After reflecting on our 12-day journey through New Zealand, I thought it might be helpful to answer a few questions you may have if you are considering traveling there.
Here are my blog posts from our trip:
Queenstown to Milford Sound: One Perfect Moment in New Zealand
That Wanaka Tree: A Perfect Evening in Wanaka and Cardrona
Wanaka to Christchurch Drive: What Could Go Wrong?
Te Papa Wellington: A Rainy Travel Day and an Unforgettable Museum Visit
New Zealand’s North Island Was Different — And That Was Okay
This trip was unlike any I had taken before. Prior to New Zealand, my longest vacation was nine days at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. That trip involved lying in a Bali bed, reading books, and drinking Palomas.
New Zealand was different.
In New Zealand, lying anywhere was purely for sleeping. There was too much to see and do.
So here goes…
Is Visiting New Zealand Worth the Long Flight from the United States?
The flight from LAX to Auckland was almost twice as long as any flight I had taken before. It should have been fine had I slept during the flight, but I didn’t. Almost 14 hours is a long time to be sitting, reading, fidgeting, and staring out the window into the darkness.
Add the five-hour flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles, and you understand that making this trek requires commitment, planning, and patience. This isn’t a “pop over for a short visit” destination.
But was it worth it? Absolutely.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.
I expected New Zealand to be beautiful. But I was not prepared to be absolutely blown away by the country’s contrasting landscapes and natural wonders.
It didn’t take long to forget about how long it took to get there.
How Much Time Do You Really Need in New Zealand?
If you can swing it, I think 21 to 24 days would be ideal. We had 12 days, and they were amazing, but we still left with a long list of places we wished we had seen.
YouTubers and bloggers recommended at least three weeks. I think they’re right.
Honestly, 12 days on the South Island alone may not be enough.
There were three places we didn’t visit that I would have liked to see. Two cities that we didn’t visit were Invercargill, the southernmost city in New Zealand, and Dunedin, a harbor town with a rich history. I also wish we had carved out two days to visit Franz Josef, which would have added another dramatic West Coast landscape to the trip.
On the North Island, I would have liked to have visited Napier on any day other than Sunday, as well as a few days in Auckland. It would have been nice if we had an extra day in Wellington and visited Tauranga, a coastal town in the Bay of Plenty.
So if I were to add up the time, allowing time to relax and recover, 21 to 24 days seems like the perfect amount of time to properly visit New Zealand.
Should You Prioritize the South Island or the North Island?
If you have followed our journey in New Zealand, you probably came away thinking I much preferred the South Island. And I did.
The North Island has Mount Ruapehu as its marquee mountain, and it is beautiful. But the South Island is abundant with spectacular mountain ranges soaring to the sky. It’s called the Southern Alps for a reason.
In my opinion, there is so much more for a nature lover on the South Island. The scenery feels more dramatic, with the glacier-fed blue lakes and soaring mountains as the backdrop. Every view could be a postcard.
But that doesn’t mean it is a better choice to prioritize over the North Island. The North Island has Auckland, which offers a more urban, big-city vibe. Hobbiton would be special to movie buffs. Wellington and Tauranga have several museums, art galleries, and festivals. And I can’t forget to mention Huka Falls!
I may go to the North Island just to see the road sign for Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, which is a 1,000-foot hill with almost every letter ever created (and then some!) in its name.
It all comes down to what activities you find important.
That said, I would not consider a first trip to New Zealand complete without seeing Milford Sound. I wrote more about that experience here, including the one perfect moment that became the emotional highlight of the trip.
How Hard is it to Drive in New Zealand?
Let me start by saying that the roads are well-marked with signage, and Apple Maps and Google Maps work nearly everywhere. The challenge came from driving on the left side of the road.
I wrote more about our Ashburton accident here, but the short version is this: driving on the left side of the road was harder than I expected, and I was very thankful we had credit card rental coverage.
With the steering wheel on the right side of the car, everything was backwards for us.
I hadn’t realized how trained my eyes and ears were after 45 years of driving. I never did get used to the sideview mirror on the right side.
My wife complained that I hugged the left side of the road, which is odd because I usually hug the center line.
The novelty of driving on the left side wore off quickly, and it became a real source of tension and stress, both as a driver and as a couple.
Traffic circles, or roundabouts, were comical. I’d have to remind myself to drive clockwise through them.
So you could say I found driving in New Zealand to be very challenging.
After the accident, I gladly gave up driving duties to my wife. And though she thought she drove much better than I did, she was hugging the left side of the road. I was just less vocal.
Alternatives to Renting a Car
New Zealand can also be navigated by bus, train, plane, and ferry.
