My South Island Must-Do's
Hooker Lake hike - Mt Cook
- Queenstown has to be top of my list, absolutely one of the most picturesque places I've ever been, and has TONS to do.
- Milford Sound
- Kawarau Bridge Bungy (even if you just go to watch others jump!
- Mt Cook National Park
- Hooker Lake hike
- Tekapo and Lake Pukaki
My South Island Do If You Have Time's
Kayaking in Akaroa Harbour
- Akaroa Harbour
- Go kayaking
- Take a boat tour if you have the budget to do so!
- Dunedin
- Cadbury Chocolate Factory
- Go wine-tasting
My South Island Can-Skip's
- Christchurch
- Note this is my personal opinion, but I found other New Zealand cities to be more interesting! Christchurch does have some nice museums and parks, but I would skip this one if I were to go back.
- The food
- The best food I had in New Zealand was all food from different countries. Classic kiwi food I found to be pretty bland and heavy (LOTS of meat and potatoes and fried fish). HOWEVER, I have heard that the North Island has better food as they have a larger population, so maybe it's better up in Auckland!
My North Island Must-Do's
One of the hobbit holes at Hobbiton
"Mordor" partway through the Tongariro Crossing
- Tongariro Alpine Crossing
- If you're a Lord of the Rings fan and an avid hiker, this is definitely a must-do! How many people can say they walked into Mordor?
- Hobbiton
- Even if you're not a LOTR fan, this one is a REALLY fun stop. Getting to walk through the Shire hobbit holes is really cool.
- Cathedral Cove
- Without a doubt one of my favorite beaches I've been to to date (the amazing sunrise helped).
- Note you have roughly 45 minutes of hike/walking to get there!
My North Island Do If You Have Time's
Horseback riding on Muriwai Beach
- Waitomo Glow Worm Caves
- This is a really cool little tour, but it gets downgraded to my do if you have time's for the price! We all felt it was a little overhyped and overpriced, but still very neat.
- Lake Taupo adventures
- We went white water rafting, but you can also go skydiving!
- Auckland
- Probably the best place to find good food as well as being the largest city!
- Muriwai Beach
- Not quite as good as Cathedral Cove but still a great beach.
- We went horseback riding which was very picturesque.
- Spontaneous detours!
- The roads we drove along had lots of easy side hikes if you have the time!
- We hiked Fairy Falls which was a great quick hike to stretch our legs.
- Rotorua
- Haka Honey
- If you have a rainy day or are looking for free stuff, there are some great free samples here and it's a huge store with a live beehive!
My North Island Can-Skip's
- We stuck to stuff we knew we'd enjoy, so I don't have much to add here except I would DEFINITELY skip sleeping in my rental car next time (we slept three girls to a Ford Focus-sized car because we were pretty cheap)
General Advice for Traveling New Zealand
Cathedral Cove at sunrise
- RENT A CAR
- I cannot say it enough. Public transportation in New Zealand is great for getting around cities, but if you want to get out a hike or get to different beaches and lakes, you'll either have to spring for a tour, or spend half the day transferring busses. We rented a car on the North Island and it was absolutely worth it.
- Also as a side note, a lot of people rent a camper van so they can camp as they go, and I would recommend this as well, especially if you're wanting to save money or spend most of your time outside of the city!
- Stop at a grocery store to stock up on food you can make for yourself
- New Zealand has some great fresh produce and sandwich fixings and other basic stuff at their grocery store, and to be honest a lot of the restaurant food isn't worth springing for!
- I would recommend doing your research and finding a few restaurants to eat at with great reviews, then save some money by doing your other meals on your own.
- Allow yourself the flexibility in timing to make spontaneous photo and hiking stops.
- There are so many great stops along your drive that it's well worth it to stop and take advantage of the incredible New Zealand nature! Try not to book yourself sunrise to sunset so you can enjoy the beauty of spontaneous stops and hidden gems.
- Give yourself enough time to travel both islands.
