New Zealand is every traveller’s dream. It is not only its natural beauty that leaves you speechless, but also the atmosphere, friendly people, history and delicious food create together a real Eden on Earth. 10 days in New Zealand
New Zealand –in Maori language Aotearoa which means “The land of long white cloud” – is a country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, consisting of two main islands – North Island – Te Ika-a-Maui and South Island – Te Waipounamu. Because of its remoteness, New Zealand was one of the last places in the world to be settled by humans, which helped to develop unique and distinct biodiversity of animals and plants and variety of awesome landscapes (one third of the country is protected national park). 10 days in New Zealand
Road tripping New Zealand was my dream for a long time and it was our first choice when we were deciding where to move (unfortunately getting visa to live and work on NZ is not that easy). Since moving to Sydney, it was our number one destination to visit. Many travelers do month long (or even longer) trips around this amazing country and I know there is something new and exciting to explore every day. Well, as working students in Australia we did not have this luxury of leaving for more than 10 days. Even though many people were asking if our stay is not too short for such an amazing destination with so many possibilities, I think you have to take what you have and make the most of it. And that’s what we did and it was worth it! 10 days in New Zealand
So if you are considering visiting NZ and you have doubts if shorter stay will be enough, it will be! You just need plan in advance – realize what you want to see, how long it will take you to get there etc. Or simply continue reading. In this article prepared our day-by-day itinerary through both islands to help you make the most of your stay! 10 days in New Zealand
DAY 1 – Auckland/Bay of Plenty
We landed in Auckland at 11 pm the previous day and stayed in Airport Kiwi Motel close to the airport, which is probably the cheapest airport accommodation that you can find there. The motel was nice and clean, with small kitchen in each room and reception open 24 hours.
On the first day I planned exploring Auckland. First thing in the morning we picked up our Jucy cabana. For those who don’t know, Jucy is a car hire company with great variety of cars. Cabana is one of the smaller camper vans, perfect for two people, with DVD player, kitchenette in the trunk and surprisingly comfy bed. You can recognize Jucy cars from afar because of their typical green and purple colors. I loved our cabana and even though our model was an old one, I felt safe and comfortable. 10 days in New Zealand
Jucy office, a storm came. We’ve had such a bad luck with weather lately, everywhere we go, it rains. But what can you do? No one can control it. Because it was raining really heavily, we decided to leave Auckland and head to coast to the Bay of Plenty, where, according to weather radar, it wasn’t raining. This stop was not initially on our itinerary, but if you have a tight schedule you have to be flexible and search for different options.
When we arrived to the small town of Tauranga, it was cloudy but at least no rain. Tauranga is a harbor side city in the Bay of Plenty region. With its lush parks and long golden beaches, it is a popular holiday and recreational destination with lots of opportunities for surfing, kayaking, rafting etc. 10 days in New Zealand
Mount Maunganui is a relaxed beach town that occupies a peninsula at the southern end of Tauranga Harbor. The peninsula is actually a huge sandbar, with a sheltered bay on the inner harbour side and a magnificent surf beach on the ocean side. At the very tip of the peninsula is a distinctive peak – Mauao – which rises to 230 metres above sea level. Obviously we decided to hike up Mauao, even though the peak itself was covered in clouds with no chance to see the view. Anyway the hike was worth it, Mount Maunganui looks stunning from above, there were so many people jogging around us (I swear I have never seen so many people of all ages running up and down a mountain just for the sake of exercise) and even more sheep!
After our day in Tauranga, we drove to Okoroire, where we spent the night in my favorite campground (you can find a sum-up of all the campgrounds where we stayed here).
DAY 2 – Hobbiton and Rotorua
On our second day we woke up quite early and drove to Matamata, from where we were picked up by a bus to take us to Hobbiton village. I am a great fan of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, so naturally Hobbiton was on my “must-do” list. This morning we were lucky because it was nice, warm and sunny. Hobbiton is surely worth to visit, nevertheless you are or you are not a LOTR fan. The whole movie set is located on the farm with beautiful views everywhere you look and great opportunities for photography. In the pub on the premises you can try their special beer, brewed and sold only on the farm. 10 days in New Zealand
After the Hobbiton tour we drove 77 km to Rotorua. Rotorua is renowned for its geothermal activity, “smelly lakes” and Maori cultural heritage. It offers great variety of activities and you could easily spend a week there, exploring its surroundings, relax in hot pools and enjoy adrenaline sports. 10 days in New Zealand
What attracted me the most was its colorful geothermal “wonderland” – Wai-O-Tapu, which in Maori language means Sacred Waters. This stunning geothermal park is just amazing with its diversity in color – from Turquoise blue, rich greens and gold that makes the lakes a dazzling must-see attraction. You can see it (and smell it) from distance, because of the steam raising from water.
