New Zealand tips

Fly Air NZ direct to Auckland. They are a brilliant airline.

Once there you can either spend some time on the North Island and then make your way to the South Island and the fjords, or you could fly from Auckland to Christchurch or Queenstown on the South Island. Either way, car is the way to go in NZ, although if you want to see both islands you will need to catch the car ferry across Cook Strait. You will be driving on the left and many roads are windy, but hire cars are nearly all automatic and with a little caution and common sense you will be fine.

Regarding things to do, I would get hold of Lonely Planet's New Zealand guidebook as it has suggested touring routes and will highlight all the attractions. I have been there a number of times from Australia but primarily for multi day hiking. Having said that, a heli flight onto a glacier and then a glacier walk is an expensive highlight. I have also really enjoyed the seal colonies at Kaikoura, kayaking the coast in Nelson national park and also in Doubtful Sound, and sampling the wines in the Marlborough region.

For walking have a look at the doc.govt.nz website. It is the Department of Conservation site. In my experience NZ national parks are some of the best run in the world.

I've been researching a few months for my trip to NZ. After reading some guidebooks, I drafted a rough itinerary. Then I browsed TA's very active NZ forums. Based on the numerous and continuing itinerary reviews, I fine tuned mine. The South Island is nature photographers' favorite, and is where I will spend most of my time.

I dread making connections, and prefer to fly non-stop, short or long distance. Having a stop over for a few days in an Asian city may be a good idea. From Asia (and perhaps from Hawaii), there are many carriers with direct flights to NZ. Air New Zealand is just one, and with mixed reviews.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/air-new-zealand-air-points/1726678-declining-customer-service-air-new-zealand.html

I agree that ANZ is the way to go - much better experience than any of the US carriers. Might suggest doing it as an open jaw itinerary: ie, flying into Auckland and then returning from either Queenstown or Christchurch to avoid having to backtrack with the car. Another option would be for you to string together a multi-stop flight plan within New Zealand to make the best use of your available time, although having said that the ferry really is a pleasant way to go and also drops you off right in the middle of the Marlborough wine area.
The Lonely Planet guide is quite good, as is the guide from DK publishing which we relied on for our own trips. Check your local libraries to see if there are any guides there to check out in order to compare features and to see which one most appeals to you.
Meandering around NZ in a car is a true joy. Light traffic (except for Auckland) courteous drivers, and gorgeous scenery everywhere. Specifying an automatic transmission will definitely ease the initial angst of driving on the left. Unlike other places I don't recall that there's much of a surcharge for an automatic versus a manual either. I also don't recall any issues with taking a rental car across on the ferry and then doing a one-way drop but do confirm that with your rental car company.
Although it's all gorgeous, my personal recommendation would be to spend as much of your time as possible on the South Island. Queenstown and the surrounding area in particular is one of the prettiest places you'll ever see - and a photographers delight. You'll recognize a lot of the scenery from the "Lord of the Rings" movies. Other favorites are Abel Tasman National Park, Dunedin and the Otago peninsula, Christchurch, and of course Milford Sound. For a slightly off-the-beaten-path day trip from Christchurch head out to the Akaroa peninsula for the day to the little town of the same name. It's was a French enclave established in the middle of the British colony back in the early 1800's and still retains the French influence. Pretty little place, and the story of how close NZ came to being a French colony is an interesting tale in itself.

In One week we are spreading our wings to NZ. I already did a lot of homework and I am impressed with beauty of the country. I'll be back in the beginning of March and then give you more qualified report. We are taking Hawaiian Airlines from Seattle with a change in Honolulu landing in Auckland. Price was very good.

*Thank you everyone! These are wonderful suggestions and I've taken them to heart. I appreciate your posts and this helps me get oriented.
*

Hi Carol,

There are a few places in the North Island that you should visit too.
Rotorua is a fantastic experience of our Maori culture and the wonderful thermal activity where you can take a soak in the thermal springs. Also lots of outdoor activities that show off our beautiful landscapes, e.g. kayaking, hiking, mountain biking.
Another fantastic place is the Coromandel Peninsula and the gem there is Cathedral Cove & Hot Water Beach. I would recommend you base yourself at Hahei Beach or Whitianga and you can rent a room at a nice motel for less than NZ$150/night.
I'd suggest you fly into Auckland and hire a car to visit these sites then drive back to Auckland and fly down to Queenstown and again hire a car and drive yourself around the South Island. As other readers mention, it is truly beautiful. Arrowtown (just out of Queenstown) is a must as is Glenorchy.

We love Air NZ but also Hawaiian Airlines are flying frequently to NZ and offer very good rates. Driving is really easy as we nearly all drive autos but just be careful not to drive as soon as you land as many tourists have accidents in their first day due to over-tiredness.
Hope this helps.
Lynn

Lynn
Thank you for those suggestions as I was trying to figure out how we would fly into NZ and then arrange our trip.

I looked at a website (posted above) that shows all the Hot Springs in NZ, so I appreciate the recommendation for the place to stay.

If you have any other recommendations for lodging around NZ that include hot springs or are near hot springs, I'd appreciate that.

Also can you tell me if there is a better area in Aukland to base ourselves when we arrive? I tend to have pretty bad jet lag, so I'd like a hotel in an area that is more centralized so that if I'm up at all hours I can not feel isolated. How many days should we stay in Aukland? We are planning at least 3 weeks in NZ.

Finally, although originally I was planning to come in December, now it looks like we might come in late November, early December and be home in time for the holidays. It looks like the weather is nice during that time, particularly in the South. Or would it be better to come in January?
Thx for any responses!

Just returned from my three week self driving photography trip to NZ. If OP has a rough itinerary, I can comment on it.