- New Zealand is PACKED with amazing scenery and incredible hikes, but unfortunately, they are as spread out as could possibly be. New Zealand may look small on a map, but you will need AT LEAST two weeks to be able to do both islands including travel time and adventure stops.
- If you don't want to stick out like a sore thumb (particularly on the South Island), pack as though you are going for an overnight hiking trip. Feel free to leave your hair styling equipment, makeup, and heels at home!
- I found most people (from a female standpoint) walked around in no makeup, hair in a ponytail, and hiking/outdoorsy clothes. When I first arrived and wore a full face of makeup I felt SO overdressed.
- I feel like I need to add a note here that you should dress however is most comfortable for you, but just wanted to give a heads up if you needed any packing tips or advice! I was there for four months and only dressed up one time for a nice dinner. Lots of people here also wear waterproof boots and shoes, but I spent most of my days in a farm town, so that might be specific to Lincoln!
- Bring a waterproof camera
- I got SO MUCH USE out of my GoPro. It's much smaller and lighter to carry and pack than a DSLR!
- Two other major reasons to bring a waterproof camera:
- It rains. A lot. Something like a GoPro is especially helpful and easily accessible if you plan on doing one of the Great Walks/multi-day treks and don't want to risk potential water damage to your nice camera.
- Lots of New Zealand activities are on or around water! Lakes, ocean, waterfalls, etc.
- Take advantage of the many New Zealand hostels - particularly if you're traveling on a budget or traveling alone!
- Hostels are kind of like college dorm meets summer camp meets hotel. They vary VASTLY in setup, but it's an affordable way to travel, you get a clean bed, a bathroom (usually community), and a community kitchen to use in addition to the common rooms which are great places to meet other travelers! In New Zealand I paid an average of $20/night for one bed in a 10-bed dorm room or something like that. Note that sometimes the dorms are co-ed and sometimes you can select a room that is all-female or all-male.
- Hostel World Website
- Bring a good pair of hiking boots if you plan on trekking. I used mine even when not hiking on the wetter days rather than packing one pair of boots and one pair of rain boots.
Driving to Mt Cook
Recommended Packing
- One pair hiking boots/waterproof tennis shoes
- One pair sandals (I brought Chacos)
- One raincoat
- Multiple outfits for hiking and adventures
- Dri-fit works really well
- Leggings/running shorts/hiking pants
- One pair jeans or shorts or a dress or whatever you like to wear for walking around the city
- 1-2 sweatshirts/fleece/layers for nighttime, especially if you'll be doing any camping
- Toiletries
- Toiletries are EXPENSIVE here so try bring them from home!
- If possible...try fit everything into a pack. Or a suitcase and bring a pack so that you're not too ill-prepared if you do any multi-day treks! It's also MUCH easier to get around with just a pack if you need to rely solely on public transportation and tour busses.
- This goes for any international packing, but aside from a passport/visa if you need it, bring or buy an adapter ASAP! If you plan on traveling to different countries, you can buy an all-in-one power adapter on Amazon for like $20.
What I Would Do Next Time (New To Me):
- One or more of the Great Walks
- Milford Track
- Routeburn Track
- Kepler Track
- Rent a campervan
- Fox Glacier/Franz Josef Glacier
- Bay of Islands
- Some sort of boating excursion!
- LOTR horseback riding tour
- Kaikoura whale watching cruise
- Do more in the Mt Cook area
- Lake Matheson
- Travel to New Zealand during their summer (November-February-ish)
New Zealand Conclusion
If you are debating whether or not to travel to New Zealand...DO IT. It is without a doubt one of the most beautiful and incredible countries I have ever been to. I would especially recommend a New Zealand trip to those who crave adventure, love the outdoors, or are big Lord of the Rings/Chronicles of Narnia fans! I hope you found something in my post to be helpful, I'm still learning how to design my blog to be a travel tool rather than simply an online journal!
Hobbiton
Kawarau Bridge Bungy
Tongariro Alpine Crossing
Lake Pukaki
Narnia scene on top, us on bottom at Cathedral Cove
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