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Hey folks,
I’m in the lucky position to be heading out to New Zealand for a few weeks on a Holiday of a Lifetime.
I reckon I have most of the tourist traps covered, but anyone want to share a few ‘must do’s’ before I go?
Ta!
Sea kayaking in Abel Tasman area.
Hot pools somewhere. Hamner Springs was nice if passing through. Hot water beach was over rated - hard to find hot water and could only make it a bearable temperature if the tide was right.
Doubtful Sound.
Glow worms.
Sea kayaking. Probably Abel Tasman.
Glaciers
Milford Sound
Tramping a hut to hut route
This was in the 90s. We cycled the length of the South Island. I missed my one chance to go mountain biking as I was ill after a typhoid shot. So can’t comment on mountain biking
If you find yourself passing through Blenheim on the way south you have to stop at Burleigh Pie shop, almost certainly the best pies in the south 😊
That’s quite a coincidence, although a mutual friend has been to Abel Tasman recently so that probably helped
No disagreement on Douptful sound although in the 1990s it need a boat trip just to get there. We had crazy good conditions at Milford Sound and rather genius logistics cutting out the huge road loop from Queenstown by walking hut to hut.
Walk up mount taranaki 🌋
It’s still a boat trip to Doubtful Sound but definitely worth the effort and cost, we did an overnight on a boat and it was truly one of life’s unique experiences
2nd Hot Water Beach don't bother 🙄 heli ride from Mount Cook is amazing as is Franz Josef glacier.
Going against the grain but I found Doubtful sound a bit over rated. Huge boat, loads of people. We did it at the end of our trip and had done some other boat trips in other places, so was maybe just a bit over it.
Very weather dependant both on the day and in run up as to how well waterfalls were flowing.
We went for three weeks and made mistake of planning it all out in advance. Had to drive past interesting looking stuff as we had places to be. Doing it again I’d plan less, maybe just start, end and the ferry crossing and just let the rest evolve.
Take your time and enjoy yourself. We are half planning 2 months before the wee lad starts school next year.
I'm not sure how much it has changed in the 20 years or so since I visited, but for sheer beauty, Kaikõura is a memory that will likely stick with me for life.
Snow capped mountains to the left, rolling hills to the right, whales in front, sharing a beach with a seal. Beautiful.
If you're into trails George road trails Queen's town look amazing. There look to be smaller lines there not just massive steep and deep.
Agree with letting it evolve, our first trip was too rigid trying to get too much in, been very fortunate since then that we’ve been able to take plenty of time on subsequent visits, and having family there now is very useful
For three weeks I’d say stick to one island, although it’s tempting to see as much as possible we ended up doing far more driving than seeing and still barely scratched the surface, it was enough however to ensure we’ve been back plenty of times
Thinking about other must do’s … if you have the time and find yourselves passing through some of the small towns keep an eye out for the local museums, lots of them there with quirky interesting collections of everything from surf boards right up to steam trains and biplanes, usually run by retired farmers, a great way to spend a few hours chatting with the locals and that’s where you get the good information from
It’s about two meters higher now after the 2016 earthquake, lots of new buildings but essentially the same
Did a 4 day guided canoe trip in Doubtful sound. Was incredible. After half a day no tourist boats, camping in the forest, well worth it.
Apart from that go wherever looks great. The tourist trap with all the geysers in Rotarua was actually really good despite being a very touristy setup. I actually enjoyed the very setup Mauri singing performance.
Breakfasts at bakeries are a good thing as are steak and cheese pies.
Have a great trip.
Abel Tasman sea kayak, April is a great time as the sea lion pups are in their 'creches', ideally you need a few nights trip to get out to the different islands they are on.
We didn't manage the Franz Josef / Mt Cook area or far south as we didn't have time, but the kayak on the glacial lake looks incredible.
Similarly the boat trips around Kaikora are special if you like wildlife.
The Tongariro Crossing was also a highlight for us, easy to organise the one-way transfer. We had good weather but it's very windy, exposed, slippy volcanic gravel on the ridge, and thankfully we got some cloud cover or we might not have enjoyed getting over the top, but it was stunning. There are more remote hikes I am sure.
This, whale watching trip was amazing.
I’m not sure how much it has changed in the 20 years or so since I visited, but for sheer beauty, Kaikõura is a memory that will likely stick with me for life.
Snow capped mountains to the left, rolling hills to the right, whales in front, sharing a beach with a seal. Beautiful.