Right after we entered the park it started to rain again, which significantly shortened our stay. The only pictures we took are the ones from our GoPro, we could not risk getting our camera wet. It was still great experience because the park was almost empty and the smell of the lakes not so bad. 10 days in New Zealand
Rotorua is quite busy and it was a bit difficult to find a campground, so I would recommend you to check accommodation in advance. In the end we found a campground/hostel with few free spots.
When it stopped raining in the evening, we decided to check one of the Rotorua’s outdoor attractions. We chose The Redwoods Tree walk – a 553-m walkway that consists of a series of 23 suspension bridges traversing the gaps between 22 majestic 115-year-old Redwood sequoia trees. It was really cool to admire the beauty of the ancient forest from above and quite different from what you can experience on the ground. 10 days in New Zealand
DAY 3 – Otorohanga Kiwi House and Waitomo caves
Kiwi birds are New Zealand national icon and a symbol for the uniqueness of its wildlife and natural heritage. These small flightless birds are NZ endemics and true rarities. Their closest relatives today are emus and cassowaries of Australia and the extinct moa from New Zealand, however, apart from being flightless, you would have a hard time to find many similarities, because when it comes to the most obvious difference – size, kiwis in comparison to emus and cassowaries are very small. Kiwi bird was quite a mystery for me, so I really wanted to see them “live”. Kiwi House in Otorohanga has got great reviews and long history working with kiwis, so we stopped there on our way to Waitomo. 10 days in New Zealand
Kiwis are night, territorial creatures and to my great surprise, they are quite aggressive. They have few kiwis in the Kiwi House in separate “coops”. Because they sleep during the day, their regime here is switched – they keep the lights off during the day and on at night so the visitors can see them interact and being fed. The first bird we saw was female and during the feeding time, one of the care-takers had to put special clothes on because she wouldn’t stop attacking her and pushing her away. It was funny to watch, but I realized that it is better not to meet them “in wild”. Even though they cannot fly and they can barely see, their beaks are long and strong and they are really brave, not afraid to start a fight with bigger creature than them.
In the Kiwi House, it is not just about kiwis but there are other interesting birds that are endemics for NZ, for example Kea – mountain parrot, and Kaka – bush parrot. 10 days in New Zealand
After lunch in Otorohanga, we drove to Waitomo. Waitomo caves are best-known for its glow worms and black water rafting. Because this was my favorite experience in NZ (actually not only in NZ but ever!), I wrote a separate article about it here.
After Waitomo, we drove approximately 150 km to Lake Taupo, where we spent the night. 10 days in New Zealand
DAY 4 – Lake Taupo & Wellington
In the morning of our 4th day we explored a little bit of Lake Taupo. Once again, there are plenty of activities what to do, lots of holiday parks and hotels, cool small town atmosphere and you can spend few days here without being bored. The lake has got crystal clear waters and by surface it is the largest lake in New Zealand and second largest freshwater lake in Oceania after Lake Murray in Papua New Guinea. 10 days in New Zealand
I haven’t mentioned this before, but NZ is quite expensive and even though driving around and sleeping in the car can save you a lots of money, you still need a thick budget to cover all the activities you want to do. However beautiful the Lake Taupo is, we decided to do just a walk around and enjoy beautiful views that are luckily for free.
After our morning stroll we hit the road because we had almost 400 km to Wellington. When driving in NZ, you have to allow extra time on its roads, because there are lots of things that can surprise you, for example a herd of sheep that do not mind cars honking on them, construction workers fixing roads after an earthquake, then of course driving on the right side of the road (after almost 4 years living in Australia I am still not used to this) etc. You will also want to stop every few kilometres just to admire the nature. Those were my favorite stops! 10 days in New Zealand
Anyway, we made it to Wellington before the sunset! In February, NZ has got lots of daylight and it gets dark around 10 pm, which gives you more time to explore. First thing we did was taking the famous cable car up to the Botanical Gardens. Wellington sits on the North Island’s southernmost point near the Cook Strait which makes the area very windy but I just fell in love with the city. It kind of reminded me of Melbourne with its small lane ways, waterfront promenade, many museums and galleries, cafes and restaurants with outdoor terraces, delicious food, cocktails and craft beers. It is not a big city, but it’s very vibrant and cosmopolitan.