That could have been fun. But when I researched it, it seemed to require a lot of planning and would have limited flexibility.
We saw a lot of tourists traveling through the country in camper vans.
New Zealand seemed very camper van-friendly, with infrastructure for sleeping, showering, and moving from place to place.
If I were younger or alone, I think it would be amazing to travel in New Zealand in a camper van. But then again, it would require driving, and I wasn’t great at that.
What Can Go Wrong and How Do I Prepare For It?
Oh, this is a loaded question.
Rental Car Insurance Matters
If you read my post describing the car accident we had in Ashburton, you know we were lucky to have our credit card travel benefits cover the cost of the damage to our rental car.
Make sure you understand the benefits and coverage of your car insurance and credit cards used to pay for the rental car before declining the rental car company’s insurance.
Practice Driving Before Attempting Difficult Roads
Second, unless you are familiar with driving on the left side of the road, I would practice driving in a parking lot or on quiet streets. We drove from the airport to the hotel and then on a winding 45-mile drive (and back). We were ill-equipped to jump right into a difficult drive.
Download Maps on Your Phone
Third, download Apple or Google Maps for the routes you will be driving. There are areas in New Zealand where you will not have cell phone service, like when we were about to run out of gas driving to Hobbiton.
Check Weekend Hours
Lastly, do some preliminary research on an area, especially on Sundays, to see what there is to do there. As I mentioned in a couple of my posts, downtown Auckland on a Saturday and Napier on a Sunday were dead. I didn’t even consider that possibility when I booked hotel rooms for those days.
How is the Food in New Zealand?
On the South Island, we had some of the best meals on the trip. Creative dishes executed perfectly. I would have said New Zealand is for foodies. Our North Island dining experience was more repetitive, at least in the places we visited.
We had a very nice meal in Wellington. The menu had fish and chips, Scotch fillet, lamb, sandwiches, and, of course, the green-lipped mussels.
Then in Napier and Rotorua, we found the restaurants had essentially the same menu choices as the restaurant in Wellington. It was almost as if each restaurant was handed the same menu template.
Don’t get me wrong, the food was great. But by the time we left the North Island, we were ready for something different.
The wine was amazing on both islands, and Speight’s and Panhead beers seemed to be everywhere.
Is New Zealand expensive?
The most expensive part of New Zealand, obviously, is getting there.
Once in New Zealand, it isn’t cheap. But I didn’t find it outrageously expensive, either.
You can find cheap and moderately priced options for dining and entertainment. And there are places you can splurge.
We chose to do some excursions that were expensive, but worth it. They could have been done without organized tours to save money, but I think a lot of the content and perspective from our tour guides enhanced the experience.
Food was moderately priced, but alcohol was very expensive. For example, a Scotch fillet (called a Ribeye in the United States) was $28 New Zealand dollars, or roughly $17 US dollars when we were there. I found that to be very reasonable.
A shot of whiskey costs about the same, but the standard pour in the United States is 44 ml, compared to 30 ml in New Zealand. Put another way, you are getting roughly two-thirds the amount for a similar price.
Lodging was very reasonable, especially compared to Europe. My favorite hotel, the historic Cardrona Hotel, was the least expensive stay on the trip (under $65 for the night).
Gasoline seemed very expensive compared to the United States, but when I spoke to Europeans, they considered gas prices normal. Maybe I’ve been spoiled.
What Would I Do Differently Next Time?
Other than bypassing Ashburton?
Extend Our Stays in Queenstown and Wellington
Topping my list would be to spend more time in Queenstown and Wellington. We didn’t even scratch the surface of what each place had to offer.
Use Sundays For Rest and Relaxation
We were disappointed that Napier was essentially closed on Sundays. But had I planned better, I would have known that, and it would have allowed us another day in Wellington.
For any trip spanning a couple of weeks, I think one or two days of taking it easy would recharge the batteries.
Visit Franz Josef Glacier
Franz Josef was a real missed opportunity. We could have reached it by car, tour bus, or train, but we didn’t make it happen.
Ship Wine From the Wineries We Visited
It is hard to believe, but we did not bring back any wine from New Zealand.
We bought one bottle. But when Napier closed down early, it was all we had to drink.
I wish we had bought a case and had it shipped home.
Put My Camera Down
As much as I love the thousands (no exaggeration) of photographs I took in New Zealand, I think some moments and experiences are lost when you are so focused on taking pictures.
Next time, I would take more in with my eyes and ears and less with my camera lens.
Will I return to New Zealand?
I truly hope so.
New Zealand is not the kind of place I feel finished with. It is the kind of place I feel lucky to have seen once and hopeful I will see again.
But next time, I’ll make sure I sleep on the plane.
