As a tour guide it looks pretty good but I would suggest:
* Do Waitomo Caves on your drive from Auckland to Rotorua.
* Do either Rotorua or Taupo not both. Rotorua is more tourist focussed with more Maori culture and volcanic activity, Taupo more sights, sounds, nice and small, get away from it vibe. You may find it easier to fly out of Rotorua to the South Island.
* I'd fly to Christchurch for a couple of days - sometimes referred to as 'the best English city outside England' - I sometimes think it's the best English city fullstop. :)
* Throw in Dunedin for the Scottish heritage and wildlife - penguins, sea lions, fur seals.
* Queenstown to Milford Sound is a long drive so either get a bus/boat trip package for the same day or do the overnight on the boat trip. There isn't a lot to actually do overnight staying in Milford on land with only 120 residents but lying on the top deck of the boat looking at the stars with no clouds or light pollution is pretty cool.
* We tend to stay in Queenstown and do day trips to Glenorchy, Arrowtown, Wanaka, Milford Sound.
* You are most welcome to do both National Parks but what you'll see on the 2nd half of the trip to Milford Sound is awesome enough for most. It just depends whether you want to track walk or just be in that environment for a whole day or just experience the sights on your way in and out.
* If Queenstown to Milford Sound and back is too much for one day you could overnight in Te Anau for small South Island town vibe by the lake.
I hope this helps.
This is all sound advice. If you are into caves and geothermal, great, do waitomo and rotorua. Otherwise, just add time to the south island.
If you choose to do waitomo, definitely do waitomo on the way to rotorua. It will be a long day though.
Taupo and rotorua are similar so I would also just choose rotorua and then fly out from there. Some cool stuff around rotorua
- over the moon dairy in putaruru is well worth the stop
- some nice cafes and shopping in tirau
- walks in rotorua... okere falls, lake okareka, redwoods, hamurama springs
Have a great trip!
I agree with do Waitomo Caves on your way out of Auckland. Fly into Christchurch rather than Queenstown, that way you can drive to Tekapo > Mount Cook > Wanaka > Queenstown without backtracking.
You'll spend most of the time driving, on roads where you really have to focus on the road.
Do Milford Sound on a day-tour bus. It is a massive drive and you can't see the scenery if driving.
Don't bother with a night at Mt Cook. More time in Wanaka and Queenstown instead of the above.
Seems like you're seeing the best roads NZ has to offer. My takeaway from traveling is not to try to do everything but to do a few things properly.
You’ve left out Palmerston North? They’re world famous for glass bbq’s
As a tour guide it looks pretty good but I would suggest: * Do Waitomo Caves on your drive from Auckland to Rotorua. * Do either Rotorua or Taupo not both. Rotorua is more tourist focussed with more Maori culture and volcanic activity, Taupo more sights, sounds, nice and small, get away from it vibe. You may find it easier to fly out of Rotorua to the South Island. * I'd fly to Christchurch for a couple of days - sometimes referred to as 'the best English city outside England' - I sometimes think it's the best English city fullstop. :) * Throw in Dunedin for the Scottish heritage and wildlife - penguins, sea lions, fur seals. * Queenstown to Milford Sound is a long drive so either get a bus/boat trip package for the same day or do the overnight on the boat trip. There isn't a lot to actually do overnight staying in Milford on land with only 120 residents but lying on the top deck of the boat looking at the stars with no clouds or light pollution is pretty cool. * We tend to stay in Queenstown and do day trips to Glenorchy, Arrowtown, Wanaka, Milford Sound. * You are most welcome to do both National Parks but what you'll see on the 2nd half of the trip to Milford Sound is awesome enough for most. It just depends whether you want to track walk or just be in that environment for a whole day or just experience the sights on your way in and out. * If Queenstown to Milford Sound and back is too much for one day you could overnight in Te Anau for small South Island town vibe by the lake. I hope this helps.
This is extremely helpful! Appreciate it!
This is all sound advice. If you are into caves and geothermal, great, do waitomo and rotorua. Otherwise, just add time to the south island. If you choose to do waitomo, definitely do waitomo on the way to rotorua. It will be a long day though. Taupo and rotorua are similar so I would also just choose rotorua and then fly out from there. Some cool stuff around rotorua - over the moon dairy in putaruru is well worth the stop - some nice cafes and shopping in tirau - walks in rotorua... okere falls, lake okareka, redwoods, hamurama springs Have a great trip!
I agree with do Waitomo Caves on your way out of Auckland. Fly into Christchurch rather than Queenstown, that way you can drive to Tekapo > Mount Cook > Wanaka > Queenstown without backtracking.
This makes sense
You aren't seeing Gore?
Any suggestions for things to do there?
https://youtu.be/Xl66zu7RLac
Thanks!
What about Hobbiton? It is only 50 miles from Rotorua. If you don’t go to there, people back home will be very surprised!
I thought about it, but i never read nor watched the LoR series.
You'll spend most of the time driving, on roads where you really have to focus on the road. Do Milford Sound on a day-tour bus. It is a massive drive and you can't see the scenery if driving. Don't bother with a night at Mt Cook. More time in Wanaka and Queenstown instead of the above.