My friend and I have a little over 4 full days in NZ from Oct 7-11, 2025.
We have the following thoughts and would appreciate tips / suggestions. We want to see more of the countryside outside of Auckland and not only Auckland itself. during our four days. We like to do road trips via driving. Here's our current thinking.
(I have a separate post about must-sees in Auckland itself. Yes, I realize that we are only giving Auckland one day in the following itineraries.)
Itinerary A:
Day 1 - arrive 12:35 am (evening flight from Sydney to Auckland) - hotel near airport already reserved for the night
Day 1 daytime - pick up rental car and drive via Ngatea - Tanners Point - to Rotorua. Stay overnight in Rotorua.
Day 2 - see sights in Rotorua (if we didn't arrive early enough the day before). Go to Hobbiton. Drive to Hamilton to stay overnight.
Day 3 - drive north from Hamilton past Auckland to Warkworth & Helensville (I'm a fan of the TV shows of 800 Words and Brokenwood Mysteries). Stay where?
Day 4 - Auckland sights. Stay where?
Day 5 am - drop off rental car / 2:50 pm flight back to U.S.
OR:
Itinerary B:
Day 1 - arrive 12:35 am (evening flight from Sydney to Auckland) - hotel near airport already reserved for the night
Day 1 daytime - go to Auckland city centre for sightseeing. (can we get from airport to city center via public transportation?) pick up rental car in the evening and drive no more than 20-30 min south of Auckland
Day 2 - drive via Ngatea - Tanners Point - to Rotorua. See sights in Rotorua. Stay overnight in Rotorua.
Day 3 - Go to Hobbiton. Drive to Hamilton to stay overnight.
Day 4 - Drive north from Hamilton past Auckland to Warkworth & Helensville (I'm a fan of the TV shows of 800 Words and Brokenwood Mysteries). Stay where??
Day 5 - drive to airport, drop off rental car / 2:50 pm flight back to U.S.
Thank you all for your thoughts.