If you are looking for place to sleep, a.k.a. to park your van, you may have trouble. Because it is city, there are not many holiday parks nearby, but some people offer their drive ways where you can park over-night. We found a motel just outside the city center with a car park for vans and motor homes, so it was quite convenient. 10 days in New Zealand
DAY 5 – Te Papa and the Interislander
Our last day on North Island! 10 days in New Zealand
Before taking the ferry to Picton, we spent our day exploring Wellington a little more and basking in the sun on the waterfront. In the morning we visited National Museum of New Zealand – Te Papa Togarewa (literally means “Container of Treasures” in Maori language) and it was great! I am a bit nerdy and I generally like visiting museums even on a sunny day, but I believe me that everyone would love Te Papa. Aside from the fact that the entry is totally free, New Zealand’s National museum is showing its visitors the extraordinary New Zealand history in interactive and funny way. The Te Papa Museum is an in-depth informative experience of what New Zealand – Aotearoa is all about, from its geological origin to its native species, as well as its human history.
Because it was Saturday, the waterfront had a great vibe – there were kids jumping into the water and swimming in the docks, dragon boat races, underground markets with traditional crafts, street performers… Wellington is really cool!
In the late afternoon we boarded the Interislander ferry that took us to the South Island. The whole cruise lasts about 3 hours, plus one extra hour till all the cars leave the ship (and there’s lots of them). You have to book your tickets in advance, extra for the car and for the passengers, but it still cheaper than flying. Moreover you get to admire the shores of the Cook Strait! 10 days in New Zealand
The prices for the Interislander can wary – later you book, the price is going up, also it depends on the size of the car etc. We paid $260 NZD in total for 2 adults and a smaller van.
South Island
We arrived to Picton at 8 pm and by 9 pm we were off the ship. Because South Island is longer, hence there’s more driving, we decided to drive as far as possible. We found a small campground right on the Marfells beach about 150 km from Picton. Few kilometres after Marfells beach, the road was closed over-night due to track works, so we wouldn’t get any further anyway (fixing the roads after the earthquake). 10 days in New Zealand
When road tripping South Island on tight schedule, you have to choose in advance if you want to do the west side or east side of the island. West side offers you Aoraki/Mount Cook National park, Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. On the other hand, east side is shorter drive and you can visit the lakes – Tekapo, Pukaki and Wanaka; and Christchurch. My first choice was the west side, where I wanted to do the Heli hike up to Franz Josef glacier, but after finding out, that for 4 hour tour we’d pay the same amount of money we paid for 3 days sailing around Whitsundays, I changed my mind and chose the shorter route.
DAY 6 – Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki
We woke up early for the sunrise at Marfells Beach and left the campground shortly after, because to get to lake Tekapo, we had to drive over 500 km that day. First part of the route was beautiful coastal drive with lots of small surf towns along the way. We stopped in Christchurch just to have a lunch, but didn’t really go to the city center. After Christchurch the drive became a little bit dull and boring, but as you are driving more and more south, the scenery slowly changes. We hit the lakes right in golden hour and they were magnificent!
Both lakes Tekapo and Pukaki have glacial origin, which gives them the famous milky blue color. I can promise you that they are even more impressive in person, than in any picture or video. I just wanted to sit there and stare, mesmerized by the colors. 10 days in New Zealand
Tekapo is a small town by the lake and it was quite busy with lots of tourists. Our initial plan was to spend the night in one of the campgrounds, but we found only one and it was fully booked. Both lakes are only few kilometres apart (only about 30 minute drive), so we drove to Lake Pukaki, from where you can see the highest mountain of New Zealand – Mount Cook. I liked Tekapo a lot but Pukaki took my breath away. I cannot find the proper word to describe the beauty, it was simply spectacular!
