Auckland & Queenstown
If you have time, I’d recommend doing a roadtrip through both of the islands. Wish we had more time! There is so much to see (Beaches, Rainforests, Mountains, Geysers, Volcanos, Glaciers…) you won’t be bored!
Duration: 4 days in Auckland and 3 days in Queenstown
Where did we stay: Airbnb in Auckland City and Fernhill near Queenstown
When? Dec 2018
How did we get there: 100K points on United IAH->AUK and SYD ->IAH (Combined with trip to Australia – I know this is more points than I usually use but we went during peak time during Christmas and New Years)
MAP OF THINGS TO DO
Auckland – Top Things to Do:
Day trip to Waiheke Island. Take the Fullers Ferry (45 min ride) to the Waiheke Island. Spend the entire day exploring wineries and Oneroa Beach (20 min walk from the ferry terminal). Sample wines at Cable Bay Vineyard and stay late to stargaze before heading back to Auckland.
Day trip to Rotorua. We did this as a day trip (3 hour drive one way), but I would recommend staying the night here. You can learn about Maori culture at Te Puia and relax at the Polynesian Spa. If you are a fan of Lord of the Rings, make sure to stop by the city of Matamata (Hobbiton) on the way there.
Day trip to Piha beach and the Waitekere Ranges. Only a 45 min drive from Auckland. Hike around the ranges to the Karekare Waterfall and then chill on the black sand beach on south Piha.
Bring Sunscreen. And a hat. The ozone layer is thinner in this part of the world and even though the temperature doesn’t seem as high take precautions! We got sunburnt and it was only 70 degrees outside
Queentown – Top things to do:
Day trip to Milford Sound. Since we had limited time, we decided to do a day trip with Jucy cruises to see the fiord. This is a 12 hour long day trip, with 9 hours of driving which sounds exhausting but honestly it’s not bad at all (Dallas to Austin took me 6 hours once). The scenery on the way to Milford Sound is gorgeous so you don’t get bored looking out the window / the ceiling of the glass roofed coach. You make multiple stops on the way through Fiordland National Park (valleys, lakes, waterfalls). It’s easy to imagine Lord of the Rings characters running around in the valleys 🙂
Day trip to Wanaka. About a 45 minute drive from Queenstown that has plenty of scenic stops and Lupin flowers! You can check out Wanaka Lavender Farms and also see another pretty lake in NZ – Lake Wanaka.
Eat at Taco Medic and Vudu Cafe. these were my favorite spots in town. Skip the line at Fergburger since we have good burgers in the US.
Do something adventurous. It’s the adventure capital of the world. Paragliding? Bungee jumping? Jet boat? You name it, they have it.
