Tips on how to travel around New Zealand and what to do to explore this beautiful country.
Where to go in New Zealand?
While New Zealand is far smaller than Australia you’ll want to visit more than one place and take internal flights. New Zealand has 2 islands: north and south. Most international flights will go to Auckland so I would recommend booking a return ticket to Auckland then book some internal flights during your trip. I had 3 weeks in New Zealand and stayed in Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown. If I did it again I’d spend less time in Auckland and go to Rotorua.
New Zealand itinerary
I started in Auckland staying at Haka Lodge hostel booked through Booking.com. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Auckland and didn’t feel safe as a female solo traveller at night (to be fair I wouldn’t travel on my own at night anywhere). However, Auckland is a good base for really cool trips including Hobbiton, Glow Worm Caves and I did a kayak to Rangitoto Island in the evening, hiked a volcano and kayaked back at night under neath the stars. For the Hobbiton and Glow Worm caves I booked these through Get Your Guide. I also took the ferry to Waiheke Island, did wine tasting at Mudbrick Vineyard and walked around the beautiful island.
I then flew to Christchurch (South Island) and met some friends. Christchurch is lovely to walk around, has lots of shops and restaurants to enjoy. From here we did day trips to Hamner Springs- a natural thermal pool spa and Akaroa where you can swim with dolphins (which was incredible!) I booked this amazing experience through Viator.
We then travelled down to Queenstown for a wedding with the bride and groom stopping at Lake Tekapo for more hot pools, wine, cheese, and star gazing.
Lastly we went to Queenstown- definitely stayed best till last. This was the most beautiful place I’ve been. The autumnal leaves of Arrowtown were stunning, and the water at the dock was so clear. In Queenstown you need to get yourself a Fergburger (it’s worth the queue), take part in an adventure sport (I chose paragliding) and also take a day trip to the incredible Milford Sound and Mount Cook. You can book day trips through Viator or Get Your Guide if you haven’t hired a car.
Where to eat in New Zealand?
My favourite foodie finds in New Zealand were:
Andy’s Burgers and Bar in Auckland. At this restaurant in the Sky Tower your meal is served by a robot! Pretty cool and with a decent lunchtime meal deal.
The White Lady Auckland. This burger joint has 2 branches one near the marina and one by K Road where I was staying. The burgers include lots of fresh ingredients and is the perfect tea after a long day at Hobbiton and Glow worm caves!
Hokey Pokey ice cream- available at various ice cream parlours. This is a New Zealand special with bits of honeycomb- delicious.
Fairlie Bakehouse– definitely the best chicken pie I had in New Zealand and Kiwis are known for their pies! If you’re driving from Christchurch to Queenstown you have to stop here for the best pie of your trip.
Fergburger. This place is something of an institution at this point. Reason for its legacy is a journalist getting drunk and having a Fergburger at 2am then writing it was the best burger in the world. I won’t lie, it’s pretty good and can see why there’s always a queue. It’s sister company Fergbaker are also worth checking out for their Boston Cream Donuts.