New Zealand

When I was first looking at making an itinerary for New Zealand, I had no idea where to begin. I had done some research on New Zealand, but not extensive, therefore I didn’t know what cities to hit, where to start, where to end, or what to see. Luckily, I remembered that in situations like these, frommers.com is an awesome place to start. If you are unfamiliar with frommers.com they tell you everything that you need to know before traveling to a country, and their website is super user friendly. I definitely recommend checking them out. I built this itinerary off of their 2 week New Zealand itinerary.

Day 1 – Day 2: Flight from Atlanta (ATL) to Auckland (AKL)

New Zealand is over the international dateline, so not only does it take a day to get there, you lose a day while you do it. In the US the cheapest flights to Auckland are from the west coast, therefore you are better off booking your flight from Los Angeles or San Francisco, and booking at cheaper flight from your home base to those cities. For those of us that reside in ATL, your cheapest flight option is ATL to LAX on Alaska Airlines at $410 roundtrip (non-stop) at per person, and then a flight from LAX to AKL on Fiji Airways for $1,285 per person (you just have to torment yourself by having a layover in Fiji. It is super easy to build Fiji into this itinerary, I mean you are on the other side of the world so you might as well). Flights priced for 12/20/16 – 1/6/17.

Day 3 – Day 5: Exploring Auckland

Due to the extreme time change it’s going to take a little while to get to get your sea legs so I am building in one day just for jet lag adjustments. Auckland is a cultural melting pot that offers plenty to keep you entertained.

Things to do: Visit Tiritiri Matangi Island in a day trip from Auckland, Auckland Museum, Day trip to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves(a must do!), Frommers.com suggests to take a day trip to Waiheke Island and visit and the wineries/vineyards, Cornwall Park, The Sky tower, Viaduct Harbour, Auckland Zoo, and there are plenty of activities such as bungee jumping for the adrenaline junkies which New Zealand attracts.

Places to stay: The Langham, Auckland ($106/night), Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour ($187/night), SKYCITY Grand Hotel ($165/night), Heritage Auckland ($236/night), The Sebel Auckland Viaduct Harbour ($127/night), and as always I am a lover of peer to peer rentals an average private one bedroom one bathroom airbnb is $157/night.

Day 6 -7: Driving to Rotorura

As frommers.com advises, driving in New Zealand is not very difficult or dangerous and therefore the best way to see the country is to get in a car. It is about 3 hours from Auckland to Rotorura. Rotorua is on almost every itinerary of New Zealand that you can research because it is a geologic wonderland, with its geysers and hot springs.

Things to do: Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest, Tamaki Maori Village, Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre, Volcanic Hills Winery, Waikite Valley Thermal Pools, Blue Lake, Te Puia (Geyser), Government Gardens, Rainbow Springs Nature Park, The Bay of Plenty, and this is the perfect place to indulge in a spa day.

Places to stay: Novotel Rotorua Lakeside ($135/night), Regent of Rotorua ($192/night), Hamurana Lodge ($317/night), and Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort ($124/night).

Day 8 – 10: Driving to Wellington

It’s a 5 hour drive from Rotorua to Wellington, but the drive to get there is nothing short of spectacular scenery perfect to make friends turn green with envy, and spending time in the robust capital of New Zealand is worth it.

Things to do: Museum of New Zealand, Wellington Botanic Garden, Zealandia Sanctuary, Oriental Bay to Oriental Parade, Wellington Cable Car, a city walking tour, or you can charter a sailboat to take a tour on the water.

Places to stay: InterContinental Wellington ($188/night), Bolton Hotel Wellington ($117/night), At Home Wellington ($137/night), Rydges Wellington ($111/night), and a private one bedroom one bathroom airbnb is $143/night.

Day 11 – 12: Abel Tasman National Park

Its 7 hours from Wellington to Abel Tasman National Park. I know it seems daunting but 3 hours of that is spent on the Interislander Ferry to Piction staring out at the picturesque Queen Charlotte Sound. If you are pressed for time you can fly, but the ferry journey will really be worth it. Abel Tasman National Park is full of serene beaches and opportunities to go whale watching, sea kayaking, or hiking.

Other things to in the Nelson-Tasman Region: Canyoning, Kaiteriteri Beach, Ngarua Caves, Wainui Falls, Nelson Lakes National Park, or Queen’s Gardens.

Places to stay: Peppers Awaroa Lodge ($307/night), Ratanui Lodge ($208/night), Kimi Ora Eco Resort ($127/night), or The Rocks Chalets ($130/night).

Day 13 – 14: Christchurch

At this point you may be tired and be ready to get rid of the car. The flight from Nelson to Christchurch is 50 minutes as opposed to 5 hours in the car. The cheapest flight on Air New Zealand is $113 per person.

Things to do: Christchurch Botanic Gardens, Christchurch Gondola, Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, Orana Wildlife Park, Avon River, Pegasus Bay Winery, Diamond Harbour, New Brighton Beach, and other wine tours.

Places to stay: The George Christchurch ($270/night), Heritage Christchurch ($177/night), Novotel Christchurch Cathedral Square Hotel ($130/night), Merivale Manor ($111/night), and a private one bedroom one bathroom airbnb is $121/night.

Day 15 – 16: Queenstown

It’s another hour flight from Christchurch to Queenstown. Queenstown is where the Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed so as you can assume, it is full of spectacular scenery that will have you waiting for elves. Queenstown is also the perfect place to let your inner adrenaline junkie out. Cheapest flight on Air New Zealand is $86.

Things to do: Skydiving, bungee jumping, paragliding, hang gliding, wine tours, you can take a day trip to the Milford Sound (but prepare for a full and exhausting day), horseback riding tours, boat tours, helicopter rides, and so much more!

Places to stay: Hotel St Moritz Queenstown – MGallery Collection ($232/night), The Dairy Private Hotel ($273/night), Queenstown Park Boutique Hotel ($293/night), Nugget Point Queenstown Hotel ($133/night), Villa Del Lago ($211/night), and a one bedroom one bathroom private airbnb is $236/night.

Day 17: Flight back to ATL

And after 2.5 weeks you begin your long journey back to ATL. The flight from Queenstown back to Auckland is 2 hours and is $106 on Jetstar. Then from AKL to LAX and LAX to ATL where the prices are included above. The good news is you are gaining time as you travel, but it will still be a painful day of travel.

Prices:

Event Average PriceRoundtrip Flight ATL to LAX 410Roundtrip Flight LAX to AKL 1,2853 nights in Auckland 245Car Rental for 12 days 572Estimated Gas for the car for 12 days 1622 nights in Rotorua 1923 nights in Wellington 209Ferry crossing Wellington to Picton with vehicle 1042 nights Nelson/Tasman 193Flight Nelson to Christchurch 1132 nights Christchurch 162Flight Christchurch to Queenstown 862 nights Queenstown 230Flight Queenstown to AKL 106Subtotal Base Cost Per Person 4,068

Excursions/Tours/Wine Tastings 1,26815 breakfasts @ $8/meal 12015 lunches @ $13/meal 19515 dinners @ $20/meal 300Total Estimated Cost Per Person 5,951