We found a holiday park on one of the smaller lakes – Lake Ruataniwha, where we stayed for the night. There are many campgrounds and holiday parks along the main roads of NZ, but on the south island we had sometimes troubles to find a free spot. If you are travelling during peak season, just like us, I’d recommend you to book the camps in advance, as well as activities. Although the camper van gives you the freedom to park and sleep basically anywhere, on some places, especially national parks, it is illegal and overall it is more thoughtful to stay in the designated area. 10 days in New Zealand
DAY 7 – Wanaka and Queenstown
On the 7th day we headed to Wanaka, a small resort town by the Lake Wanaka.
If you follow any NZ profiles on Instagram, I bet you have come across #thatwanakatree. But the tree growing in the lake isn’t the only attraction in the area. Wanaka reminded me of Taupo with its recreational holiday vibe. Unlike Tekapo or Pukaki, you can rent kayaks or stand-up-paddle boards, you can go fishing and sailing on the lake, Wanaka is also famous for its local cuisine and many events and festivals throughout the year. 10 days in New Zealand
After Wanaka we had only about an hour, hour and a half to Queenstown. The most direct route is through Crown Range Mountains with its summit 1076 m above the sea level. It is steep and windy drive with lots of small parking spots to pull over and photograph the incredible views looking onto Queenstown. 10 days in New Zealand
Queenstown is world capital for any outdoor activities and adrenaline sports, set on the Lake Wakatipu with dramatic Southern Alps in the background. The town itself was smaller than I would expect, but it was packed with tourists, backpackers and fellow “campervaners”. There is so MUCH to do, but be prepared to pay (sometimes bit crazy prices). Anyway, it is beautiful alpine town, definitely a “must-do” when in New Zealand. 10 days in New Zealand
The first day in Queenstown, we took the Skyline Gondola up to Bobs Peak. We had to wait about 30 minutes in the line just get our tickets, but from there it went quite fast. Views from Bobs Peak are amazing, so it is surely worth the wait. Once you are up, there’s a wide range of activities to choose from – fancy dinner with a view over Queenstown, luge, bungee jumping, Maori performance, mountain biking etc. We decided for the luge, which are non-motorized small carts that will awake the small kid inside you when you’re racing down the hill and get that adrenaline pumping! Don’t worry if you haven’t done this before or that it might be too scary, there are two lines – one for beginners and the other for “pro-s”. Just don’t forget to purchase at least two rides, because one is never enough! 10 days in New Zealand
We did not stay in Queenstown for the night because the next day we planned to go to Milford Sound, which is almost 300 km away (up to 5 hour drive one way on NZ roads), so we drove “as close to Milford as possible” finding a random campground on the way with no facilities, only a toilet. Luckily no one ever died from not taking a shower or brushing their teeth for one day (or two).
DAY 8 – Milford Sound
With its dramatic scenery and unique wildlife, Milford Sound is one of the most iconic and beautiful places in New Zealand. Described by Rudyard Kipling as “the eighth wonder of the world”, it is also one of the wettest places on Earth with around 200 rainy days per year. The heavy rainfalls create many temporary waterfalls every few meters, cascading down from the towering cliffs into the Tasman Sea. The wildlife of the area lacks predators and the animals are not shy, so you can spot dolphins, fur seals, penguins and occasionally even humpback whales.
We woke up before the sunrise, because we had still good 200 km to get there. We booked the earliest cruise that starts at 8:55 in hope that it won’t be too crowded. Once again I need to repeat – allow extra time on New Zealand roads, especially in the Fjord land National Park, not only because you will want to stop on every corner to take photos and admire the amazing mountains and countess waterfalls, but there can be lots of surprises, like road closure or inexperienced drivers and you don’t want to miss that cruise! Because we left so early we had enough time to stop at The Chasm, which is only a short walk through the rain-forest. If you are lucky you can spot wild Kea parrots in the woods. Early mornings have a great advantage because there were almost no people around (on the way back the parking lot near The Chasm was full of cars and tour buses). 10 days in New Zealand
Cruise information
Because we were driving Jucy car, we obviously chose the Jucy cruise. I think the prices for 2 hour cruise are quite reasonable – $45 per person and the driver only half price. Apart from the cruise, they will serve you with breakfast, juice, coffee or tea. There are of course lots of different companies, with different itineraries, you can choose shorter or longer cruises, some of the companies even offer an over-night cruise. 10 days in New Zealand
Milford Sound is beautiful in any kind of weather. When it rains (and it usually does), lots of new waterfalls appear along the way and mist gives the fjord more dramatic ambiance. However, it is always windy even when sun is up so pack your layers. When we were doing the cruise in February, the weather was just perfect – it was right after rain so there were plenty of temporary waterfalls, but it wasn’t raining, in some coves was little misty and in others little sunny so we got the best of everything I guess. Our captain was great, he took us right under one the bigger waterfalls, so even it wasn’t raining we got completely wet, he turned the boat every time he spotted a seal or a dolphin so we could get a better view and gave us very detailed description of the Fjordland National Park and surrounded areas.
