This outline itinerary should help you plan a memorable three week road trip around the best activities and attractions in New Zealand.
Days 1 to 5: Auckland and the Bay of Islands
Increasingly buzzy entry city Auckland is best around its harbour – try crewing an America’s Cup yacht (BOOK HERE) or ferry hopping to Waiheke Island for a chilled-out wine tour. For urban cool, try the Ponsonby and Karangahape Road neighbourhoods for eclectic bar and restaurant scenes.
Before starting the road trip in earnest, divert through the 1,000-year-old trees of the Waitakere Ranges before the scenic steep descents to moody black sand surf beaches at Piha and Keri Keri.
The beaches are blonder in the Bay of Islands, three hours’ drive north. Join a cruise to spot dolphins, and swot up on Maori culture at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. (Waitangi.org.nz).
Day 6 to 9: Action in Rotorua and Taupo
The heart of the North Island should get the heart pumping. Rotorua, three hours south east of Auckland has everything from rolling down hills in giant plastic hamster balls to hardcore white-water rafting down waterfalls.
The glowworm-lit Waitomo Caves can be visited along the way – underground boat tours cost $NZ70, but the more adventurous $NZ314 ‘Black Abyss’ tour involves abseiling, tubing and subterranean zipwires.
An hour further south, Lake Taupo is the size of Singapore, and the 14 metre Maori rock carvings at Mine Bay are an artistic masterpiece. They can only be seen from the water, so hop on a cruise.
New Zealand’s best day walk is tackled at the southern edge of Lake Taupo. The 19.4km Tongariro Alpine Crossing is all lava fields, soaring volcanoes, near-fluorescent green lakes and Mt Doom from Lord of the Rings. Park at the end and take the $NZ60 shuttle to the start.
Day 10 to 13: Napier, Hawkes Bay and Wellington
It’s a couple of hours east to Hawkes Bay, starting with Napier’s phenomenal glut of art deco architecture. Walking and bus tours show off the art deco highlights. But the region’s best known for its Bordeaux-style vineyards – multi-winery tasting tours are the best way to sample the wines.
Suitably refreshed? Then carry on to capital Wellington, all cafés and cultural attractions by day, with kiwi-spotting dusk tours at Zealandia later on.
Another quirky highlight is the WETA Workshop, which makes costumes and props for major Hollywood movies. Tours show how the magic happens, but you can also do intro classes to special effects make-up, sculpting and chain mail design.
Day 14 to 21: Queenstown, Dunedin and Christchurch
Fly into alpine adventure hotspot Queenstown for high octane thrills – with together jetboat rides, canyon swings, bungy and skydives, while Nomad Safaris heads out in a 4WD to remote but spectacular movie locations.
From Queenstown, a meandering five day self-drive route to Christchurch can take in the Underwater Observatory and steep fiord walls of Milford Sound. The Milford Sound cruises are an NZ must.
Don’t try this as a day trip from Queenstown – it’s an exhausting eight hour round trip. Spend a night at Te Anau on the way, and throw in an evening cruise across Lake Te Anau to glowworm caves inside the Fiordland National Park.
Afterwards, you can sample world class pinot noirs in Central Otago and, from Dunedin, the wildlife-packed Otago Peninsula. Monarch Cruises runs day tours taking in the sea birds, seals, giant nesting albatrosses and adorably cute, waddling, yellow-eyed penguins.
Alternatively, skip Dunedin and head across the yellow-grassed highlands via Mt Cook, New Zealand’s tallest mountain. The hiking is predictably excellent here, but kayaking around icebergs at the edge of a glacier on Tasman Lake is truly unforgettable.
The end point, Christchurch, has recovered from its earthquake trauma with a contemporary makeover and, just next to the airport, the International Antarctic Centre is tremendous fun. The star attractions are the ice storm simulation and rides on tough-as-old-boots vehicles designed for polar exploration.
More New Zealand travel ideas
This three week New Zealand travel itinerary covers most of best of the country, but NZ has plenty more to offer. To hunt down tours, experiences and activities to your taste, step this way.
Other New Zealand articles on Planet Whitley include:
- Iceberg kayaking on Tasman Lake.
- What to do on the Christchurch to Oamaru drive before seeing Oamaru’s penguin colony.
- Braving sea-sickness on the Stewart Island ferry.
- The shocking story of New Zealand’s only castle.
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