Discovering the Best of New Zealand: A Journey from North to South

We've long been inspired to explore New Zealand! The lush green islands, stunning fjords, rich Maori culture, and thrilling adventures all attracted us. Join us as we journeyed through both the North and South Islands!

NEW ZEALAND | cinematic travel video

Our bases to explore New Zealand

Our 17 day itinerary during the month of February:

Day 1 through 3 - fly from Los Angeles (LAX) to Auckland (AKL), New Zealand

Day 4 through 6 - Hamilton

Day 6 - drive late at night to Rotorua

Day 7 & 8 - Rotorua

Day 9 - fly from Auckland (AKL) to Dunedin (DUD)

Day 10 - Dunedin

Day 11 - drive from Dunedin to Te Anau

Day 12 & 13 - Te Anau

Day 14 - drive from Te Anau to Queenstown

Day 15 & 16 - Queenstown

Day 17 - fly from Queenstown (ZQN) to Los Angeles (LAX)

HAMILTON

Flying in to Auckland, we toured the Auckland Botanic Gardens before we left for our first basecamp in Hamilton. Once in Hamilton, we explored the Otorohanga Kiwi House, which is a great place to see and learn about local wildlife including the famous kiwi bird. And we hit the coast at Raglan, exploring Bridal Veil Falls and Ngarunui Beach, known for its black sand, surfing, and swimming.

The Waitomo Caves - Lost World 4 Hour Tour, operated by Waitomo Adventures, was the thrill of a lifetime! It includes a 100 meter abseil (rappel) down in to the mouth of the cave, 350 meters of hiking through boulders and along rocky cliffs, and approximately 50 meters of climbing slippery, muddy steel ladders. All to see glowworms! It wiped us out, but we felt like we'd accomplished a marathon once we completed it.

We also witnessed Marokopa Falls, which is so perfect it looks like a theme park built it, and the Mangapohue Natural Bridge while in the area.

Farmers markets are always a favorite of ours, and Hamilton Farmer's Market was no exception. We also explored Hamilton Gardens, and took a tour followed by a high tea at Zealong Tea Estate, where we learned much about tea, sampled choice teas, and discovered I prefer green tea over black.

But the biggest event of the day was definitely the Hobbiton tour and evening banquet in Matamata! It included a full tour of the Hobbiton filming location for J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies, a family feast at the Green Dragon Inn, and a walk through Hobbiton at night by lantern light. My inner geek was absolutely thrilled! Woo hoos!

ROTORUA

Te Urewera Treks on the North Island took us hiking on the Whirinaki Loop Trek, through lush podocarp rainforest, with a local Maori guide. The New Zealand tree ferns were amazing, making the entire forest glow emerald green! New Zealand has over 100 species of ferns, and the silver fern is their national emblem.

We also went on the Redwoods Treewalk - a suspension bridge network through the Redwood forest near Rotorua, and visited the thermal hotspot known as Wai-O-Tapu as well.

Te Pa Tu gave us a glimpse into the beautiful Maori culture, native Polynesians who are descendants of Hawaiians. The village is a bit touristy, but since we didn't know any local Maori, it was the only place we could go to witness their dances and learn more about their culture.

DUNEDIN

On the South Island, we stayed at Larnach Castle Lodge, a Scottish castle and the only castle in New Zealand, with beautiful grounds and gorgeous views of the Otago Peninsula. We spotted little blue penguins and royal albatross at The Royal Albatross Centre, and yellow-eyed penguins and fur seals at The Opera!

A local tip lead us to Allan's Beach, where we were able to safely approach fur seals and sea lions. Glenfalloch Gardens is a wonderful place to rest and eat or have tea. And Nugget Point Lighthouse wasn't too far away and definitely worth a visit for its scenic ocean views and the "nuggets" or rocks. We stopped there on our way to Te Anau.

TE ANAU

In Te Anau, we were overwhelmed by the beauty and majesty of Fiordland National Park with a cruise through Milford Sound by Southern Discoveries! Huge green mountains jetting up from the waters edge, and waterfalls everywhere! We also spotted seals and dolphins.

Trips & Tramps took us into the rainforest with an excellent day hike along the Milford Track to Giant's Gate Falls. Te Anau also has it's own glowworm caves. And we stayed at Te Anau Lodge.

QUEENSTOWN

Our final base camp was in Queenstown, where we enjoyed a scenic dinner and Maori cultural show at Skyline. Kiwi Park is another great place to witness native wildlife, and Queenstown Gardens is a beautiful place to escape town and enjoy scenic lakeside views. Paragliding over Queenstown with Gforce Paragliding was absolutely breathtaking! The lake and mountains make for an awesome view.

And since bungy jumping was invented by a New Zealander, I of course had to try a jump at The Ledge (the shortest bungy jump I could find) with AJ Hackett company. It was a unique experience, free-falling with nothing to hold on to. But I'm never doing it again! lol

From scenic beauty to endemic wildlife to thrills of a lifetime, New Zealand has something for everybody. If you love the great outdoors, you absolutely must explore these magnificent emerald isles! "Kia Ora Aotearoa."