New Zealand in One Week: North Island to South Island

This past summer, I took a whirlwind trip through Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand. As you can probably guess, we were limited on the time we were able to spend in each country, forcing us to pick and choose what we wanted to see wisely. We took off three to four weeks from work and spent a week in each country.

New Zealand has always been at the top of my bucket list, and I didn't want to miss ANYTHING. However, we had to choose our top destinations. I think we did a pretty good job and managed to hit most of the highlights. Below is an outline of my one week in New Zealand:

Day 1:

We flew into Auckland in the afternoon and settled into our Airbnb. Then, we wandered into the Kingsland suburb and spent a few hours finding food and checking out local bars. We didn't have much time to spend this day, so we really just got our bearings and repacked our bags and washed our clothes.

Day 2:

We spent our morning exploring Auckland. We got up early in the morning and drove to the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, where we did a few nature trails and enjoyed the breathtaking views. Because of the Kauri Dieback that's threatening much of the New Zealand wildlife, many trails were closed. However, we still learned a bit about the local trees and animals and got to spend some peaceful time in nature.

Waitakere Ranges

After that, we went into the main city to see Mt. Eden volcano. It was interesting because it was in the heart of the city, overlooking the spiderweb of streets and buildings, but it was so ancient and deserved our respect. We also stopped in at the local Fish Shop for some fresh fish and chips.

That afternoon we drove about 2.5 hours to Waitomo, home of the famous glow worm caves. We booked the last tour at 5 p.m. While the caves were not all that big inside, it was a very cool experience. When you looked at the ceiling, you could see tiny blue pin pricks of light, and when the guide turned off the lights, in certain places you could see the strings coming from the glow worms, which caught their prey. The tour included a small boat ride and lots of historical and culture information. It only cost about $53 NZD or $35 USD for an adult ticket. After our tour, we drove about an hour to Hamilton and crashed at our Airbnb for the night.

Day 3:

This was easily one of my favorite things we did on New Zealand's North Island: THE LORD OF THE RINGS SET TOUR. I am a huge LOTR and Hobbit fan, so I was so excited to actually be standing where they filmed some of the movies (I definitely nerded out a little). The Hobbiton Movie Set offers daily tours where you can stroll through the Shire and actually go in a real hobbit hole. We chose the tour and meal combo, so we spent about an hour exploring the Shire and learning about the set and movies before trying some of the locally brewed beer and eating a feast-style meal on the set. All of this was only $84 NZD or $55 USD.

After our tour, we went in search of hot springs. Our original plan was to go to Hell's Gate, which is a commercial hot spring that has a hiking trail, baths, and mud pits. However, it costs to get in. One of my friends on the trip found a hot spring hidden in the woods that you can swim in for free (I think it is actually connected to the Wai-O-Tapu hotspring facility nearby), so we found it, hiked about five minutes in our swimsuits in 30-degree weather, and took a dip! It stunk to high heavens, but it was so worth it! Hot springs are full of minerals and are known to reduce stress, relieve pain, and help your skin.

This was the beginning of our longer drives. We had about a 5.5 hour drive from the Rotorua area to Wellington, the capital city. We got there by 10 or 11 p.m. and managed to find some pretty good food along the way! Again, we stayed at an Airbnb; this one was really nice and right on the waterfront near the harbor!

Day 4:

We really wanted to explore Wellington and see a lot of the harbor area, but the weather was unrelenting. There's a reason it's called windy Wellington! So instead we settled on a nice brunch at a place called Husk. Then, we shopped in the Cuba Street area, which is a colorful street full of hipster shops in the heart of town. I also took a few hours and took an uber across the harbor (about 10-15 minutes) to visit Weta Cave. It houses tons of LOTR and other film souvenirs (again, nerding out). You can pay for a tour of the studios where they worked on CGI and special effects for movies like King Kong, The Avengers, and Avatar, but I took the free route and just went to see what it was all about. Plus, on the way I got to see a whale in the harbor! It was a big deal for the locals, as it was an incredibly rare occurence. We spent a relaxing day in Wellington and went to bed early to catch up on some rest (after running around in the rain for a bit!).

Day 5:

We got on the Interislander ferry the next morning to start the second part of our journey: the South Island. I would definitely recommend booking in advance! We didn't have a problem getting a spot, but I think it would have been smart. It costs us about $75 NZD or $48 USD without a car for a one-way trip. The 3 hour ride was very smooth with comfortable seats and food and drinks available for purchase. Our ticket included one bag per person. (TIP: ginger beer calms your stomach if you are prone to sea sickness!!)

Our ferry view with a side of ginger beer!

Once on the other side, we picked up our rental car and headed for Queenstown. The total trip took about 16 hours by car and is only for the brave of heart!! We drove through icy roads, rockslides, and bunnies running across the road on suicide missions. Somehow we made it in one piece, but it was quite a journey. During the daylight hours, we were able to see cow pastures and huge mountains with snow-capped peaks. It was beautiful and felt like the New Zealand I had always pictured, which is what made the drive worth it. Plus, we stopped a few times along the way to stargaze. The stars were unreal because there was no light pollution and huge expanses of undisturbed sky. We finally arrived in Queenstown around 2 a.m. and settled into our home for the night.

Here is where I wish I could have a little more time and change my itinerary. If I had unlimited time and money I would have spent a day or two in Fox Glacier, doing glacier hikes or exploring the scenery there. Fox Glacier, and the rest of the west coast, have a lot to offer for travelers, and I wish I had had more time to take advantage of that. But...that just means I have to go back, right?

Day 6:

Queenstown is easily one of the most beautiful places I have ever been (see the view from my Airbnb below)! I wish I had a full week just in this one city, but we made the best of our time. We began our day with a nice bungee jump! You can read all about my bungee jumping experience with AJ Hackett here.

The view from our Airbnb.

After that, we met up with Queenstown Wine Trail for an incredible wine tasting and tour of Central Otago and Gibbston valleys. It was a nice way to unwind after an adrenaline filled morning. We signed up for a small group tour, but it was just us! So, we got our very own private tour of 3 wineries, including a wine cave, and got to taste over 15 different wines. Our tour also included a meal and wine pairing. I would 100% recommend this wine tour group because they were personable, had a lot to offer, and the price was very affordable. It costs $189 NZD or $121 USD for everything.

Day 7:

Technically, this was the end of our trip. We had a connecting flight back to Auckland before our flight to Houston. However, we had a day layover in Auckland, and I took full advantage of it. I found out via Instagram that Lil Dicky (one of my favorite artists) would be performing in Auckland that night. We landed in the city at 8 p.m., which is when the doors opened. So, I left my bags with my friends, hopped in an Uber, and managed to get a front row spot for his concert (tickets were only $50!).

Overall, I think we did a great job of managing our time. Of course, there are a few things I would change if we had had just a little more time. However, I got to see all the things I wanted and have some pretty wild experiences along the way. If you have any questions about our itinerary or how we navigated certain aspects of this trip, reach out to me! I would love to share more about this journey with you.