Heli biking if you have the cash, great fun. I'd stick to the South Island and not try to rush around too much.
March 😉
Milford Sound, Kaikoura whale watching, Franz Josef glacier, diving up at the bay of islands, kayaking for glow worms, bike trails loads of places, mud baths, Maori ceremonies, err, just loads and loads of stuff.
For three weeks I’d say stick to one island,
+1, I've enjoyed just traipsing round the south island twice in a camper van and having an excellent time, nothing organised, it was the experience of a lifetime and none of it was organised.
We went for three weeks and made mistake of planning it all out in advance. Had to drive past interesting looking stuff as we had places to be. Doing it again I’d plan less, maybe just start, end and the ferry crossing and just let the rest evolve.
That reminds me of another tip. We went to see the Fiordland Crested penguins. A short walk to a beautiful beach. Saw 2 other people. Everyone these has zoomed done past between paid attractions
Book marked coz we're planning a similar trip next march / April 🙂, also visiting Oz, so would NZ be better to visit in March or April?
If you’re travelling around the North Island, the Kauri forests are worth a visit - they are immense and there’s a lot of local history associated with their use. If you’re visiting Auckland, Piha beach is a nice place to be at sunset.
Daughter has just gone out for 12 months to ride her bike. Think they are touring the Northern top bit at the moment. Will send her a link to this as there may be some things she might want to fit in
Go to watch the little blue penguins. Down near Dunedin as I remember. Nice evening activity if you are there.
Although it was 28 years ago now (can’t believe it) so may be out of date, I spent six weeks there in March and April the best things I did were:
Kayaking in the Abel Tasman national park and then walking the route by getting a water taxi to the end and tramping back. Doing both gave a different perspective and were fantastic. Camping at Marahau I had the best view of stars that I have ever seen.
Whale watching at Kaikoura. As said above, it is a really beautiful place to stay for a couple of days. I also went swimming with seals and dolphins there.
Walking the Routburn/ Greenstone track loop with a side trip to Milford sound at the halfway point.
Walking up Mount Roy near Wanaka. Excellent walk to stunning views of the lake and the mountains.
Going to an event put on by a young maori group in Rotorua
Albatross at Taiaroa head near Dunedin- didn’t go into the visitors centre but got near the head in the late afternoon when they were flying and then went to see yellow eyed and little blue penguins on a beach nearby at dusk.
Kauri pine forest in the north of North Island
The glow worms thing is one of the most surreal experiences of my life. Abseiling into a massive cave, sit in a big inner tube floating down a subterranean river in total darkness that then becomes illuminated like a starry night sky by millions of tiny glow worms. Bonkers!
We did 5 weeks in NZ (again: holiday of a lifetime, pre-kids) and we had no itinerary at all. There’s so much to do and see we just landed, picked up a 4x4 and set off driving. The scenery changes so quickly in such short distances, it’s insane!
You’re in for a treat. It’s an absolutely incredible place! Enjoy!
Don't go to Dunedin, it's shit
Kaikoura amazing
Franz Josef
Riding bikes round wine country amazing
Bay of Islands
NZ amazing
Oh and lake Wanaka amazing
Riding bikes round wine country amazing
Yeah… definitely do that! It’s a fine way to spend a day
I spent my first few decades in the South Island of NZ and get back regularly. As per tradition, I will go with what I know and concentrate on that.
Omaka Heritage Centre (just outside Blenheim). This is brilliant and is comprised of two museums, one half covering WW1 aviation (Director Peter Jackson’s private collection) and the other WW2
While you are in the area it would be rude not to hire a bike and do a wine tour – you are spoilt for choice with numerous World class wineries joined by a well-marked, mostly off the road, cycle route.
Kaikoura is the home of whale watch central and is a must do activity. Dec to March Orcas, Humpbacks June and July, with Sperm whales and dolphins the year round.
Christchurch is rebuilding itself after the earthquakes of 2011, which decimated the city – lots of cafes for the daily caffeine fix and bars selling boutique beers.
I would probably head inland at this point and go towards Lake Tekapo and Queenstown. Queenstown is a TOURIST town (but that’s what you are, right..) bungy jumping, jet boat canyon rides, more wineries and the Earnslaw steamer trip on Lake Wakatipu.
Keep heading south towards Te Anau and then on to Milford Sound – another tourist trap, but when you go there you will see why. Take the boat trip.