More things to do
Milford Sound and the whole national park is so beautiful, it is surely worth the long drive from Queenstown. Actually, the road itself is quite an experience, it is one the most beautiful scenic roads in New Zealand. Along the way you can stop at The Mirror Lakes that are true to their name, Eglington Flats, Falls Creek, the above mentioned Chasm. If you are not driving, pay extra for the bus tour with glass roof so you can enjoy the views.
As we were getting closer and closer to the inland, we lost our luck somewhere at the mountains because it started raining really heavily and the temperature dropped to only 6 degrees Celsius. We decided to stop in Te Anau, which a small town half way between Milford Sound and Queenstown, to have a late lunch. In the end we stayed over-night in one of the campgrounds, because we could not find anything free in Queenstown online and we did not want to risk turning around. Unfortunately the weather destroyed our plans for that day and could literally only sit in our car, watch movies, drink some beers and look at the photos. 10 days in New Zealand
DAY 9 – Rainy day in Queenstown
In the morning of our 9th day it was still raining a lot, plus the temperatures did not raise above 8 degrees. Because it was so cold and we did not know what to do, after having breakfast in Te Anau we drove back to Queenstown and spent the morning in the Aquatic Center. Queenstown Aquatic Centre is surely not a tourist destination, it is just an indoor pool for the locals, but it was fairly cheap, there are large windows with the views on the mountains (on one side), two water slides and the most important – hot pools! So if you are in Queenstown and it is cold and it rains, give this place a go, it will warm you up better than a shot of tequila. There are of course more places with hot pools, but most of them need to be booked in advance.
By the time we left the aquatic center, it stopped raining so we spent the afternoon strolling around the lake, having lunch and the best hot chocolate in town. We spend the night in Kingston – a small town approximately 40 minute drive from Queenstown, at the very bottom of Lake Wakatipu. The drive is beautiful with many stops along the lake. The reason why we did not stay in Queenstown is simple – no free campgrounds. 10 days in New Zealand
DAY 10 – The Remarkables
In the morning of our last day on New Zealand, we got a great surprise – beautiful sunny weather and snowy mountains’ peaks! You don’t see this very often in the summer. It was still very cold but the sunshine made everything better! We left Kingston in the morning and stopped everywhere we could along the Lake Wakatipu on our way to Queenstown, just to enjoy the beautiful scenery. We haven’t seen snow since leaving Slovakia in 2014! 10 days in New Zealand
For the last day I planned only visiting The Remarkables (the place really deserves its name), which is a ski area, very popular during winter. However, in summer not many travel agencies or tour operators advise this place simply because it is free! You can drive all the way up to 1600 m above sea level and just enjoy and admire the absolutely stunning scenic views on Queenstown, the lake, mountain peaks… There are barely any people around, no cars, it is so calm. And even though we were freezing, the snow added a special atmosphere to the place.
Before dropping the car off at the airport, we drove around the lake a bit more, exploring its little bays, preparing our last lunch on its shore in the trunk of our camper van, while feeding little ducks. 10 days in New Zealand
I miss New Zealand, its beautiful nature and the easy camper van life we experienced, moving every day just stopping here and there to take photos. I really hope we will come back one day for longer.
All together we drove almost 3000 km! All the way from Auckland to Queenstown in only 10 days. It was beautiful and surely worth it, even though for shorter time. Thank you New Zealand for amazing memories, you are awesome! If you are interested in this sort of road trip, check out my other articles from New Zealand about the best campgrounds here and where to stop along the way for delicious food here.
Have you been to New Zealand? How long did you stay? What was your favorite part? Would you go on a shorter trip just like we did or do you think it is not worth it?
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