Trip Itinerary: New Zealand in 9 Days

Oct 26

Oct 26 Trip Itinerary: New Zealand in 9 Days

They told us we were crazy but...

Naysayers- you can do North AND South Island of New Zealand in 9 days/ 8 nights. All it takes is a little bit of ambition and at least 2 cappuccinos a day.

This post was inspired by something I read a while ago about being able to do a trip to Taipei in one weekend.

How it's going to work.
Today, I'll give you a board overview of the trip. Every week, I'll give a more in depth account of each day. This is hard for me- considering my tendency (and sheer delight) in spilling the beans. This is also because of the sheer amount of time it takes to organize content from a trip.

For your convenience, links to posts for each day will be included in this post. (I call that great customer service!)

The Intent.
You too have the energy and ambition your mega-adventure to New Zealand, Chile, or wherever!

Also, I realize this post is not very food-related, but just you wait! There will be plenty of coffee and brunch in the coming posts.

Here. We. Go.

The Short Story.

Day 1: Day in Aukland
Day 2: Aukland/Matamata/Lake Taupo
Day 3: Lake Taupo/Mt. Doom/Wellington
Day 4.1: Wellington
Day 4.2: Wellington/Cook Strait/Picton
Day 5: Picton/Nelson/Greymouth/West Coast/Franz Josef Glacier
Day 6.1: Franz Josef Glacier
Day 6.2: West Coast/Lake Paninga
Day 7: Wanaka
Day 8.1: Wanaka/Milford Sound
Day 8.2: Queenstown
Day 9: Flight out of Queenstown

The Short Story with Pictures and Mini-Commentary.

Featured

It's Day 6.2 of the 9 day journey through New Zealand's North and South Island. Sleep levels are low, but morale is high. The camper van was a good decision.

They told us we were crazy but...

Naysayers- you can do North AND South Island of New Zealand in 9 days/ 8 nights. All it takes is a little bit of ambition and at least 2 cappuccinos a day.

This post was inspired by something I read a while ago about being able to do a trip to Taipei in one weekend.

How it's going to work.
Today, I'll give you a board overview of the trip. Every week, I'll give a more in depth account of each day. This is hard for me- considering my tendency (and sheer delight) in spilling the beans. This is also because of the sheer amount of time it takes to organize content from a trip.

The Long Story.

Thursday, March 5

3:00 PM Call Uber.
Uber arrives late and I realize I'm going to be paying my way to the airport rather than just to the Bart station.
Uber driver asks me how many kids I have and tells me he dresses like a gang banger. I'm pissed and send Uber a well-worded email.

So... I've already written about the Hobbiton, but I skimped on the photos. This was partly because processing photos after a trip is exhausting and I'm a nerd who thought it more efficient and useful to write a detailed itinerary. Regardless, here are some photos of the Hobbiton.

Road tripping is cool in the sense that you get to see a LOT of the country. Being stuck in a car all day is not so cool. Whenever you road trip in another country - try to do one capstone adventure.

This is Day 6 (Part 1) of NZ in a Little Over a Week. If you haven't already, check out Day 5 - Picton to Greymouth.

Here are some photos from the trans-island ferry embedded with helpful tips.

It takes a couple hundred dollars to get from the North Island to the South Island of New Zealand. The least you can do is enjoy the view.

Day 5 NZ Road Trip - Picton to Greymouth

This is Day 5 of the 8 day/7 night New Zealand Road Trip. If you haven't already, check out Day 4 - Wellington.

As we progressed down from Aukland, the scenery became more and more beautiful. When we landed on the South Island, the weather and foliage was much different. It was more humid and the trees were more forest-y. (I regretted my decision not to bring a rain jacket.)

This is day three of 8 days/7 nights exploring New Zealand's North and South Island. If you haven't yet, you should check out D ay 3: Lake Taupo! The intent is to provide a sample itinerary, helpful hints, and motivation (you CAN see a lot in a little bit of time). Hopefully this adventure will help you plan YOUR New Zealand adventure.

NZ Road Trip Day 3: Lake Taupo / Mt. Doom / Wellington

This is day 3 exploring New Zealand's North and South Island. If you haven't yet, you should check out Day 2: Auklan d/Matamata! The intent is to provide a sample itinerary, helpful hints, and motivation. The times are to show how much you can do/drive in a small amount of time. Hopefully this adventure will help you plan YOUR New Zealand adventure.