New Zealand in two weeks

It would be helpful if you could tell us what draws you to New Zealand and what YOU would like to see and do. We all have different interests. Wine, beaches, hiking, etc. Also, when do you plan on visiting? Would you feel comfortable driving?

If you could give us a bit more information on your trip, I'm sure there are many folks that would be happy to offer suggestions.

I would definitely visit Queenstown on the South Island. It is an amazing city with so much to do if you like beautiful scenery and lots of outdoor activities. I would also stay and Te Anau and visit Milford Sound.

If you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings, I would stay near the Hobbiton Movie set on the North Island. It was a lot of fun to visit. If you stay in Rotorua you will be close to it and you can visit the Tarnaki Maori Village for a great dinner and a Maori Welcome. I would probably stay in Auckland for a couple of days before the stay in Rotorua.

Take a look at YouTube videos. They will give you a good idea of what you will see.

We did 18 nights boots on the ground ... Started in Auckland, then up to the Whangarei, then back to Auckland and flew to Wellington, ferried across to Picton, Blenheim, then Nelson and flew back to Auckland to fly home. It really depends on what you want to do and see... we were interested in wine and hiking and seeing the Tasman Sea. It was a great trip

I agree with Yosemite1 - head for Queenstown. There are cheap, direct flights from Auckland that will get you there in about an hour and a half, from whence you can rent a car to explore the adventure capital of NZ for 6 or 7 days: Arrowtown, Glenorchy, The Routeburn Track, etc. The trailheads for many of NZ's other "Great Walks" are close by, as is the town of Te Anau with its close proximity for day trips to either Milford or Doubtful Sound. With the car you could then meander towards Christchurch via Wanaka and Aoraki/Mt Cook with its spectacular mountain scenery - worth 2 or 3 days. Time and interest permitting you could also do a short detour up to Arthur's Pass - another very pretty place with terrific hiking.
The city of Christchurch itself isn't really worth a stop these days - the city is still rebuilding from the earthquakes of 2011 and the downtown area was one large construction zone when we visited last year. Christchurch Cathedral is still a ruin, with the old steeple still sitting in the middle of the street where it fell 8 years ago. Better to give it a miss and just turn the car there in before catching your return flight to Auckland.
Not to disparage the North Island, which is beautiful, but the highlight of NZ is the beauty of the South Island, and specifically the city of Queenstown.

The best thing about New Zealand is not the cities but the countryside. I would agree with the recommendations for Queenstown. The actual town is unremarkable, but it is a great base for exploring the surrounding mountains and lakes. I also think that Rotorua on the North Island is a great base for exploring the nearby hot springs, geysers and volcanoes. Rotorua itself is also unremarkable.

I would suggest your two or three days in Auckland to recover when you don't need or want a car. While there, get hold of a copy of the Lord of the Rings location guide (any bookshop or visitor center) to find out where things are. Wellington is worth a visit but not just to see the park that was used for 10 seconds of LOTR!

then bus to Rotorua and base yourself there for a few days. Hiring a car for one day would be worthwhile to do a loop of the outlying sites - none more than 20 mins drive away but pain without transport.

then check the weather forecast. If it looks good, get yourself to the village of National Park and do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing from there IF you are fit enough (19km, 800m ascent, 1000m descent, 6-8 hours). Lots of other walks in the area too, and you can also do a multi-day walk. Perhaps you could then loop back north to Waitomo, and maybe up to Bay of Islands IF you have time.

In Wellington, we visited the WETA workshop (Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings workshop). Loved it!
Then take the cable car up the hill and back or visit the Te Papa museum.

Near Tauranga, visit Hobbiton and the volcanic stuff at Rotarua

Visit the Glow Worm caves either at Bay of Islands or elsewhere

go see an All-Blacks rugby game and learn the Haka.

In Auckland, the only things I liked were outside the city for the outdoor stuff, but we walked up Mt. Eden in the middle of the city for the views and unique geology.

