New Zealand
New Zealand, in a few days
From Auckland to the geysers of Rotorua, then Queenstown and the fiord at Milford Sound: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.
- Day by day
- 1 Auckland Days 1-2
- 2 Rotorua Days 3-4
- 3 Queenstown Days 5-8
- 4 Milford Sound & Fiordland Days 9-12
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
Day by day
Auckland
The City of Sails, spread over around fifty volcanic cones and wedged between two harbours. A third of all New Zealanders live here.
- Sky Tower and the city, guidedHalf day · from €30The tallest building in the southern hemisphere at 328 metres, then the streets below it with someone to explain them.
- Waiheke Island day tripFull day · from €55Forty minutes by ferry from the downtown wharf, to an island of vineyards, olive groves and small bays.
- Mount Eden, a volcanic cone
- The waterfront
- The west coast beaches
- City parks
Rotorua
Geothermal ground: geysers, boiling mud and a sulphur smell that never quite lifts. It is also the centre of Maori culture on the North Island.
- Wai-O-Tapu geothermal parkHalf day · from €30Collapsed craters, a lake the colour of antifreeze, and the Champagne Pool sitting at around 74 degrees.
- Maori evening and hangiEvening · from €75A welcome ceremony, songs and haka, then the meal lifted out of a pit of hot stones.
- Geysers and boiling mud
- The redwood forest
- Lake Rotorua
- Hot springs
Queenstown
The adventure capital, on the shore of Lake Wakatipu and ringed by mountains. Commercial bungy jumping started here in 1988.
- Bungy jump or jet boatHalf day · from €120The Kawarau bridge took the first paying jumpers in 1988. The jet boats run the canyon walls instead, at speed.
- Scenic flight over the Southern Alps1h · from €250An hour above the glaciers and Aoraki, Mount Cook, the 3,724 metre high point of the country.
- Lake Wakatipu
- The gondola and the view
- Arrowtown
- Walking trails
Milford Sound & Fiordland
A fiord under the 1,692 metre Mitre Peak, with waterfalls dropping straight off the walls. Rain falls around 200 days a year, and that is when it looks best.
- Milford Sound cruiseHalf day · from €70Out along the fiord to the open sea and back, under cliffs that rise straight from the water.
- Kayaking the fiordHalf day · from €90At water level, where the scale of the walls finally registers. Fur seals often come to look.
- The fiords
- Waterfalls
- The scenic road in
- Wildlife: seals and dolphins
Worth sorting before you go
A van or a car · The country is built to be driven, and a camper van doubles as the bed. Distances look short on the map and take far longer on the road.
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Hangi: a Maori meal steamed for hours in a pit of hot stones.
- New Zealand lamb, which the rest of the world buys by the container.
- Fish and chips eaten out of paper at the edge of the ocean.
- Pavlova: meringue, cream and fruit, claimed by Australia as well.
- Marlborough wine, and the sauvignon blanc that made the region.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Driving is on the left, and the winding roads take longer than the map says.
- Mountain weather turns fast: carry layers even in midsummer.
- Book DOC huts, ferries and camper vans well ahead.
- Biosecurity is taken seriously: clean your boots and gear before you fly.
Words that help
The practical page
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/new-zealand
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.