Talk To Rover

Congratulations! You’ve successfully completed this year’s May Day Tour maze. Make sure to speak with Rover, so you can listen to some new dialogue from this returning cat and ensure you receive a prize from him in the mail tomorrow!

Animal Crossing players meeting Rover for the very first time will receive the Rover’s Briefcase item, while veteran players who already completed the May Day Tour last year will receive the brand new Rover’s Photo item.

Bonus Step #13: Climb Down To Left For Bell Vouchers

To completely finish the May Day Tour maze, you’ll want to follow a few more bonus steps allowing access to the 9 Bell Vouchers found on this island.

First, climb down the cliff on the left side and dig up the bush in front of you. Pick up the 4 Bell Vouchers accessible right below where the bush was.

Bonus Step #14: Walk Along Top Of Island & Pick Up 2 Fruit

Continue walking along the top side of the island until you reach a rock in the very top left corner. Eat 1 Fruit and break the rock to pick up 2 Fruit.

Bonus Step #15: Walk Down Beach To Bottom Left & Get Bell Vouchers

Walk down the left side beach towards the very bottom and eat 3 Fruit. Break the 3 rocks in a row and pick up the final 5 Bell Vouchers waiting for you!

How To Reset May Day Maze Island If You Mess Up & Get Stuck

If you happen to mess up while trying to escape the May Day Maze by digging up or chopping down the wrong trees and rocks, you can easily reset the island completely! You might need to do this to get all nine Bell Voucher prizes, or even just make it to Rover, as it’s not hard to screw up.

To reset the May Day island and maze in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, open your NookPhone and launch the Rescue Service app with the helicopter icon found on the second page. For just 100 Nook Miles, Resetti’s rescue crew can help you out by resetting the maze and bringing you back to the beginning of the island!

If you’ve already left the May Day Tour island though, you won’t be able to use Rescue Services to solve your problem. Another possible solution is to play on a secondary player character, which you can learn more about in our What To Do If You Mess Up & Get Stuck On May Day Maze Island article here.

May Day Tour Maze Prizes & Rewards

There are three different prizes you can win during the May Day Event by visiting the May Day Tour island and completing the maze! You won’t actually be able to take these items with you in your inventory though — they’ll instead be mailed to you by Dodo Airlines or Rover and you can find them in your mailbox at home tomorrow.

How To Get Rover’s Briefcase

If it’s your very first time completing the May Day event in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you will receive the Rover’s Briefcase item as your prize for finishing the maze! When you reach the end of the maze in the top right, you’ll discover the returning special character Rover sitting down on the ground waiting for you.

After speaking with Rover, he’ll mail you his exclusive Rover’s Briefcase item as a prize and keepsake for finding him through the tricky island maze! Unfortunately, this item cannot be customized though.

By the way, the Rover’s Briefcase item cannot be ordered from your Nook Shopping catalog. So be sure to hang onto the item in your storage if you wish to use it in the future!

How To Get Rover’s Photo

If you’ve already completed the May Day Tour Maze previously, then you’ll receive the a new and different item upon finishing the event a second time! When you reach the end of the maze in the top right, you’ll meet special character Rover once again for the second time in New Horizons.

This time around, he’ll send you his exclusive Rover’s Photo item as a prize for you to enjoy. It’ll arrive in your mailbox the next day.

How To Get Bell Vouchers

Throughout both version of the May Day island, there’s one other type of prize you can find — Bell Vouchers! Each version of the maze features two different groups of Bell Vouchers can be found on the ground, with one group being rather easy to access, and the other quite a bit trickier requiring perfect completion.

Each of these Bell Vouchers can be sold for 3,000 Bells each to Timmy & Tommy at Nook’s Cranny! We’ll do the math for you quickly — that’s 12,000 Bells if you pick up the easy four Bell Vouchers and 27,000 Bells if you get all nine Bell Vouchers on the island.

For complete instructions on how to get your hands on all 9 Bell Vouchers in each version of the May Day Tour maze, read our full walkthroughs earlier in this guide!

How Many Times Can You Do The May Day Maze?

Each player on an Animal Crossing: New Horizons island can only travel to the May Day Tour island and complete the May Day maze once per each year of the event. It’s not possible to trade May Day Tickets with other players either, because it’s not an actual item held in your pockets.

However, if you’d like to play the event and maze more than once, you can always create a second player character on your island with their own house. Then you should be able to use a second May Day Ticket on that character!

Can You Take Home Bushes & Flowers From May Day Tour Island?

As tempting as it might be, don’t bother going around digging up all of the bushes on the May Day Tour island for keepsake purposes because you won’t be able to bring them with you. All of your items will be lost when you leave the island, except for the Rover’s Briefcase and Bell Voucher prizes you may have earned.

To get some of those beautiful bushes for your own island, be sure to hit up the special character Leif next time you spot him visiting your Resident Services plaza!

Where Are My May Day Tour Island Prizes & Items?

If you’ve gotten the Rover’s Briefcase, Rover’s Photo, and any handy Bell Vouchers on the May Day Tour island — don’t expect to find them in your inventory once you leave and find yourself home on your own island!

Don’t worry though, they haven’t disappeared from you. Instead, you can find either Rover reward and any Bell Vouchers you managed to pick up on your journey safely in your mailbox sent by Dodo Airlines or Rover. Be sure to check the mail before panicking!

Please feel free to help us out in the comments below if you have anything to share from playing the event yourself, or find any errors. Special thanks to Murray for contributing screenshots to the guide!