Our itinerary in New Zealand: We were there for 6 weeks, of which we spent a bit more than half on the North Island, the rest of it on the South Island. We were getting around by rental, which was the perfect choice. Busses may be cheaper, but we wouldn’t have seen so much.
All in all it was enough time to see and enjoy the most interesting places in this beautiful country. Of course, to get really in touch with the country, we would have had to stay longer. See details and especially our great pictures in our posts on North Island and South Island.
North Island
1. After arriving and before our flight back, we spent some days in Auckland.
2. 3 days in Northland were a great first impression of New Zealand
3. Volcanoes in Rotorua were well worth 2 nights.
4. Napier was just a stopover on our way to Wellington. The coast is beautiful, though.
5. In the Capital, Wellington, we stayed 3 nights and further 2 nights on our way back (in between was our stay on the South Island).
6. Before returning back to Auckland, we stayed 2 nights in Plymouth.
South Island
1. After arriving in Picton, we were 2 nights in the area of Marlborough Sound and Abel Tasman National Park.
2. 3 nights in Punakaiki were one of our highlights.
3. 1 night in Queenstown was enough, as we didn’t want to go skiing.
4. Great Milford Sound area was our home for 2 nights.
5. We stayed 2 nights in New Zealand’s most beautiful city, Dunedin.
6. Heading north, we stayed 1 night in Christchurch.
7. We were further 2 nights in Kaikoura, before returning to Picton.
Data by OpenStreetMap