We are hoping to go to NZ in early 2024, for multiple weeks.
We will likely hit both the north and south islands. We will likely do a bike trip for part of the time, and visit some wineries.
I’m hoping people who have been there or really want to go will provide some important highlights, or places that can be missed.
We like outdoor activities more than cultural activities (museums, etc.), but are fine with some culture stuff.
I’d appreciate recommendations for tours, places to stay, places to visit, how much time we may want to decimate to a specific place, etc.
The most famous and spectacular is the Milford Track, I also did the Hollyford and Routeburn Tracks and Tongariro Crossing (the latter in North Island, you can climb Mt Doom from Lord of the Rings). I’d rank them Milford > Tongariro > Routeburn > Hollyford, though rainy weather may affect your perspective (a washout on the day you climb Mackinnon Saddle leaves many people wondering why the Milford Track is supposedly the “Best Walk in the World”). Many people like the Abel Tasman track, though it is coastal not mountains.
In addition to the standard huts, some of these trails have luxury guided options, most notably the Milford and Routeburn Tracks (https://www.ultimatehikes.co.nz/ )
Places not to miss: Mt Cook, Queenstown (go rafting, bungee jumping, jet boating, etc, also good base for a trip to Milford Sound), Te Anau (don’t miss the day trip to Doubtful Sound), Fox Glacier (west side of Mt Cook) in South Island and Rotorua (geysers and Maori culture) in North Island.
Some highlights:
Black water rafting in the Waitomo caves
Milford sound overnight, milford mariner overnight cruise
Got dropped off part way back to town and did the Milford Track from there.
Abel Tasman overnight (Awaroa lodge) walk/kayak in/out
Jet boat the dart river
Kaikoura Dolphin encounter
These were all there 20 years ago, not sure now. Best month ever!
We did some multi day hikes and canoe trips that were possible in our 20’s but not now.
I went to NZ many years ago and I MUCH preferred the South Island to the North Island, though I did enjoy Rotorua and the Coromandel Peninsula.
My favorite NZ experience was going on a glow worm cave tubing adventure. Amazing. At the end, we jumped into a lake below where the cave river exited. It was on the South Island. I don’t remember what it was called, sadly, but it was at the end of this valley and it seemed as though a dinosaur would walk out from behind a giant tree fern any second. So cool. It may have been this, as the location and description seem right. The Charleston GlowWorm Cave Tour | Activity in West Coast, New Zealand
Glow worm cave tubing could have been blackwaterrafting. There were glow worms along the roof as we floating down a river completely within a cave. You repelled in and then sort of scrambled out. agree it was fantastic.
Yes, sounds like that could have been it. But it was definitely in inner tubes and it was in the most amazing valley. We had hired a car which made a big difference and I recommend it highly.
I was also in my 20s when I did that trip but my feeling is that the multi-day hikes aren’t that hard (10-11 miles a day is typical, which is less than comparable hikes in Europe) - definitely much easier than backpacking in the Sierra Nevada for example. Also the huts are a really nice touch (you do need a sleeping bag, backpack and waterproofs though). The only problem is the rain.
I agree with the advice to rent a car, at least for the South Island. It might be expensive to take it to the North Island though. Best might be to fly to Auckland and rent another car.
We went to NZ in 2014 and 2016. Rented a car on both islands. The rental companies won’t let you take a car from North to South Island; they will have you drop off on one island and pick up on the other. I needed to talk to a rep to get the confirmation #s for each, but for pricing, it counted as one trip.
Will pull out my notes and reply more later – but some of our favorites included Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach (North Island), and the overnight trip on Doubtful Sound near Te Anau.
The first time we went, we spent nine days in NZ. On the flight home, I told H we could come back and spend another two weeks and not duplicate anything we wanted to see. So we did! (Love those FF miles.)
We went in September and October – nice transitional weather. Even got to see snow in Doubtful Sound.
We went to New Zealand in 1999–H had a business trip and I tagged along. We stayed in Christchurch (South Island). One site there that stands out in my mind was the International Antarctic Centre. It was fascinating; there were many interactive exhibits where you felt like you are were the Antarctic. We also did a wine tour in Otago area and hiked on the Tasman coastal track (it’s in a national park). We were only there for 8 days, which wasn’t long enough. Mostly I remember what a beautiful country New Zealand is. One piece of advice—don’t take your shoes off on the flight! We flew from the East Coast to LA and then LA to Auckland. I took off my shoes on the second part of the trip and my feet swelled up and I could barely get them on when we got to NZ. I wore backless shoes on the way home!
I’m planning a trip to New Zealand to use all of my Virgin Airways miles, but I will do multiple hops through Hawaii, Tahiti, and New Zealand, so thanks for this thread.
Have you done any of the luxury trips you posted the link to? Do you have any idea the average age of their guests?
I just sent them a message to get more information.
Thanks for the link
I was a poor student and did the backpacker huts instead. But we were on the boat with the luxury guests. As far as I remember from 30 years ago, it seemed to be mostly foreigners (a lot of Americans, didn’t meet any Brits) in their 40s, 50s and early 60s. Maybe there would be more from Asia nowadays. Largely couples, maybe the odd family, not sure about single people.
My daughter was eligible for Make-A-Wish, and hers was to do a Lord of the Rings tour… so they sent us to NZ. It was amazing - but only for a week which was not enough time.
We started in Auckland and basically drove south each day hitting places along the way. Hobbiton, the state park that has the mountain they used for Mount Doom… Rotorua was great fun (hiking/go carts down the mountain/spa).
We ended with a tour of the Weta workshops in the South of the northern island, and then we did a 16 hour train ride back up to Auckland (the train ride was great - awesome scenery).
The trip home was quite an experience though… Was supposed to be NZ->Hong Kong->NYC… after 8 hours in the air they pilot comes on and says “we’ve had some issues with the navigation equipment and” and that’s it - cuts out. Silence for a minute, and people are getting nervous… finally he gets back and and says “sorry folks, I didn’t realize the PA cut out, sorry about that…” and tells us we need to land in the Philippines… we’re at that airport in a small area for about 4 hours… then to Hong Kong… then from Hong King to Vancouver… then from Vancouver to NYC… so 5 countries, 4 flights and 36 hours to get home… me, the EX wife (divorced about 10 years at that time), a 15 year old and a 13 year old. Fun!