New Zealand Itineraries

The Cook Strait ferry is part of every two-island trip. Interislander runs four sailings a day in each direction between Wellington and Picton, and Bluebridge runs a similar schedule from its own terminal near Wellington station; both take about 3.5 hours through Tory Channel and the Marlborough Sounds. Foot passengers pay from about NZ$50 (US$30) in winter and more in summer; a car with driver costs a few hundred dollars one way, and summer vehicle space sells out weeks ahead. Most big rental companies let you drop a car at the Wellington terminal and pick up another in Picton, which saves the vehicle fare. Campervans have to cross on the ferry. See the Interislander fares page for current prices.

Domestic flights save whole days. Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown, Nelson and Dunedin have frequent jet or turboprop services, and one-way fares are typically NZ$100-300 when booked a few weeks ahead. A one-way rental with a drop fee plus a flight back is often better value than driving back to where you started. Our New Zealand airports guide covers each gateway.

Trains are scenic rather than practical. The TranzAlpine from Christchurch to Greymouth takes about 5 hours across Arthur’s Pass and runs daily; the Northern Explorer between Auckland and Wellington takes most of a day and runs only a few times a week.

A one-way route from Auckland to Wellington through farmland, geothermal valleys and the volcanic plateau. Pick up the car in Auckland and drop it in Wellington (a one-way fee of NZ$0-200 applies with most firms), then fly home or take the ferry south.

Day 3 is the North Island’s richest. The Lady Knox Geyser at Wai-O-Tapu is induced at 10.15am daily, so arrive by 9.45am and then walk the park’s Champagne Pool and Artist’s Palette loop (about 75 minutes). Rotorua’s evening cultural experiences, with a hāngī (earth-oven) dinner, run 3-4 hours and cost NZ$130-250 per person.

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is the highlight if the weather allows. Parking at the Mangatepopo start is limited to four hours, so book a shuttle from National Park Village or Whakapapa (about NZ$40-60). If the forecast is poor, swap days 4 and 5 or do the crossing on day 6 and drive to Wellington the next day. Our New Zealand trekking guide covers the crossing and the full Northern Circuit.

Cost: about NZ$1,800-2,600 (US$1,050-1,500) per person for the week mid-range, including car hire and fuel shared between two, motels at NZ$160-250 a room, Hobbiton and two geothermal parks, and the crossing shuttle.

The best single week in the country. Fly into Queenstown and out of Christchurch (or return to Queenstown, 3 hours from Mount Cook) to avoid backtracking.

Sleeping in Te Anau rather than doing Milford Sound as a day trip from Queenstown cuts the day’s driving from 8 hours to 4, and gives you an early cruise when the fiord is calmest. Leave Te Anau by 8am, allow 20-minute stops at Mirror Lakes and The Chasm, and book a cruise around noon (about NZ$100-150). In winter carry chains and check the NZTA road status, because the road closes for avalanche risk.

The Hooker Valley Track is flat, crosses three swing bridges and ends at a lake with icebergs below Aoraki, the country’s highest peak. Walk it early or late in the day for the light and fewer people.

Cost: about NZ$2,000-2,800 (US$1,150-1,650) per person mid-range, including a one-way rental with drop fee, a Milford cruise, glowworm cave tour and motels. Queenstown rooms are the dearest stop, from NZ$200 a night in summer.

A circuit from Christchurch through the Mackenzie Basin, Queenstown and Fiordland, then north up the wild West Coast and back over Arthur’s Pass. Round-trip rentals avoid drop fees, and Christchurch has the most flights.

Day 10 is long. If you have an eleventh day, sleep in Hokitika or Arthur’s Pass village instead, or drop the car in Greymouth and finish on the TranzAlpine train, which is the better way to see Arthur’s Pass anyway. The West Coast is wet, so book any glacier flight or heli-hike for the first morning you are there and keep the second morning as a backup. Sandflies are fierce on the Haast coast; keep repellent in the car.