Thats my short list

Hello,

i just came back from the North Island about 3 weeks ago am sad to say that i'm pretty disappointed as the scenery is nowhere near the South Island. No lack of adrenaline activities though!

If you only have 2 weeks, i suggest you spend it all in the South because 2 weeks in my opinion is still a little too short to visit both the North and the South.

Not too sure if you would love some thrilling activities. If so, don't miss out Bungee and Skydiving. It's a must do for me when i visit New Zealand. The scenery when you jump out of the ledge or out of the plane is amazinggggg.

I've written an itinerary on the North and would like to share it in hopes that it will help someone with their planning.

www.singaporego.com/a-10-days-itinerary-for-north-new-zealand/

Summary of what I've done in the north and i think are worth spending time on as follows
1) Mt Eden
2) Auckland Skywalk
3) Blackwater Rafting in Ruakuri Cave
4) Marokopa Falls
5) Hell's Gate
6) Whakarewarewa Village
7) Luge
8) White water rafting
9) Craters of the moon
10) Taupo Bungee & Extreme Cliffhanger
11) Tongariro National Park
12) Wellington Cable Car

Regardless, a trip to New Zealand is nothing other than Perfect!!

We stayed in New Zealand for five months. The majority was in Wanaka on the South Island. We drink a lot of wine and I am a LOTR fan, so out stay surrounded much of this.

A day or two in Aukland is enough, but we did a couple of wine tours up there before heading south. Most of the LOTR sites (you can buy a book with them) are pretty much drive by or stop for a short time and try to imagine the scene from the movie. We stayed at Lake Taupo on the north island (the carving shown on books and websites is only about 30 years old, not hundreds of years old as implied in tourist literature).

Napier is very Art Deco and pretty to visit, but really only to see the architecture. We stayed at a B&B that was owned by a couple whose husband was a guard to Pitcairn Island of Mutiny on the Bounty and legal trials fame. Wellington is the nicest city in New Zealand in my opinion. I would make sure to visit the museum there that shows a lot of the native culture and artistry. There are very few real cities in NZ. You go to NZ to experience the pristine nature of the place.

We took a ferry from Wellington to the South Island where we spent the majority of our time. Queenstown is not really a city, but a large town. It is the jumping off point (literally) for many outdoor activities. I find that many people in NZ like to jump off things like bridges, etc. (with a bungie). Queenstown is a beautiful area, but not much there except sports shops, tour agencies, etc. We spend a couple of days in Kaikoura which was among my favorite spots. You can get a motel on the beach for not much money and buy a lobster dinner from the local truck. You can take trips out to swim with dolphins, etc.

Further south you can see the penguins heading home from a day of fishing.

I have to say that most of NZ was the experience rather than specific stops. I love the place. From places like Wanaka you an see the galaxies as there is very little ambient light.

Otago Pinot Noir is exceptional and the vast majority of the wineries are very friendly folks. Do a bit of research before you go to hit the best wineries. We visited ones with mountain views and ones with sea views. Also one where the LOTR scene where Arwen rides her horse outrunning the wraiths.

If you happen upon Wanaka, the movie theater there is among my favorites. It is set up with couches, recliners and whatever they could find including a VW bug. Get there early for the best seats. You can order wine or hot cookies for interval. Probably not in the stars for a 2 week visit. You will have to travel a lot to really get a flavor of this wonderful country.

We started with a travel book (not Rick's) that made us think it was going to be a fortune to go, but there are plenty reasonable places to stay. I am not sure how this chick picked out her places to stay and where to eat lists.

Dunedin is a nice city also but very far south, so only worthwhile if you are planning to go that far south anyway.

I believe that percentage wise NZ is the prettiest country we have every visited. The entire country is amazing and the people are lovely. My only regret is how far it is from the rest of the world.

My last comment is about the food. You can get a good meal in Aukland, but being kind I will say that people don't go there for the cuisine.