Two islands, five million people and forty million sheep. Glaciers, fjords, volcanoes and the best day walk in the world, all within a country the size of the UK.
New Zealand packs glaciers, fjords, active volcanoes, rainforest and beaches into a country you can drive the length of in two days: though you should take three weeks.
The North Island has the volcanic centre: Tongariro's alpine crossing, Rotorua's geothermal steam and Māori culture, and Taupō on the lake. Auckland is the biggest city and Wellington at the bottom is the capital and the better one.
The South Island is what people come for. Queenstown does adventure sports on an industrial scale, Fiordland has Milford Sound, the West Coast has glaciers reaching towards rainforest, and Abel Tasman has the beaches.
A camper van is the classic way to do it, and the freedom camping rules are stricter than they used to be. Three weeks covers both islands at a reasonable pace; a month is better.
Most people drive. The two islands are linked by the Cook Strait ferry from Wellington to Picton.
The adventure capital: bungee, skydiving, lake and mountains. Busy and expensive.
Would love to return to Queenstown. Has a lot to offer for everyone’s tastes!
A traveller, on Hostelworld
The biggest city, on two harbours, with volcanic cones across it and islands offshore.
We were only around for an afternoon and a morning. It's so easy to walk everywhere. The weather was good for spring, there's a lot of interesting building art, the waterfront is pretty and well developed, the green spaces are nice. We saw a fair bit on foot and would have to drive to explore more.
A traveller, on Hostelworld
The capital: coffee, craft beer, Te Papa museum and wind that has to be experienced.
Everything close to hand, diverse activities everywhere and generally good vibes.
A traveller, on Hostelworld
Geothermal pools, sulphur in the air, and the centre of Māori cultural tourism.
It is quite a small town with a lot of activities to explore, love the lake it is very scenic by end of the day.
A traveller, on Hostelworld
A glacier on the West Coast that ends near rainforest, reached by helicopter.
Incredible experience to take a helicopter to glacier if you have the budget
A traveller, on Hostelworld
The gateway to Fiordland and Milford Sound, and the start of the Milford Track.
Te Anau is a place to visit for day excursion or rest and relax by the lake for doing nothing. It is a good place to start hiking fir various mountains or track as well as a gateway to Doubtful and/or Milford Sound. Overall, a quiet nice town and is a truly holiday getaway place 👍
A traveller, on Hostelworld
New Zealand is a hiking and adventure country, and most people do it on wheels.
The Great Walks, and every adrenaline sport that exists.
Māori culture, told by Māori rather than about them.
Wellington over three days, which surprises people.
Abel Tasman, the Coromandel, and water colder than it looks.
Lamb, seafood, wine and very good coffee.
Expensive, and camper vans are how people cope.
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is 19.4km past active volcanic craters and emerald lakes, and is widely called the best day walk in the world. It needs a shuttle booking at both ends, decent weather and proper gear: it is above the treeline and the weather turns fast.
Milford Sound is the other essential: a fjord with sheer walls and waterfalls, reached by a spectacular road from Te Anau, and best on a boat or kayak. It rains there most days, which is when the waterfalls are at their best.
Queenstown is the adventure hub: bungee jumping was commercialised here, and skydiving, jet boating and canyon swings all run daily.
The nine Great Walks are the country's flagship multi-day tracks, with huts that must be booked months ahead for the summer season and sell out within minutes of opening.
New Zealand is expensive to eat out in: a cafe brunch is NZ$20 to NZ$28 and a pub dinner NZ$25 to NZ$40. Most travellers cook, and camper vans and hostel kitchens are built around that.
What is worth paying for is the seafood. Green-lipped mussels, crayfish in Kaikoura, whitebait fritters on the West Coast and oysters from Bluff are all local and excellent.
A hāngī, food cooked in an earth oven, is the traditional Māori meal and is usually experienced as part of a cultural evening in Rotorua. Wine is a serious industry (Marlborough sauvignon blanc and Central Otago pinot noir) and the coffee culture rivals Australia's, which both countries deny.
Queenstown has the most concentrated nightlife in the country, because it is full of young travellers and seasonal workers: bars along the lakefront, hostel nights and a scene that runs year-round through both ski and summer seasons.
Wellington has the best actual bar culture: craft beer, Cuba Street, and more venues per person than anywhere else in the country. Auckland is bigger and more spread out.
Drinks are expensive at NZ$10 to NZ$14 a beer, and bottle shops are much cheaper. Outside the main towns, nightlife means a pub or your campsite, and in most of the South Island that is genuinely all there is.
Driving is how the country works. Camper vans and cars are rented or bought and sold at either end, and the classic trip runs Auckland to Queenstown over three or four weeks. Roads are good but slower than the distances suggest: winding, single-carriageway and scenic.
The Cook Strait ferry between Wellington and Picton takes about three and a half hours and books out in summer, especially with a vehicle.
InterCity buses cover the country for those not driving, and Kiwi Experience and Stray run hop-on hop-off backpacker services. Domestic flights on Air New Zealand and Jetstar link the main centres.
Freedom camping is now heavily regulated: only certified self-contained vehicles may camp outside designated sites in most districts, and fines are enforced. Use the CamperMate or Rankers apps to find legal spots.
New Zealand is expensive. Dorms start around NZ$35 and rise sharply in Queenstown in season, a pub dinner is NZ$25 to NZ$40, and a beer is NZ$10 to NZ$14.
A day comes to NZ$100 to NZ$150. The camper van model is how most people bring that down: the vehicle is bed and transport in one, DOC campsites cost a few dollars a night, and cooking is built in.
Adventure activities are the other cost and they are not cheap: a bungee is NZ$200 to NZ$280, skydiving NZ$300 to NZ$450, a Milford Sound cruise NZ$80 to NZ$120. Pick two or three rather than all of them.
New Zealand has very low crime and the risks are entirely outdoors. The mountains are the serious one: weather in the Southern Alps and on the Tongariro Crossing changes within an hour, tracks are less waymarked than in Europe, and people die every year underestimating alpine conditions in summer clothing.
Tell someone your plans, check the forecast at a DOC visitor centre, and turn back rather than pushing on. Huts on the Great Walks must be booked and the alpine sections are genuinely exposed.
The sea has strong rips and cold water, and river crossings on tracks are a recurring cause of deaths: do not cross a river in flood.
New Zealand sits on a fault line and earthquakes happen; Christchurch in 2011 and Kaikōura in 2016 both caused deaths. Sand flies on the West Coast and in Fiordland are relentless and will ruin a trip if you arrive without repellent.
Visa-waiver nationalities, including the EU, UK, US and Canada, can visit for up to three months (six for UK citizens) but must obtain an NZeTA online before travelling, and pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy at the same time. Both are done in one application and take a few days to process, so do it before booking flights rather than at the airport.
A working holiday visa is available to people generally aged 18 to 30, or 35 for some nationalities, allowing twelve months of work.
Biosecurity is extremely strict, as in Australia: declare all food, outdoor gear and hiking boots, and clean any equipment that has touched soil or fresh water elsewhere. Fines are immediate and substantial.
December to March is summer and the main season. September to November and March to May are quieter with decent weather, and winter is for skiing.
Average highs for Auckland. The South Island is several degrees cooler, Fiordland is among the wettest inhabited places on earth, and alpine areas can snow in any month.
Pick how you travel and how long for. Per night, for one person, in New Zealand dollars.
A camper van folds bed and transport together and is how most people travel here. Big-ticket activities (bungee, skydiving, Milford cruises) sit outside these figures.
Waitangi Day and Matariki are the two that say most about the country.
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