Cost: about NZ$2,800-4,000 (US$1,650-2,350) per person mid-range for the ten days, including car and fuel shared by two, motels and holiday-park cabins, a Milford cruise, a stargazing tour and one big activity in Queenstown. A glacier heli-hike adds NZ$600-800.

This is the most popular first-trip shape: north to south, finishing in Queenstown, with the ferry in the middle. It drops Mount Cook in favour of the West Coast; swap days 9 to 11 for the Christchurch, Tekapo and Mount Cook route if glaciers matter less than mountains.

Days 7 and 8 are where this route saves or wastes time. Book a morning sailing from Wellington on day 7 instead if you want the afternoon in Picton and the Marlborough Sounds, and use the Blenheim wineries as a lunch stop if you take the inland road to Nelson. The Abel Tasman Coast Track water taxis leave Marahau and Kaiteriteri from about 8.30am (NZ$50-80 one way); the walk back from Anchorage or Bark Bay takes 3-5 hours along golden beaches.

Queenstown’s international flights go mainly to Australia, so most people fly Queenstown to Auckland (1 hour 50 minutes) for the long-haul connection. If Milford Sound is a priority, add a night in Te Anau on day 14 instead of the flight, which can be cancelled in low cloud.

Cost: about NZ$4,000-5,500 (US$2,350-3,200) per person mid-range for two weeks, including two rental cars (one per island), the ferry as foot passengers, a domestic flight home, Hobbiton, the Tongariro shuttle, an Abel Tasman water taxi and motels.

For walkers, the best ten days in New Zealand are built around two Great Walks in Fiordland and Mount Aspiring National Park. Hut bookings for the 1 November to 30 April season open months ahead and the most popular dates sell out within hours, so book the huts first and the flights second. The Milford Track costs international adults NZ$152 (about US$90) per hut per night in 2026/27, must be walked in one direction over four days and three nights, and allows no camping.

The Milford Track ends at Sandfly Point, and the name is earned: walk straight onto the boat. The Routeburn needs track transport at both ends because the trailheads are over 300 km apart by road; Queenstown and Te Anau shuttle firms run the loop daily in season, and the car relocation services that move your vehicle while you walk are worth the fee. Keep one spare day between walks in case a storm delays the Milford Track’s boat or closes Mackinnon Pass.

If you cannot get Fiordland huts, a Great Walk trip in the North Island works too: the Tongariro Northern Circuit (3-4 days) followed by the Abel Tasman Coast Track (3-5 days) after the ferry. Our trekking guide ranks every Great Walk with distances, hut fees and booking tips.

Cost: about NZ$2,200-3,200 (US$1,300-1,900) per person, including the Milford Track huts (NZ$456 for three nights), Routeburn huts, boats, track transport, three motel nights and supermarket food for the trail. A guided Milford Track with private lodges costs several times more.

• First-timers: the 14-day plan is the right balance. If you only have 10 days, do the South Island loop rather than rushing both islands; the South Island has more of the scenery people come for.
• Short on time: fly between islands rather than driving and taking the ferry. Auckland to Queenstown direct turns the 14-day route into two separate 7-day trips with no lost day in between.
• Families: halve the driving, drop the Tongariro Crossing for the shorter Taranaki Falls walk, and add Rotorua’s luge and gondola, Queenstown’s Skyline and the Te Anau glowworm caves. Holiday-park cabins with kitchens cost less than motels.
• Campervans: add a day for every 7 days of route, because vans are slower on the hills and you will stop more often. Book powered sites in summer from mid-December to the end of January.
• Slow travel: three weeks lets you add Northland and the Bay of Islands from Auckland (Paihia is 3-3.5 hours north), the Coromandel, Dunedin and the Catlins, and Stewart Island.
• Winter (June to August): skip the Tongariro Crossing and the Great Walks, base yourself in Queenstown or Wānaka for skiing, allow extra time for snow on the Crown Range and the Milford Road, and finish drives before the 5pm sunset. See our best time to visit New Zealand guide for what each month is like.