Backtrack to Queenstown, Wanaka and Haast over to the West Coast, which is my very favourite place in the World. It is just like stepping back in time and the scenery is to die for; Glaciers (Fox and Franz Josef – best visit while they are still there as global warming is alive and well), mirror lakes and crashing surf beaches. Punakaiki, Reefton, Murchison and Nelson are worth a look.
It is also possible to head back to Christchurch (from Greymouth) on the Tranzapline tourist train – one of the great railway journeys of the World.
From Nelson explore Tasman Bay sea kayaking (you can kayak one way, to say Anchorage, and return via water taxi, or walk out via the Abel Tasman track. Go through Kaiteriteri and it’s golden sands, on the way back to Nelson.
Have fun, but everything is pretty expensive now…
The flight back.... you will understand this statement by the last day ofyour visit.
The glow worms thing is one of the most surreal experiences of my life.
+1. We saw them in Waitomo Caves (N. Island). On S. Island, Curio Bay is marvellous - petrified forest, Hector's dolphins - I still use a photo of them swimming in the waves as on one my desktop pictures.
Fly into Milford Sound from Queenstown. We saw dolphins swimming alongside our boat ride too. Very beautiful and let's you scope out all the trails for your next visit 🤙
Mountain biking in Queenstown wasn't too bad either.
Abel Tasman national park is beautiful, we stayed in the eco lodge which has no road into it so requires a - rather spritely - water taxi to get there.
St Josefs glacier is worth a stop if passing.
Nothing to add other than I'm jealous, would love to go to NZ for a month's hols.
Everyone has covered what I was going to say except the MTB at Whakarewarewa (Redwoods, just outside Rotorua) is excellent.
If you go to Queenstown (which you should do really) do the canyon swing. 60m freefall into a lovely smooth swing in epic scenery - I recommend the Elvis cutaway. Way better than a bungy in my opinion (did both). Then back into town for a Fergburger. T'is traditional.
Oh yeah, pronunciation tip: 'Wh' at the beginning of Maori words is same sound as an f.
The inhabitants of Queenstown seem to be having an ongoing competition with themselves to find the most insane activities to get up too
I’d recommend river surfing, which is basically white water rafting but without the raft. Who needs a raft when you’ve got a body board? At points I genuinely thought I was about to die, but it’s good fun (in a fairly life-threatening way)
Oh… eat lots of steak and cheese pies, because they are absolutely awesome!
I'd agree with Binners on the sperming. Not that I've been but it's gotta be better than jet boating or any of the other Kartoffelsack Tourismus.
We just went from river to river ticking off the classics, which were amazing. Heli lift into the Hokutika being the highlight.
Or if you don't fancy sperming then an overnight raft trip sounds good.
We also did some mtb, bouldering and climbing, but none of them was a patch on the paddling.
Oh and make sure to take some earplugs....... not for the flight, but to drown out the endless stream of trustafarians/ bums saying:
" Only a month gosh, you're so brave making such a long flight for such a short time. We're here for xxx months dontcha know"
🙂
If you're into wine and are traveling around the south Island then I'd recommend popping into Marlborough. People were buying crates of the stuff and shipping it home when we were there.
The new Zealand beer is actually pretty good too.
Try to only see the one traditional Maori show and hāngi, the best one was in the New Zealand museum in Auckland.
Almost forgot about shotover canyon jet boats.
The Transalpine train from Greymouth to Christchurch - one of the great train journeys of the world. Had a fabulous day out with a Maori guy with a Landrover in Rotorua - went to some of the main tourist spots but also several 'secret' spots including up in the forests and some hot springs which were only accessible in a 4WD. Another vote for Kaikoura and whale watching.
As suggested above don't try to do too much otherwise you will spend much of your holiday on the road rather than experiencing this amazing country.
Almost forgot about shotover canyon jet boats.
Probably for the best.
Well worth forty minutes of your time, NZ riding at its best
I live here. So proabably well-placed to add yet more confusing information to the cascade of recommendations above. Having said that, what's written so far seems pretty reasonable. It depends on what you are looking for really. If you've only got a few weeks, then it will probably be best to hit the obvious well-known 'big ticket' items.
If you are starting in Auckland - travel distances are quite large overall - think northern tip of Denmark to the top of Morocco, so unless you will be flying around the country, a significant chunk of your 3 weeks could be spent driving.
If you want to do some day hikes / short tramps, South Island will be generally best. Queenstown area is good, as is Wanaka, Mount Aspiring area. Mt Cook area is pretty good for some spectacular day hikes, with glaciers. We are heading into Autumn now, so it will be getting a bit chilly down south. Whether that suits you for hiking / tramping is up to you.
