New Zealand Travel Forum

Hi,

I'm lucky enough to be travelling to NZ for 27 days total in Oct, arriving Auckland, departing Queenstown. The plan is to hire a car for the N island, then get a hop on / hop off bus for the S island.

My question is: would you split your time equally between the 2 islands? If not, what split would you recommend? I'm thinking 17 days on N, and 20 days on S seem reasonable.

Many thanks,
Aliki

One thing you have to ask yourself is what is it I want to see, what are my interests?

Both islands have some great scenic stuff. The north island has also Hawkes Bay which is the Art Deco capitol of the world, Rotorua, the Coromandal, Taupo etc. Northland is also great and more tropical than the rest of New Zealand, but the South Island would probably have a greater diversity of scenery with the lakes and the glaciers etc.

I always recommend a round the South Island trip, up one side and down the other if this is possible. But in your case it might not be.

Have a look at the New Zealand Pages here on VT, Google your particular interests for New Zealand and see what you come up with.

If you like Wine, there are wineries all through New Zealand, and you could do a tour through the country on that alone.

Have a great time though, you will love it I am sure.

Just my 2 cents worth

STEVE

Hi,

I went to NZ last November. And depend on your way of life and what do you really want there I would recommend you the South island. Queenstown is the most beautiful city in whole NZ. Especially in Queenstown are concentrate all kind of sports you can image ... Don't miss the "SHOTORJET", you will find many speed boat but this company Shotover is the best. Really the best!!!

As you will have time, go to TE ANAU ( 3 hs from queenstown by car) stay one day there and go to Milford Sound (Fiordland - 2 hs from TE ANAU) there You can do a stroll by boat to visit the fiords (the high mountains) ... If you were luck and the whether be nice, you will love it... It was nice for us, but we got a rainy day... So we could'nt see the blue color of the lake.

Next Quenstown, go to Arrowtown that little far west city is gorgeous and go to visit the bungee jump from the bridge. Even if you don't intend to jump it just go to see pleople doing it ... I can say itself is a spetacular show.

The unforgetable stroll that we have done was the 'SAFARI TO DART RIVER' is was really, the most, spetacular stroll. You can't miss it... I really loved it...

The South Island you can find more nature... Beautiful lakes, incomparable landscapes... The best ... Everything there is really great.

More Must see places are Mont Cook and Christchrch. This places are very nice...

Another place we have loved a lot was the ABEL NTL Park... beautiful , beautiful and beautiful .

About North Island you will find totally different beauty. The north Isl. is hotter than south, you can see vulcans, geisers, caves... The landscape is the oposite.

I my opinion I prefered the South... I couldn't stay in Rotorua... The enxofre smell was too strong and I wasn't feel well and we have to leave ..

I hope you engoy, and if you need some extra information, please let me know...

Best,
Simone

You are lucky and have plenty of time to see a lot of both islands.

We did the south island only in Frb 2007 and had just 2 weeks.

We can recommend whale watching at Kaikoura
http://www.whalewatch.co.nz/

Hokitiki Gorge is beautiful

Fox & Franz Josef glaciers. We did a helicopter flight up Franz Josef.

Wanaka

Fiordland: Te Anau is the main area from which to visit Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound.

Queenstown

Mt Cook

We had a ball and there's plenty of pics and stuff in our NZ pages.

You will love it

Cheers
Col & Sue

With 20 days on the South Island you will be well off although it will be impossible to see everything. Friends of mine travelled around in just this time - but after we had travelled with them on Banks Peninsula, Hanmer Springs and Arthur's Pass... So do not expect to see and do everything. If you are interested in wildlife you should not miss Otago Peninsula. In the Abel Tasman National Park a dolphin (named George) has appeared in the past weeks that accompanies catamarans. If you once are up there you should continue to the Farewell Spit - for walking, loneliness, and birds.

17 days on the North Island is good but you have to set priorities. On my first trip to NZ I had two weeks on the North Island but had not been in Northland/Bay of Islands, not to the East Cape/Coast, and not made the Tongariro Crossing Track due to not very good weather. So we went back and spent another four weeks on the North Island only - and I can still name you places I have not seen yet. But really, your 17 days would be good for a start. And Rotorua is a must although the sulphur smell can be weird at times. It is the most active part of the geothermal wonderland of the central plateau.

I would like to correct a previous poster claiming Queenstown is the most beautiful town in NZ. It definitely is not. The city itself is nothing special. But the lake and the landscape it is sitting in is breathtaking and offers many opportunities for activities and tours, like to the Dart River, Glenorchy, Arrowtown, Lake Hayes, etc. It is an expensive tourist spot where you can get all those adrenaline rushes of bungy, super bungy, mega bungy, and so on. Just last week a tourist died doing surfboard rafting or something like that on the Shotover or Kawarau River. For jetboating, it is correct that the Shotover Jet is the most exciting ride you can get in NZ, and normally it is safe.

Sissi

Why don't you also rent a car for your South Island trip ??
Much more flexible and there is so much to see 'off the beaten path'.

Doesn't matter how many days on one of the islands, just make an itinerary with the sights you want to visit.

I love New Zealand, but I'm a North Island fan.

happy travels
Jaap

Aliki,
I hope my information have helped you. Accually about Sissi's post, I would like to say it is not necessary to "CORRECT MY OPINION' it is individual and totally private. There isn't right or wrong. Just feelings ... and in this case , FOR SURE it is not questionable.

Enjoy your trip.
simone

Hi Simone,

I think you misunderstood my comment. I did not want to correct your opinion as this is - and you state this absolutely correctly - individual. I wanted to point out the difference between the feeling that a place is the most beautiful place in NZ or the world or wherever, and the attribute "most beautiful city". To qualify for the latter a city should at least have some outstanding buildings or parks. Queenstown has nothing of that - and I think it is even too small to be compared to the NZ cities like Auckland, Christchurch or Dunedin. However, it surely is located in the most stunning scenery, and that is what I wanted to distinguish. I also love Queenstown for that.