Milford Sound / Doubtful Sound area is magnificient, the weather can be crap - but that just adds to the atmosphere.
Being a Rotorua resident, I have to speak to my biases here. The Bay of Plenty area is amazing, lovely sub-tropical climate, great beaches, chilled out vibe. It will also be a great deal warmer and sunnier here than the South over the next month or so. There are few big ticket items in BoP, but it's worth exploring if you have the time and inclination to just experience aspects of Kiwi life and the environment / lifestyle. Rotorua itself, however, is great for amazing mountain biking - 160 km of bespoke MTB trails, plus decent bike hire shops aplenty. I would really recommend hiring an e-MTB, just to be able to easily climb up to some of the Epic long flowy descents - Split Endz and Eagle vs Shark are absolute classics, but they take me over an hour to climb up to on my pedal bike.
Then, of course there is all the amazing geothermal stuff around here, geysers, mud pools, Waimangu geothermal area, Rainbow Mountain, Kereosene Creek - a 'bath temperature' flowing waterfall you can swim in, Wai-o-Tapu geothermal area. Plus cool Māori cultural stuff. Whakarewarea (Māori) Village is probably the best one to visit - if you want to combine both geothermal stuff and a Māori cultural experience, plus a geothermally cooked hāngī.
A few more ideas to confuse you futher.
Booked our flights at the weekend, will be first long haul flights for 20yrs, flying in & out of Christchurch so not straying into the north island, just hope nothing scuppers the plans we have, like 2020 did ☹️
Few things we loved 15 or so years ago, hut to hut on the routeburn track, relaxed biking on the Queen Charlotte track. Rotatua and Wellington trails. Kayaking the doubtful sound. Coromandel peninsular (quick gap fil decision to go). Forests, scenery, activity park type place with a joyfully relaxed approach to h&s and parking the van on a huge beach, totally alone, wine, bbq, sleeping to the sound of the surf. Bliss.
Wherever you go, whatever you do, you can’t go far wrong. It’s such an amazing place. You’ll have an absolute ball! Enjoy!
Just reading the last point of @alchiltern post there and remember doing something similar. Sat on a deserted beach, stretching away for miles, in the middle of nowhere, thinking that you’re absolutely on your own. Nobody but you around for god knows how many miles. Not something you forget.
north island or south island? It isn't a huge country but it's big enough that you'll never see it all.
Been twice, highlight watching a KIwi hatch, but that's something you can't really arrange.
wandering amongst the Kauri trees in the Coromandel, whale watching is IMO overrated, dolphins are more interesting.
traveling on the ferries in Auckland was a nice way to relax on arrival for a couple of days.
Taupo, the ski resorts, etc.
Just don't try and drive from Canterbury to Coromandel in a day.
Just sat in Christchurch airport after 3 magical weeks in the south island. Seems like March this year was ideal weather wise & tapering off of number of other tourists. Other than travelling by motorcycle instead of hire car I don't think there would be anything I'd change. Highlights were:- Tranzalpine train, Hokitika treetop walk, gorge & glow worms, bush walks nr Mount Cook and Milford Sound, Coronet Loop MTB Arrowtown, gondola & luge Queenstown, Otago Peninsula nr Dunedin, and omg seal colony at Kaikoura. My wife loved the Mt cook glacial, Milford sound & Kaikoura whale watching boat trips but I found them a bit underwhelming & would have preferred to have spent the money on more adventurous activities but if you'd ever seen how crazy she gets after a simple waterslide you'd know why we kept it more low key 🤣
The flight back.... lovely place... for a few weeks.
Whilst this thread is running, I have questions as we want to go for 3-4 weeks next Feb/March.
whats the best route to get there? Our budget is not unlimited but not student. Most of the cheapest routes seem to be Singapore air from LHR to Christchurch. LHR or Birmingham are both good for us. I’m 6’2 so prefer a seat upgrade usually but I may have to slum it a bit as I’d rather spend the money on activities there rather than a seat for a few (lots of) hours.
We did Heathrow, Singapore to Christchurch with Singapore air - no complaints whatsoever. We booked a car with Apex which is just off the airport so cheaper & ran a good shuttle bus but could have got cheaper if we'd booked the car a few months ahead - ie for you early Dec.
Thanks Dickboy, sound like you had a great time!